Augusta County Supervisor Steve Morelli Resigns
When the Augusta County Board of Supervisors voted two weeks ago to begin live streaming their third-Monday-of-the-month work sessions, they couldn’t have known that the first online meeting would end with the resignation of one of their own.
An hour into Monday afternoon’s meeting the board went into closed session and emerged two hours later to read a statement announcing that Republican South River Supervisor Steve Morelli had resigned from the board for personal reasons.
Here is the statement, read by county administrator Tim Fitzgerald:
Steve Morelli, South River District Supervisor, submitted a notice of resignation this morning.
Mr. Morelli cited personal reasons for his early resignation. The South River district supervisor’s current term would have expired on December 31, 2023.
On behalf of the Board of Supervisors, I would like to thank and express appreciation for Steve Morelli’s service to Augusta County.
Information on the process for fulfilling the vacancy will be forthcoming.
Morelli joined the board in 2020 for a four-year term that runs through December 31, 2023. At the time, he succeeded Republican Carolyn Bragg who did not run for reelection and instead ran for the open Augusta County clerk of court position after the announced resignation of Clerk of Court Carol Brydge. Ms. Bragg lost that race to former Republican Del. Steve Landes who is still serving as clerk.
As in the past, the now-open seat will most likely be filled by someone who is appointed by the board.
There may be a number of qualified candidates who would make satisfactory supervisors, but the board would be hard-pressed to find anyone more qualified than former Supervisor Carolyn Bragg.
Perhaps the most important point in her favor is that there would be no learning curve required to jump right into governing at a time when budget talks are on the front burner and a knowledgeable colleague would be helpful and not a hinderance to other supervisors.
Originally appointed to the board in 2014 to finish the term when the late David Beyler passed away, Ms. Bragg served six years representing the citizens of South River, located in the southeastern part of Augusta County. She knows and continues to work with the other supervisors through her position as chairman of the Planning Commission and is a member of the Augusta Courthouse Advisory Board.
As a long-time resident of South River, she knows the district like the back of her hand. She and her husband owned and operated a 7-Eleven in Draft for 17 years, and for years she has co-chaired the popular annual Stuarts Draft Christmas parade, in the schools, at church where she helps serve up Saturday morning pancake breakfasts, and numerous other community events. While a supervisor, she worked to successfully locate a very popular library station in Stuarts Draft.
With all the qualities desired in a position to work so closely with residents of the area, the Augusta County Board of Supervisors would do well to have Ms. Bragg return to the board.
