But online searches suggest no such policy exists
Shilton Ricks-Butts, the clerk for the Sussex County Board of Supervisors, has informed Checks & Balances Project (C&BP) it will take two weeks for the county to respond to C&BP’s request for a copy of the county’s recusal policy, along with any records of commissioners recusing themselves from self-interested votes over the last 25 years.
But an AI-assisted review of the 34 chapters of the Sussex County, Virginia, municipal code indicates the county has no specific recusal policy, which would stop commissioners from voting on issues that might financially benefit them.
Searches on three leading AI platforms – ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini – indicated that the county has no recusal policy at all.
While it’s unclear why the county needs two weeks to know if it has a policy and hit “send” on a copy, self-interested votes are still illegal under state law. Online sources indicate Virginia State and Local Government Conflict of Interest Act (COIA) determines when public officials should recuse themselves. According to section 2.2-3112 of COIA, a public official shall “disclose his personal interest as required by subsection E of § 2.2-3114 or subsection F of § 2.2-3115 and shall not vote or in any manner act on behalf of his agency in the transaction.” [Emphasis added.]
C&BP has filed two Freedom of Information Act requests with Sussex County. The first sought the county’s recusal policy, while the second requested all communications and records from 2022 to the present regarding the county emergency medical services department and the Stony Creek Volunteer Rescue Squad.
As C&BP noted earlier: “The handling of the county’s EMS services was the subject of significant controversy. A reader tip received Tuesday encouraged us to look further: ‘I heard you want tips. You should look all that went down on the EMS services here. Bunch of folks on the county board scratching each others backs. It stinks. Keep digging’.”
“On its latest federal income tax filing, the Stony Creek Volunteer Rescue Squad listed Steve White, now the chair of the Sussex County board of supervisors, as its chairman. According to a 2023 reorganization, the Stony Creek rescue squad is now part of the overall county EMS system.”
C&BP has asked county supervisors to comment on the apparent lack of a recusal policy and whether they rely on legal counsel to determine potential conflicts of interest.
Ray Locker is the executive director for Checks & Balances Project, an investigative watchdog blog holding government officials, lobbyists, and corporate management accountable to the public. Funding for C&BP is provided by Renew American Prosperity and individual donors.
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Checks & Balances Project files FOIA request seeking Sussex County EMS records
Checks & Balances Project seeks Sussex County’s recusal policy
Checks & Balances Project seeks more tips from Sussex County residents
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