And then there were two.
Gil Trenum told us this morning that Kim Simons is no longer in the running to temporarily replace him on the Prince William County School Board.
Simons withdrew her name from the list citing what she called defamatory accusations by Prince William County School Board Chairman Ryan Sawyers made in a press release August 4, claiming Simons, an accountant, has a client in the pornography industry. A political blog also claimed Simons boasted about having a customer in the porn business.
“There is nothing illegal in Kim Simons’ actions… But there is no getting around the question of whether or not this is appropriate for someone applying to be on the School Board,” the blog stated.
Simons said the action of the School Board Chairman created a hostile environment, and that the allegations are false.
“Chairman Sawyers, acting in his official capacity, has chosen to attack me and question my morality, causing unnecessary stress on my family,” Simons penned in her letter.
Simons is one of three people Trenum, a Naval Commander, named to be his temporary replacement on the School Board while he is deployed to Djibouti, Africa this year.
“I am extremely disappointed. Ms. Simons has given many hours of her personal time over the past several years working to make Prince William County Schools a better place for our students and our teachers. I am very appreciative of the time that we worked together and look forward to working with her again after I return,” stated Trenum in an email to Potomac Local.
Christopher Park and Shawn Brann remain in the running to replace Trenum. Park has a background in government property management while Brann works as a senior technical writer working on federal government contracts.
The Virginia Attorney General’s Office last week opined that the School Board must name a temporary replacement for Trenum during his absence, and return the seat to him upon his return from duty.
Trenum is set to deploy to Africa this month. He will hold a special town hall meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, August 9, 2016, at Marsteller Middle School to discuss his upcoming deployment, as well as answer constituent questions.
Marsteller Middle School is located at 14000 Sudley Manor Drive in Bristow.
