MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Martinsville City Council voted to remove controversial City Manager Aretha Ferrell-Benavides. Ferrell-Benavides had served on the post since 2023.
According to the City Council, the reasons for the firing are: Commission of an act involving malfeasance and dishonesty, violation of city charter, city code, city policy, city rule and regulation, and unsatisfactory performance.
The council voted 4-1 in favor of the motion, with Mayor L.C. Jones being the lone dissenting vote. He addressed his vote after the meeting.
“I chose to object to it at this particular time because the investigation is still ongoing and we’re still waiting on an audit to come back,” Mayor Jones said.
Jones did say he’d support the move support the move after the investigation, if it was found that Ferrell-Benavides had violated laws or policies. He added that he wasn’t surprised to see this happen tonight.
The move comes after a string of controversies that has engulfed the city council since last year. First came a contentious salary debate over her position. After a month’s long battle that ended in March, saw her salary increase by $30,000. Councilmen Aaron Rawls and Julian Mei both disagreed with this raise.
“When I look at her salary, I want to know what she’s done to earn that. I’m sorry, but we were just better managed when we didn’t have a manager,” Rawls said.
Councilman Mei said he had nothing against Ferrell-Benavides but didn’t agree with the process behind the raise. “There are other factors involved here. It’s not just a question of the amount, it’s a question of how this came into being,” Councilman Mei said.
Additionally, Rawls is involved in a Federal Civil Rights lawsuit against Ferrell-Benavides after a heated march meeting saw Rawls be escorted out by police. Rawls declined to comment on the lawsuit.
Ferrell-Benavides had been on administrative leave with pay since a July 22nd meeting. Mayor Jones said the council hasn’t had any contact with her since.
Ferrell-Benavides has also applied to a city manager job in Elgin, Texas, amid the controversy.