The tone of Spotsylvania County’s political transformation was set in a letter.
On November 7, School Board Chair Megan Jackson signed a no-trespass order banning outspoken critic Shamgar Connors from all school division properties through July 1, 2026, citing what she called an “obscene depiction of child molestation” and repeated violations of school board decorum rules.
“The right to free speech is protected under the law,” Jackson wrote, “however, this right must be exercised in a manner that preserves the decorum and order essential to the effective conduct of Spotsylvania County School Board meetings.”
The letter, obtained by Potomac Local News, formalized Connors’ removal from an October 13 board meeting after he mocked the county’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) hiring practices while referencing the conviction of Miguel Angel Velasquez Velasco, a former school bus aide who pleaded guilty to 13 counts of sexual assault against special-needs children.
Prosecutors said the assaults occurred in September 2024 and were discovered only after a bus driver insisted on reviewing surveillance footage. Velasco, 23, faces more than 200 years in prison when sentenced on November 21, according to the Fredericksburg Free Press.
During his remarks, Connors used mock Spanish phrases and exaggerated cultural references, prompting Jackson to cite Virginia law requiring civility in public meetings. When Connors refused to stop speaking, deputies escorted him from the room.
It was the second such warning for Connors, who received a letter in June for similar behavior at a May 12 meeting. The new order prohibits him from attending school events, extracurricular activities, or future board meetings.
Board Implements Security, Enforces Decorum
In the weeks following Connors’ removal, Spotsylvania County Public Schools moved to tighten security and enforce meeting conduct amid threats and online vitriol directed at Jackson and Superintendent Dr. Clint Mitchell.
Before the board’s November 10 meeting, the division installed an Evolv weapons detection system at its administrative building — the same location where Connors was removed.
Superintendent Mitchell said the new scanners were not part of the county’s earlier rollout at high schools but were added after officials and deputies received death threats following the October meeting.
“We’re in a country where gun violence is a concern,” Mitchell told the Fredericksburg Free Press. “The last thing I want to do is have a mechanism like the Evolv system and not use it.”
Jackson told attendees the boardroom had been flooded with threats — some calling for officials to be “beaten down” or “executed.” The board voted 5–0 to reinstate the building’s gun-free zone designation, a reversal of an earlier decision under the county’s prior conservative majority.
Superintendent Defends Credentials Amid Scrutiny
The same meeting also saw Mitchell, a native of St. Lucia, publicly address what he described as an “inquisition” into his immigration status and credentials by Board Member Lisa Phelps (Lee Hill District), part of the outgoing conservative bloc.
Mitchell brought to the dais his visa, Social Security card, passports, and degrees from Brooklyn College, George Mason University, and Virginia Tech, displaying each document one by one.
“When I came to this country at the age of 14, my grandfather told me, ‘Make me proud. Make sure you get an education,’” Mitchell said, drawing a standing ovation from the audience.
Neither Phelps nor fellow conservative April Gillespie attended the meeting.
Spotsylvania NAACP President Moe Petway later condemned the scrutiny, comparing it to “birther” attacks once leveled at President Barack Obama.
Democratic Wave Ends Conservative Control
The November 7 letter to Connors — and the changes that followed — came just as Spotsylvania’s voters delivered a historic political shift at the ballot box.
In the November 2 elections, Democrats swept across Northern Virginia, and in Spotsylvania, few results underscored that change more clearly than the District 66 House of Delegates race, where Democrat Nicole Tarlton Cole defeated Republican incumbent Robert D. “Bobby” Orrock Sr.
Cole, a first-time candidate, won 52.15% (18,503 votes) to Orrock’s 47.74% (16,939), ending his 36-year tenure in Richmond. In Spotsylvania County, Cole earned 52.07% of the vote, outpolling Orrock 13,688 to 12,571.
The results mirrored a countywide trend that saw Governor Abigail Spanberger carry Spotsylvania with 51.1%, marking a 20-point swing toward Democrats since 2021, when Glenn Youngkin won nearly 60% of the county’s vote.
| Jurisdiction | 2021 GOP (Youngkin) | 2021 DEM (McAuliffe) | 2025 DEM (Spanberger) | Change in D–R Margin | Key Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spotsylvania County | 59.8% | 39.5% | 51.1% | ~+20-point Democratic swing | From solid red to competitive battleground |
Spotsylvania County voters also reshaped their school board, signaling a new balance of power after years of conservative control. While Virginia’s school board races are officially nonpartisan, political parties openly endorsed candidates this year, underscoring the growing partisan interest in local education policy.
In the Berkeley District, Republican-endorsed candidate Lawrence A. DiBella III prevailed with 58.56% of the vote (4,909 votes) over Amanda M. Monroe, who received 40.13% (3,364 votes). In the Lee Hill District, Democratic-endorsed candidate Gabrielle Sulzbach Pickover finished with 28.77% (2,130 votes) in a three-way race won by Richard J. “Rich” Lieberman, who took 53.86% (3,988 votes), while Todd A. Rump earned 16.61% (1,230 votes).
Their victories come as the broader composition of the Spotsylvania County School Board shifts toward a more centrist or progressive majority.
Current chair Megan Jackson (Livingston District) and vice chair Belén Rodas (Chancellor District) have emphasized civility and restoring public trust. Fellow member Nicole Cole (Battlefield District) is widely viewed as part of the board’s liberal wing, while Dr. Carol Medawar (Courtland District) is seen as a pragmatic moderate. Dr. Lorita Daniels (Salem District) and Lisa Phelps (Lee Hill District), stepping down at the end of the year, remain the board’s more conservative voices.
