MARTINSVILLE, Va. – A group of Martinsville residents have initiated a recall effort against Mayor L.C. Jones, citing concerns over transparency in the investigation of former City Manager Aretha Ferrell-Benavides.
Jones previously abstained from an August vote to release the investigation findings, citing a conflict of interest. A motion to release these documents narrowly failed during an August council meeting.
The petition, led by longtime resident Patti Covington, comes amid mounting tensions over the city’s handling of documents related to the Ferrell-Benavides investigation. “Citizens hope that this process will enable the court to examine the facts and circumstances of the investigation to take any appropriate action,” Covington said.
“We think that there’s just cause that the circuit court judge should take a look,” Covington added. “It’s not an indication of guilt. It’s just an opportunity for the judge to take a look.”
Jones dismissed the accusations, challenging the petition’s legal basis. “They have no evidence. They have no actual facts,” Jones said. “This is just what they believe and they’re hoping that a judge looks at it but that’s not actually how it works.”
The mayor further alleged that signing the petition could be a form of perjury, claiming petitioners have been misled about the petition’s contents.
Covington defended the petition process: “This is a legal right that every tax-paying citizen has, to petition. So, I unfortunately think that he’s trying to keep citizens from signing it.”
Under Virginia law, which doesn’t allow recall elections, the petition requires verified signatures totaling at least 10% of the votes cast in the last mayor’s election (375 in this case). Once collected, the signatures must be certified by the General Registrar before being forwarded to the Commonwealth’s Attorney for legal review. The Commonwealth’s attorney then has an unspecified amount of time to review the legality of the petition before deciding if it should proceed to Circuit Court.
The investigation into the former city manager appears to be reaching a critical phase. Mayor Jones announced last week that the forensic audit of city finances has been completed, but he hasn’t yet received the results of the audit. He says he’s requested the findings and aims to meet with city council to discuss audit findings before January 2nd.
Meanwhile, Councilman Aaron Rawls threatened to hold a press conference revealing details of the investigation if Jones isn’t indicted by early February.