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This document is a lengthy rebuttal to a Blue Ridge Leader opinion article concerning Citizens for Purcellville, its political independence, and director Josh Shields’ involvement in local politics. It acknowledges Shields’ personal political preferences and past disruptive behavior while arguing that the PAC operates independently of candidates and exists primarily to provide voters with source documents and factual information. The response challenges the newspaper’s characterization of the organization, defends its positions concerning alleged misconduct, government transparency, open-meeting practices, and the suspensions of former town officials, while providing specific examples and supporting documentation. It also addresses criticism of the PAC’s upcoming candidate forum and the selection of its moderator, ultimately accepting responsibility for that choice and offering to work with participating candidates on an alternative. Overall, the document seeks to defend the credibility and independence of Citizens for Purcellville, rebut perceived bias by the Blue Ridge Leader, and encourage greater citizen engagement and scrutiny of local government and candidates.
Editor’s Note: We’re aware that some of the embedded image files and video in this post may be broken for some users. We have provided links to access the displayed information and are working to correct the issue, but wanted to get this response posted while we troubleshoot the issue. Links and images appear to function correctly on Apple’s Safari browser.
In Response to ‘The Politics Behind Purcellville’s “Non-Partisan” PAC’
By Josh Shields, Director – Citizens for Purcellville
September 3, 2026
Yesterday, Valerie Cury, the editor of the Blue Ridge Leader (BRL) published an Opinion article electronically and on their soon to be printed front page regarding this the Citizens for Purcellville Political Action Committee and my affiliation as the organization’s director.
I personally (as well as the other unnamed individuals behind our effort), feel it necessary to address the statements made within her article. I apologize in advance for what is likely to be a very long read.
In this post, our organization will be addressing and quoting pertinent sections of her article, which looks to be published on the front page of the next hard copy distribution of the Blue Ridge Leader and can also be found online here: https://blueridgeleader.com/the-politics-behind-purcellvilles-non-partisan-pac
This response has been a collective effort to research and draft, however, the final edit and approval is by myself, so assume that any “voice” contained herein is my own.
Citizens For Purcellville republishes segments of the Blue Ridge Leader article under Fair Use / Common Purposes doctrine in our response. Those quoted segments appear in blue italicised print:
“Citizens for Purcellville describes itself as a political action committee formed to “research and disseminate factual information about local issues and candidates” so voters can make informed decisions.
It also says it is “not aligned or affiliated with any particular candidate or campaign.”
First a little background: I personally make no effort to hide my disdain for many of the actions taken by Town Council over the past 20 months.
The actions by the (now former) town council majority of Mayor Bertaut, Vice Mayor Nett, and Council Members Luke and Khalil have resulted in division, controversy, national level negative press coverage of our town, financial instability as we draw down millions of dollars from our reserves, multiple lawsuits against the town. As Ms. Cury points out in her article, our claims of “division and distrust” DO EXIST not only by myself but by many other citizens and residents who have show up month after month to observe town council meetings in an oft futile attempt to hold the Mayor and “Team Mayberry” accountable. And yes, many of these folks have contributed to the Citizens for Purcellville effort in some form or another.
Add in a historic citizen-led recall effort, state level legislation directed specifically towards countering corruption in our town, and a total of EIGHT combined felony charges against Vice Mayor Nett and majority appointed Town Manager Kwasi Fraser and you have all the major plot points for either a “Parks and Recreation/ The Office” style comedy or a “House of Cards” style drama. Either way, after all of this we have enough materials for several Doctoral level theses on local politics. (Note to any future TV or movie casting directors, I would really love Ke Huy Quan, aka Short Round / Data, to play me in any future productions.)
I will also READILY confess that at times, as the BRL has published, my own personal actions at town council meetings have indeed been disruptive. These actions were generally not meant to specifically be so, but in the heat of the moment, I absolutely HAVE allowed my own emotion to get the best of me. For that, I will apologize and fully own my actions. That said, I fully stand by each and every comment that I have formally made during public comment, much of which Vice Mayor Nett has so eagerly highlighted in a “Best of Josh Shields Compilation” on his own social media.
When Citizens for Purcellville was first formed, it was done out of sheer concern about legal exposure. As I engaged and worked with other citizens who have become more aware of issues our town faces and we approached the election, we realized that any attempt at providing information publicly could potentially be construed as “influencing an election”.
