DUMFRIES, Va. — Dumfries officials are playing a game of wait and see when it comes to the living arrangements of Councilman Derrick Wood.
The freshman council member was forced to move out of his rented Williamstown townhome in mid June when the owner sold it. Wood told Potomac Local News last week, as well as Dumfries officials, he hopes to reestablish residency in the town by July 9.
According to Virginia law concerning elected officials serving in their respective jurisdictions, “a person must live in a particular locality with the intention to remain.”
Town Manager Daniel Taber said this issue has not come up before during his time at the helm.
“We were notified by a resident that Mr. Wood was no longer living at his house, and that’s when we approached him about his residency and he told us he was trying to move his family into a new home in the town,” said Taber.
There is no rule that requires Wood or any council member to notify town staff if they move, and Wood was open about the subject when Taber approached him about it, said Taber. It’s clear that Wood has not broken any rules, officials said.
Wood has not returned a request for comment for this story.
But if he doesn’t establish residency before the next Town Council meeting on Tuesday, it’s possible that Wood may not be allowed to participate in the session, or represent the town during outside meetings attended by elected public officials, according to Taber.
“This is a funny situation,” said Dianna Dutton, with the Prince William County Elections office.
Only members of the U.S. Congress are permitted to live outside of their respective districts, she said.
Dumfries’ Town Ordinance, too, has rules about who can serve in elected office on the Town Council. Most notably, candidates must be able to vote for the office in which they seek to serve, and that rule would require them to live inside the town.
