Board of Supervisors makes appointments

Two new members of the Botetourt County Economic Development Authority (EDA) are from the northern end of the county.

Buchanan District Supervisor Amy White nominated David Bryan, former CEO of Gala Industries, to take a vacant spot on the board that ends in November of this year. Bryan is a native of Botetourt County.

Fincastle District Supervisor Dr. Richard Bailey nominated Mary Bess Smith, a certified public accountant who worked for Norfolk Southern for 31 years and now works as Director of Internal Audit and Enterprise Management for Delta Dental of Virginia, to take a vacant spot on the EDA that ends November 2022.

The nominations received unanimous support from the Board of Supervisors at the February 23, 2021 meeting.

The supervisors also reappointed Richard Clark and Sean Goldsmith to the Building Code Board of Appeals for four-year terms and asked that Hunter Young be reappointed to the Board of Zoning Appeals. The latter appointment is a recommendation to the Circuit Court judge, who will approve the nominee.

Additionally, there is a vacancy in the Fincastle District for a representative on the Board of Zoning Appeals. That term expires on March 31, 2023. The supervisors made no recommendation to fill that seat, which was vacated when Dr. Beth Leffel, who previously held the seat, was appointed to the Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare Board of Directors. Under the bylaws of the BZA, members cannot serve on additional boards and the county attorney determined Leffel was not eligible to serve on both boards.

                                                                        – Anita Firebaugh, Special to The Botetourt Bee