State code allows for very little spending of money when it comes to such activities, and the reality is that the money that I personally had already spent on the FireFraser.com website came very close to the financial threshold for campaign finance reporting.
So after conducting some due-diligence on ethics and legal issues as well as coordinating with other individuals in town, on June 17th, I filed the various IRS and state level documents to formally organize as an official political organization. The organization lists me formally and legally as both the “Director” and “Treasurer” of the registered political organization.
When the effort was launched, the intended purpose was (and still is) to provide raw documents and information for voters to educate THEMSELVES on. We adopted the slogan “Informed Voters are Empowered Voters” simply because collectively we feel that many in town are unaware of all of the things that have happened the past 20 months, let alone the past 5-7 years.
As the BRL quoted in their article, our goal is to “research and disseminate factual information about local issues and candidates” so voters can make informed decisions.” This is the truth behind our efforts and it is a mission that we will continue to pursue.
Likewise, the Citizens for Purcellville organization is “not aligned or affiliated with any particular candidate or campaign.” No candidate or campaign is directing what we publish or don’t publish, we have accepted no money or in-kind contributions from any candidate or campaign, and we work entirely independently from any candidate. We have reached out to all candidates for specific information about their campaigns and requested specific participation in written surveys and an in-person candidate forum.
Candidates have been contacted through multiple means including email, letters sent via USPS, social media messaging, phone calls, and in-person contact. Not all candidates have been contacted in the same manner, but the effort has been steady since shortly after our organization was formed. Some candidates have responded. Others have not. We are more than happy to provide detailed documentation of every attempt to contact each candidate since our formation should BRL request us to do so.
With regards to “partisan bias”, first off it’s worth noting that our coalition is about as diverse across the political spectrum as can be. “Party Affiliation” certainly doesn’t exclude any of the individuals working this effort.
As to any bias towards one or more of any of the candidates on the ballot, we honestly don’t think that it is necessary to try to spin the information. We believe that if the public is willing to take the time to simply look at source documents that are provided, it paints a pretty clear picture of malfeasance and violation of policy/law by certain individuals over the past 20 months. Documents and campaign records also directly connect some candidates to individuals that have been involved in such behaviors.
There has recently been a lot of discussion and speculation over the identities of the other individuals who are involved in the efforts of Citizens for Purcellville. I do not feel that it is my place to name any of them publicly (nor are we legally required to do so), but many of them have chosen to support the group anonymously simply because they have concerns for their safety given the recent targeting of constituents by Vice Mayor Nett in his social media. Others have chosen not to do so because they work or serve within the community in a variety of ways and do not wish for their involvement to otherwise distract from that local participation. It is their right to do so, just as it is the right of any campaign not to specifically list all of the individuals who are working for or supporting their campaign.
What I will say is that in total, there are more than two dozen individuals that provide effort in some form or another. That might be by writing and editing posts and blog articles, collecting information, doing research, conducting interviews, brainstorming ideas, helping with logistics, analyzing the hundreds of pages of documents we have collected to date, helping with marketing, or doing website coding/programming to name a few of the tasks behind the effort.
Collectively, we feel it is well within our rights as voters to ask questions that engage and educate the town’s residents and taxpayers, some of which are probably uncomfortable to a slate of candidates that seems unwilling to actually share their personal positions on local issues.
Instead they rely upon generic slogans of “slow growth” and utilize scare tactics about shadow money, trains coming down the WO&D trail, and the countless numbers of developers who apparently are pulling the strings of government and turn our town into a dystopian landscape of box stores and data centers.
Voters are entitled to answers to questions such as:
- What is your specific experience and involvement within the community that provides knowledge and insight to your future service as an elected official?
- What is your specific long term vision for town?
- How do you plan to address ballooning debt and the town’s reduced financial rating?
- Do you commit to following established town policy and procedure when conducting actions as a member of council?
- Do you commit to reading reports and prepared materials from staff and subject matter experts when conducting the business of the town?
- Do you commit to operating in a transparent manner?
- Will you act as an independent voice/individual when weighing and voting on various matters before the council?
- Do you support the long term funding of the Purcellville Police Department?
