BROADWAY, Va. (ROCKTOWN NOW) – Broadway Town Council is setting the record straight after months of speculation about the sequential exit of town managers and the town’s finances.

A mass exodus?

At Thursday night’s Town Council Workshop, council member Chad Comer told Rocktown Now that there was nothing controversial about everyone’s departures after long-time Town Manager Kyle O’Brien retired earlier this year. According to Comer, the former Interim Town Manager was a part-time hire out of retirement to ease the transition to the next person in the role and that the Deputy Town Manager, Cari Orebaugh, needed a break after wearing several different hats in her role.

“Cari [Orebaugh] just wants to seek other endeavors, she’s worn out,” Comer said. “She’s been doing a lot of things. I mean, people don’t realize she’s been the deputy town manager, the town manager, zoning coordinator, she runs all the social media, she does the electronic signs, she does events, she does all the marketing, advertising and economic development.”

Broadway has operated without a Town Manager for the past month since former Interim Town Manager Bob Holton’s resignation. That will change soon, as Town Council hired Stefanie McAlister at a special meeting earlier this week and officially announced her appointment during Thursday’s work session.

McAlister, who is currently the town manager for Grottoes, will start her new role on July 1.

Rumors of missing funds

Comer also addressed allegations of missing funds from the town’s coffers, blaming social media for fueling those rumors. He said those rumors were started on Facebook by disgruntled residents and took on a life of their own.

“There has been a whole lot of misinformation being put on social media that is not true,” Comer said. “There’s never been any missing funds from the town and people need to stop listening to everything they see on social media and actually come and ask us or ask the town staff and they can give them any information.”

At least one post has accused the town of being $200,000 short of budgeted funding with no clear account of where that money had gone. As a result of the rumors, the Town Council’s normally ordinary work sessions had become an object of public spectacle over the past few months, much to Comer’s confusion.

“Usually, we don’t get residents that come, we beg people to come to our meetings, give us advice – you know, tell us what you think,” Comer said. “And until recently, until the social media rumor started and mistruths, then people you know, came out of the woodwork with misinformation.”

He added that a lot of that misinformation could be prevented if residents showed up at town council meetings and workshops at the rate they have recently.

“We’ve never had these crowds, ever, except for the last two months,” Comer said. “I wish we’d have this crowd every month because that we want them to see what we actually do.”

The council’s next regular meeting is set for Tuesday, June 4.