Virginia Beach legislative affairs director resigns, manager apologizes for ‘false information’ to council

COURTHOUSE — Virginia Beach’s legislative affairs director resigned this past week following recent controversy about how the Virginia Beach City Council’s position on a bill was represented to state lawmakers.

Debra Bryan, who served as legislative affairs director for the city for two years, resigned on Tuesday, Feb. 14, according to the city. She worked for the city for 12 years.

A city spokesperson confirmed Bryan’s departure last week while declining to discuss details because it is a personnel matter. 

Bryan did not return calls from The Independent News to a cell phone. 

Her resignation occurred while the Virginia General Assembly continued to meet during its session in Richmond – and on the same day City Manager Patrick Duhaney issued an apology to the City Council for providing inaccurate information to them during a special session held earlier this month about legislation in Richmond that would have allowed the city to swiftly fill vacant elected offices by special election. 

“It is with great disappointment that I apologize to you for an unfortunate breach of trust that recently transpired between our legislative affairs representative, myself and ultimately to the City Council,” Duhaney said on Tuesday, Feb. 14, during a meeting at City Hall. “The public sharing of what I now know is false information regarding HB1528 at your most recent special session led to an unnecessary and uncomfortable dialogue and debate amongst you, and for that I’m truly sorry.”

Duhaney told the City Council he took “immediate action in line with the city’s HR policies and procedures” to ensure such a thing would not happen again.

“While this decision means we’re forgoing staff representation for the rest of the session,” the city manager told the council members, “I felt it was important to act quickly as trust and honesty are paramount in this key relationship with City Council.”

The bill in question [HB1528] by state Del. Kelly Fowler, a Virginia Beach Democrat, would have led to special elections rather than appointments being used to fill local elective office vacancies in Virginia Beach. 

Duhaney did not specify what the false information was during his remarks. He declined to comment following the meeting. 

Tiffany Russell, the city’s communications director, on Tuesday, Feb. 14, confirmed Bryan’s resignation. She said the council had been notified of the resignation prior to the meeting in which Duhaney apologized.

Via email, Russell described the discrepancy that was mentioned during the apology.

“Legislative affairs staff initially articulated to the city manager that they acted in support of HB1528, which the city manager communicated to the City Council at its special session,” Russell wrote.

“Upon further investigation internally,” Russell wrote, “it was found that the staff actually did not support HB1528 to start, but ultimately course corrected. The city manager apologized today to the City Council and public at the start of the council meeting.”

A request for a charter change to use special elections for vacancies was approved by the council last year as part of Virginia Beach’s legislative agenda, though the council was divided in backing that piece of its larger legislative wish list. On Wednesday, Feb. 1, three members of the City Council called the special session – the meeting Duhaney referenced in his apology – to discuss, in part, whether staff supported the bill.

Some had expressed concern about a comment provided to the legislature by Bryan that noted the request for special elections was supported 6-5 by the council and that it had not been considered by new council members. On Wednesday, Feb. 1, Duhaney said Bryan’s comment had come in response to a question, and he said city staff was supporting the bill in Richmond. 

The council special session was a long and sometimes contentious discussion. Additionally, there was much discussion of whether the bill itself was workable after local elections officials, who did not vet its language, raised significant concerns.

Not all were immediately clear on the reason for Duhaney’s Feb. 14 apology.

“I don’t know the details,” said City Councilmember Sabrina Wooten, who represents District 7 and was among the council members who called for the special session, during an interview on Tuesday, Feb. 14.

“I know that information that was presented to be true at that time was not true,” Wooten said. “I think the public should have better clarity about what he was speaking of.”

Wooten had sought the special session held earlier this month with City Councilmembers Chris Taylor, who represents District 8, and Jennifer Rouse of District 10.

“There’s validity to why we called the special session,” Taylor said during an interview following the Tuesday, Feb. 14, meeting at City Hall.

“I support the manager in making a decision he felt was best for the city,” said City Councilmember Michael Berlucchi, who represents District 3, on Wednesday, Feb. 15.

Berlucchi could not speak to specifics of Bryan’s resignation, but he said, “I’ve considered her to be a very dedicated public servant, and I think she served the city well.”

In an interview, Mayor Bobby Dyer said he could not discuss Bryan’s departure.

“I feel bad about the circumstance,” Dyer said, speaking about the city manager’s remarks. “We trust the city manager to make the right decisions for the City Council and the public, and we trust him.”

A bill similar to Fowler’s was introduced by state Sen. Aaron Rouse, a Virginia Beach Democrat who until recently served on the Virginia Beach City Council. Rouse’s bill [SB1524] passed without opposition in the Senate on Friday, Feb. 3, but died in a House subcommittee on Friday, Feb. 10. 

McNamara led the subcommittee. That day in Richmond, Rouse thanked Bryan.

“I also want to take this time to thank our city lobbyist, Debra Bryan,” Aaron Rouse said, “who at times are often placed between state officials and local officials in sometimes a compromising position. I want to thank her for her work on this bill to follow the wishes of the majority of City Council.”

Bryan, too, spoke in support of the bill during that meeting in Richmond.

“First, I’d like to apologize to the committee for any confusion that was had with the House version, but I will let you know that the City Council, this was a request of the City Council,” she said. “And we thank Sen. Rouse for working so closely with us on it.”

“On the surface it sounds very good, Senator,” McNamara said a moment later, before referring to the special meeting held by the council in Virginia Beach. “I actually spent an hour and 30 minutes watching a highly divided Virginia Beach City Council meeting within the last week … In my opinion, this committee doesn’t exist to referee disagreements on City Council.”

A majority of the subcommittee voted to lay the bill on the table, meaning it would not advance to the House of Delegates.

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