- What actions do you consider your highest priority for town council?
These questions are not partisan in nature, nor should any legitimate candidate feel the need to run for cover when asked them by any voter, regardless of our own personal viewpoints.
Despite multiple attempts to obtain very basic information from Mayor Bertaut and candidates Speckhardt, Paris, and Brown, we have been unable to do so. Alternatively, Erin Raynor, Mitch Seipt, Paul McCray and Kevin Wright have been actively engaged with our organization and were willing not only to provide answers to our biographical questions and issues survey, they were also willing to provide answers to the Blue Ridge Leader’s questions, which have been published online and in the upcoming printed copy: https://blueridgeleader.com/town-of-purcellville-2026-elections/.
It is well within the right of each candidate to determine whether to respond or not, to participate or not. But when an entire slate of candidates chooses not to do so, It is also well within OUR rights to call them out for it.
Editor’s Note: Citizens for Purcellville will have a separate analysis of the candidate’s published responses to the BRL’s questions at a later date.
“Citizens for Purcellville was organized in June 2025 and is led by Director Josh Shields, a supporter of mayoral candidate Erin Rayner and a regular presence at Purcellville Town Council meetings. The Blue Ridge Leader has repeatedly witnessed Shields yelling, using profanity and participating in disruptions during council meetings.
I make no attempt to hide my own personal support of Erin, Paul, Mitch, or Kevin. But again, my own personal choices in the election does not mean that I can’t simply provide well supported details and facts surrounding issues in town or the actions of various individuals. As I have already stated, I think that any voter that takes the time to actually study the source documents will see through the false narrative that has been built. We don’t need to spin the information… simply make it digestible in a timely and coherent manner.
At the same time, I would point out the irony of the Blue Ridge Leader calling out MY personal bias (or that of any other individual who is contributing to the Citizens for Purcellville effort), considering the BRL’s unending willingness to serve as the propaganda machine for their own selected slates of candidates over the years, but in particular Vice Mayor Nett for whom the BRL has published numerous “news pieces” that include imbedded op-ed commentary and also the fact that BRL specifically published and printed an opinion piece/candidate advertisement written by Nett himself in 2024 while also apparently excluding such opportunities to the then “Metropolis” slate.
Later in the January 2026 publication, the BRL provided Mr. Nett with a WHOPPING 2.6 PAGES of uninterrupted space for another Op-Ed titled, “The Battle of Purcellville”
The full layout of his multi-page Op-Ed as printed and distributed can be found on the Blue Ridge Leader’s Website, beginning on page 8: https://eadn-wc05-5617594.nxedge.io/wp-content/uploads/202601.pdf
(It’s worth noting that Mr. Nett didn’t declare either of these op-eds as an in-kind campaign contribution for political advertisement, especially considering the Blue Ridge Leader currently charges $945 for a full page ad.)
This past year alone the BRL has featured a total of 5 front page articles with a biased slant in favor of Mayor Bertaut or Vice Mayor Nett or against the (former) minority members of council. BRL Editor Valerie Cury was happy to call out Council Member Caleb Stought’s outburst on the front page, but conveniently omitted the time when Mayor Bertaut called me a jackass with an open mic. Given my own occasional slips over the past 20 months, I’m willing to let that slide, even if the Mayor has never offered an apology of any sort to me.
Members of the PAC also maintain a significant presence across multiple Facebook pages and groups, including the private Facebook group “Purcellville Matters Uncensored,” which was started by developer Sam Chapman. Those platforms provide another avenue for many of the same political messages and allegations that appear in Purcellville’s ongoing political debate.
Interestingly enough, I (and the Citizens for Purcellville effort), along with roughly, 6,000 OTHER individuals (many of them likely town residents), are members of the Facebook ‘Purcellville Matters Uncensored’ group page.
I’m also personally a member of several other local pages such as the ‘Western Loudoun Community Connect (WLCC)’ group (29.7k members), the ‘Purcellville/Hillsboro Community’ Group (4.5k members), the ‘Whats Happening in Purcellville & Surrounding areas!’ group (2.3k members).
I even follow The Blue Ridge Leader Facebook page (1.8k followers), which very possibly was created and/or is administrated or moderated by Valerie Cury. Does that mean that also I have nefarious connections to publishers with questionable journalistic ethics?
