I am very strongly opposed to HB1677. I've lived in Martinsville/Henry County since I married in 2004, for 21 years, and I've been a resident of Martinsville for 15 years. So much has happened to this small city and town since I have been here and it's not been good things either. It's gotten worse just I'm the past 10 years even. Political scandals, a family enterprise that basically owns most of the real estate here and has locked out all competition, doctors that are unhonest and just give options out like candy and have been busted for it and more than once, there are high incidences of drug use here, and rumors of businesses and apartments being ran my cartel. If that's not enough there has also been corruption in the county sheriff's office. And now recently in the media there is more current developments of corruption in the city of Martinsville government that could end in a $11 million lawsuit and this city don't have that kind of money. This could only lead to higher taxes etc and that's gonna be devastating to this town. On the TV last night in the media, it was brought to the public attention that the city manager is also trying to be the city clerk and is try to change the rules into he charter that states the attorney here doesn't have to be a resident here in va anymore. The charter says has to be here for atleats 5 years and all her crew new and has no idea about what's all happened here. And the man who she calls the attorney hasn't even passed his BAR. She rather change the charter rules to have her favorite people who will do what she says and push her on agenda instead of finding good qualified people. I just want good to come to this city and people to love each other and look out for each other not pushing crazy agendas. Thank you for your time.

I oppose the move to change the city charter’s rules that govern the screening of City Attorney candidates in the manner proposed, because it arbitrarily weakens the selection process by opening candidacy to far less experienced and non-representative persons. By non-representative, I mean persons who have not yet depended on the health of our community to facilitate building their lives, and are therefore not locally familiar, locally experienced, or locally invested. What is the purpose of changing the rules so that such persons would now be considered? City government appointees are there to serve the specific interests of the people and should be selected based on the likelihood of fulfilling that purpose rather than any other political or social pet-project—Pet-project here means an activity or goal pursued as a personal favorite (of the city manager, in this instance, who herself came out of nowhere, with no local experience, and who has also —through another arbitrary rule change—installed herself as the city clerk, holding two offices) rather than because it is generally accepted as necessary or important. I became aware of the suspect moves being made by the City Manager Aretha Ferrell-Benavides through the excellent and informative presentations and city-counsel meeting appearances of Caleb Robertson, also a resident of Martinsville Va, who hosts an educational show that also engages in investigative journalism. The show is televised on local news and streamed to YouTube several times a week. I highly recommend that anyone interested in seeing what the city government is doing in our town see the show that aired on 1/30/2025 which focuses on this issue with background included. It is to be found at the following YouTube channel (here I will attempt to include the link to the specific post: https://www.youtube.com/live/2MKHOuJJYlk?si=MQoLOZSSwsSRGWbm should it not work, please visit “Johnny Robertson” YouTube channel and see the live show that streamed on 1/30/25) Thank you for your time and attention, Ian Young, 100 Lakemont Court, Martinsville Va. 24112 Phone: (310) 985-1941

The following comments are a detailed follow up to a personal call that I made earlier to Delegate Phillips office. I am VEHEMENTLY opposed to HB1677 not only in a technical sense, but what it now represents in principle. I've lived in Martinsville/Henry County since I was born, for 47 years, and I've been a resident of Martinsville for 15 years. Since high school, I've witnessed an entire generation of economic hardship due to factors at a national level beyond the citizen's control. Over the years, the effects of that hardship have been compounded locally by political scandal, a family enterprise that has consolidated real estate ownership and locked out competition, a doctor who ran a multi-state 'pill mill', high incidence of drug overdose, rumors of cartel activity, corruption in the county Sheriff's office, and now, from what I'm hearing from recent local media investigations, developing corruption within the Martinsville City Government that may conclude in an $11 million dollar lawsuit against an already cash strapped municipality. It appears from recent developments that the current City Manager is making moves to consolidate power by granting herself the ability to function in multiple capacities for what would generally be separated powers. Furthermore, a number of new personnel have been hired by the administration from outside states that appear to be cohorts from previous stints as City Manager in other localities, and now, with the introduction of HB1677, an attempt to alter the City charter to allow an 'Esquire' to give legal advice to the city without a Virginia bar admission. All this IN ADDITION to pushing a DEI agenda by partnering with local religious sects in contradiction article I, section 16 of the constitution of Virginia: "And the General Assembly shall not prescribe any religious test whatever, or confer any peculiar privileges or advantages on any sect or denomination," I write this to you as a power transformer has just exploded on our street, cutting our power for the first of what will most likely be many times this year due to the dilapidated infrastructure that the City of Martinsville can't seem to muster the capital to fix. Not to mention the water main that has broken again for at least the 5th time during my residency here. Meanwhile, our city manager is enriching herself with a nearly $200,000 a year salary, pushing divisive agendas and leading the city into a legal dispute that may finally push our municipality to bankruptcy or even higher taxes.

I do not support this bill.

I wish to contest HB1677. In the same way that the Martinsville Charter rules City Councilmen must be residents of the city, I would like for our City Attorney to have some familiarity with laws and practices of the state of Virginia (having practiced law in VA for at least five years immediately before appointment). In regard to the qualifications of the City Attorney I would like for the words "therein" and "immediately" to remain in the charter as currently stated. Ensuring our local government receives legal council from someone relatively familiar (at least five years of experience) with laws and practices of the state of Virginia.

I am available for comments if needed. Thank you.