GRETNA, Va. – A group of Pittsylvania County residents is circulating a petition to remove a member of the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors following a recent shoplifting charge.
Dudley was caught on camera stealing Kratom from an Altavista convenience store back in November.
The effort targets Tim Dudley, who represents the Staunton River District. The petition comes weeks after the board voted to censure Dudley, formally rebuking him and removing him from committee assignments. However, a censure does not remove an elected official from office.
Under Virginia law, only voters in Dudley’s district can initiate his removal. Petition organizers must gather signatures from at least 10% of voters who cast ballots in the last election in which Dudley was elected — more than 200 signatures. The signatures must be collected within 90 days of the first signature, a deadline that falls in mid-May, and then be submitted to the county.
Richard Aldridge, who is leading the petition effort, said the charge undermined his trust in Dudley.
“Nobody’s perfect. But you need to be trustworthy,” Aldridge said. “If people lose their trust in you, they can’t believe in you.”
Aldridge said he was among many residents outraged by the situation and felt compelled to act.
“To be honest with you, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” he said. “You just can’t do that stuff and get by with it.”
His group has organized two signing events so far, and says they plan on continuing to go door-to-door and hosting more events until they get enough signatures.
“We’ve had a very good turnout, and we really appreciate everybody who’s signed,” Aldridge said. “We’ve got to get the petition filled, get them notarized and send them to Circuit Court.”
Some residents who signed the petition said they believe elected officials should be held to a high ethical standard.
“They need to have integrity, and we need to be able to trust them. I don’t trust him,” said Kathy Grant, a Pittsylvania County resident.
Another signer, who declined to be identified, said, “We need to take action, and he needs to be removed. We need someone that can vote for us when we have important matters.”
Others in the community have come to Dudley’s defense on social media, saying he deserves a second chance and should not be defined by one mistake.
Attempts to reach Dudley and his attorney for comment were unsuccessful.