Of course not.
I do not know Sam Chapman personally, and aside from a one hour meeting years ago to see if his company CASECO might be able to assist in building the Emerick Elementary outdoor classroom/outdoor pavilion for which I played a large role in building, we have never had any interactions other than information greetings in passing at town council meetings.
In fact, when Chris Bertaut was elected as Mayor in 2024, I had ironically been previously banned from the group (presumably by Mr. Chapman) for calling out Joel Grewe and Stan Milan at some point over some questionable statements THEY made during the campaign season. (I can’t remember though… are Stan and Joel “good guys or bad guys in the BRL’s opinioon?)
The fact is that regardless of the individual behind any given group or page, people follow or join groups because that group has information that is of interest or those groups represent an audience that can be reached.
As a side note, please allow me to share a plug at this time for one of the town’s more light hearted Facebook pages, the seldom updated Purcellville Minions page/website (www.pvilleminions.com), which at the time of this posting has only a sad and lowly following of 677 followers.
The organization’s website, under a section titled “Troubling Times,” makes a series of serious accusations against Mayor Chris Bertaut and members of the Town Council majority. It says Bertaut’s leadership has caused “division and distrust,” and promises future articles about what it calls the “misdeeds of certain council members.””
As to ‘Troubling Times’, I and many others believe that ANY situation that finds a town (any town) with a reduced bond rating, diminishing financial reserves and massive amounts of projected debt, two public officials facing multiple felony charges, and in less than ONE mayoral term has seen a total of FIVE acting, interim, or permanent town managers hired and/or suspended, and/or fired, IS the literal definition of “Troubling Times”.
I would also say that if a Mayor’s actions result in historic numbers of citizens signing a recall petition, the mayor’s suspension from a group of peers, multiple protests held over the course of two years, censoring of public comment, and removal of citizens from public meetings, that there is in fact, at its most basic level “division and distrust” amongst his constituents.
I, like many others who are now actively engaged in the local political scene, were not regular attendees prior to his mayorship. There’s certainly an underlying reason behind that, and it really isn’t because we find discussion about budgets, bond ratings, and zoning plats fascinating.
The Nett Removal Proceeding
The PAC states that Vice Mayor Carl “Ben” Nett “was found by a jury to have committed violations of Virginia Conflict of Interest Laws and Town Policy and Procedures by clear and convincing evidence,” at a civil trial.
PAC Director Josh Shields was active in the effort to remove Nett from office. The removal proceeding ultimately went before a jury. Nett was not removed.
My involvement in collecting signatures for Vice Mayor Nett’s recall or the fact that he was not removed from office by the jury in his recall trial does not negate the fact that the jury in fact DID find him to have committed violations of Virginia Conflict of Interest Laws and Town Policy and Procedures by clear and convincing evidence.
The PAC also tells readers that Nett and former Mayor and Town Manager Kwasi Fraser “have been suspended from their roles as public officials by court order.”
Their suspensions resulted from SB 648, a new temporary Virginia law that applies only to Purcellville and requires the suspension of Town officials upon being charged with specified felonies.
The suspensions were triggered by the filing of charges—not by findings of guilt. Neither suspension constituted an adjudication of the criminal allegations.
A criminal charge is not a conviction. A statutory suspension is not a finding of guilt. When an organization promises voters “factual information,” the facts cannot stop where the preferred narrative begins.
Again, it is an uncontested point that Vice Mayor Nett and Mr. Fraser have in fact been suspended as a result of their multiple felony indictments or that I was involved in the recall effort.
Nor is any statement that the BRL has quoted factually incorrect:
- Vice Mayor Nett was recalled and subsequently subject to a recall civil trial by jury
- A jury found that the Vice Mayor failed to follow the Policy and Procedures of the Town of Purcellville
- A jury found that the Vice Mayor “violated the Virginia Conflict of Interest Act”
Nor is it contested the both Vice Mayor Nett and Town Manager Kwasi Fraser face multiple felony indictments.
External Link: Grand Jury Indictment – Carl Benjamin Nett (July 23, 2025)
External Link: Grand Jury Indictment – Kwasi Fraser (July 23, 2025)
Each recalled and indicted individual is entitled to a fair trial, but at the same time, the residents and taxpayers of Purcellville are entitled to protection from corruption while their prosecutions proceed through the courts.
