Jul 19, 2002 By Christine Haines 3 min read

WASHINGTON – Questions were raised Thursday regarding the membership on the Washington County Veterans Advisory Council. Joe Abate, a 56-year member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and a founding member of the advisory board, asked the commissioners why he had been removed and when the action was taken.

Commissioner Diana Irey told him that the commissioners had taken no such action.

“If a term expires, the member remains on the board until the commissioners take action to replace them at a public meeting,” Irey said.

Irey made a motion to reappoint Abate to the council. Commissioner J. Bracken Burns said that while he had nothing against Abate, the reappointment would go against the council’s bylaws. The bylaws call for each veterans’ service organization to make three recommendations to the council, with two members appointed at large by the commissioners.

“We got a letter a month ago from the VFW with three recommendations, none of whom was Mr. Abate,” Burns said.

Burns suggested that the motion to reappoint Abate be tabled until the bylaws could be amended to add a third at-large member. That motion died for lack of a second. Abate was reappointed to the council on a 2-1 vote, with Burns voting against it.

There is further confusion regarding all current members of the council, because, apparently, no paper trail exists showing their official appointments by the commissioners. All of the service organizations have been asked to submit the names of their appointees, and the commissioners will take action in October.

In other matters, the commissioners approved a $600,000 loan for the fair board for completion of a new exhibition hall. The county is guaranteeing the loan, since the fair board is not a taxing entity.

Lee Robinson, chairman of the fair board, said work on the new hall is progressing rapidly.

“We’re about 80 percent finished. They’re still saying they’ll have it done by fair time, which is Aug. 10, so it’s getting close,” Robinson said.

The commissioners also recognized the Rev. George Van Riper for improvements he made to the commissioners’ meeting room. Van Riper put a new wooden fa?ade on the dais where the commissioners sit.

“This was a donation of time, labor, materials and love,” Irey said.

Burns said that as the son of a carpenter and lover of wood, he could appreciate the fine craftsmanship that went into the project, and he thanked Van Riper. Chairman John Bevec presented Van Riper with a plaque recognizing his contribution.

Van Riper said he wanted to do something for the commissioners and settled on the idea of improving the meeting room.

“I appreciate their moral and their ethical work that they do,” Van Riper said.