A petition to remove Paul Williams as mayor of the town of Glasgow has been filed in Rockbridge County Circuit Court.
In the initial filing on Aug. 17, Mary Reynolds, who is running for Glasgow Town Council as a write-in candidate in the November election, claimed that Williams’ removal is “warranted due to misuse of office, neglect of clear ministerial duties, and incompetence in the performance of official duties, which have had a material adverse effect on the conduct of the office.”
Reynolds cited several things that occurred in the Aug. 11 meeting as evidence of the claims. For the claim of misuse of office, she said that Williams “repeatedly disrupts official municipal proceedings by shouting down members of the public and Town Council members during open meetings,” which she argues keep citizens from exercising the right to address council and interferes with the council’s ability to conduct business. She also claimed a neglect of duty and misrepresentation of official actions, noting that Williams “has mischaracterized and misrepresented official votes taken by the town council during public meetings” and failed to “accurately record or uphold official actions taken by the governing body.” Those things, Reynolds claims, have had a “material adverse effect,” because they “impede public participation, obstruct council functionality, and impair the proper administration of municipal affairs in the town of Glasgow.”
Williams did not respond to a request for comment on the petition or the claims Reynolds makes in it.
On Aug. 21, petitions containing 74 signatures were filed with the Clerk of Court. The signatures were sent to the office of the Rockbridge County Registrar for verification. A Certification of Sufficiency was submitted by Shelia Hall in which she certified that 69 of the signatures were certified as registered voters of the town of Glasgow. Hall also included information about the number of votes cast in the Nov. 4, 2025 general election when Williams was elected to his current term. Williams received 253 votes, there were 21 write-in votes and an additional 34 ‘under votes’ or ballots in which a vote was not cast in that race, for a total of 308 votes. Under Virginia code, petitions for removal elected officials “must be signed by a number of registered voters who reside within the jurisdiction of the officer equal to 10 percent of the total number of votes cast in the last election for the office.”
The petition now goes to the Rockbridge County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office for review to determine if there are valid grounds for Williams’ removal from office. If it is determined that there are valid grounds, a ruling for Williams to show cause as to why he shouldn’t be removed from office will be entered and he will have between five and 10 days to respond. If it is determined that there are not valid grounds for removal, the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office will request a dismissal of the case.
