MARTINSVILLE, Va. – The fallout from the firing of Martinsville City Manager Aretha Ferrell Benevides continues to deepen, as City Council members clash over whether to release investigation documents to the public.
Councilman Aaron Rawls moved to release approximately 30 pages of investigative documents, despite the city attorney’s recommendation against such action. The motion received support only from Councilman Julian Mei, while facing opposition from Councilman Rayshaun Gravely and Vice Mayor Kathy Lawson.
“This has been such a traumatic experience for the community as a whole that I felt a degree of transparency with this was not only needed, but warranted,” Mei explained.
However, Gravely emphasized the importance of allowing the ongoing Commonwealth’s Attorney’s investigation to proceed unimpeded. “It’s in their hands now. We should let them do their job. No city councilmember should be interfering with the investigation,” he stated.
While acknowledging potential risks to the city from the documents’ release, Mei expressed frustration with the situation, noting that “a lot of people in Martinsville voted for people who enabled this behavior.”
Mayor L.C. Jones took a middle ground, abstaining from the vote. While supporting eventual public disclosure, he cited concerns about the advice of counsel and potential conflicts of interest. “There are things in those documents that aren’t correct, that I’d have a conflict of interest with and that aren’t correct,” Jones said.
As community tension mounts, Gravely called for patience. “The information that needs to get out to the community will get out to the community. What needs to happen will happen,” he assured.
The controversy, which has now stretched over several months, shows no immediate signs of resolution as the investigation continues and council members remain divided over the path forward.