Personally, I think that such law suspending indicted officials SHOULD exist for ALL public officials charged with felony level crimes related to their official roles, but my understanding is that there were certain external factors that prevented a state-wide bill from being passed. Namely the fact that Don Scott, the Speaker of the House, was formerly arrested and convicted of federal drug charges. (It is worth noting that his voting rights were later restored following a seven year prison term and he later received a presidential pardon in 2025.)
Regardless of any argument for or against the law, the Loudoun County Circuit Court subsequently found that a law suspending Nett and Fraser was constitutional and appropriate.
Given the fact that their felony charges are directly related to their actions as elected or appointed public officials/officers, it is fair and reasonable for them to be suspended. A bank teller accused of embezzlement would not be permitted to continue working pending trial, nor would a pilot facing charges of flying while intoxicated be permitted to continue to transport passengers.
No Finding of an Open-Meeting Violation
Citizens for Purcellville also alleges that Bertaut, Vice Mayor Nett, and Council Members Carol Luke and Susan Khalil violated open-meeting requirements by conducting coordinated council business outside formal meetings.
The PAC cites prepared statements, council members voting together and matters being added to meeting agendas. These are ordinary functions of elected government.
Similar allegations have been repeatedly raised during Town Council meetings: questions about supposed “secret meetings,” demands to know when council members discussed an issue, or suggestions that arriving at a public meeting with notes or a prepared statement demonstrates prior coordination. But repetition does not transform an allegation into an established fact.
Bertaut, Nett, Luke and Khalil have not been charged with violating Virginia’s open-meeting laws, the allegations have never been adjudicated in court, and no authoritative body has found that they violated the law.
There is a fundamental difference between an allegation and a finding of wrongdoing. Repeating an allegation at council meetings, online or elsewhere does not erase that distinction.
This is also true. A jury DID in fact not find that Mr. Nett violated open meeting laws, nor have Bertaut, Luke or Khalil been charged with such violations either in a recall trial or formal charges.
But that doesn’t mean that there isn’t substantial evidence of such activities outside of formal town council meetings that at the very least are in the grayest of gray areas and NOT in the public’s or town’s best interest.
The largest three examples of collaboration in secret are:
- January 8, 2025: The newly elected town council majority calls a special town council meeting for the “purpose of the closed meeting is to discuss and consider the employment of an existing employee of the public body and to discuss the appointment of an Interim Town Manager.” Following a closed session, in successive 4-3 votes, the council terminates the contract of Town Manager Rick Bremseth and appoints political ally Kwasi Fraser as interim town manager. Mr Fraser was hired without following town procedure or formal screening. During discussion of this action, members of council majority appear to read from prepared remarks and when questioned by Council Member Stought, “Who took part in these interviews? The interviews you referenced took place over the last several months, who took part in these interviews?” regarding the screening of Mr. Fraser as candidate for town manager, Mayor Beraut admits that the whole council had NOT been involved in the interviews.
External Link: YouTube Clip of Firing of Rick Bremseth and Hiring of Kwasi Fraser
- April 8, 2025: Susan Khalil introduces motion instructing staff to draft an ordinance that would eliminate the Purcellville Police Department a mere four days after Vice Mayor Nett was fired from the Police Department. During the council meeting, members of the majority appear to be reading from precoordinated and preprepared statements. Documents later entered as evidence by the Commonwealth during the Vice Mayor’s recall trial indicates extensive precoordination and discussion among the majority as well as town attorneys and the Virginia Ethics Council.
External Link: Email between Nett, Cafferky, and Patoe (April 2, 2025)
- November 12, 2025: Town council majority hires Interim Manager Tony Sabio following a last minute agenda change by the majority. Mr. Sabio had been screened and interviewed independently by members of the majority, but the minority had been excluded from any formal or informal screening process. Again, members of the majority appear to be reading from precoordinated scripts. Despite later assertions that Mr. Sabio was a referred individual with appropriate qualifications to hold the position and no direct connections to any member, later evidence reveals close ties between Vice Mayor Nett and Mr. Sabio, including Mr. Nett’s RSVP to Mr Sabio’s wedding and a formal reference statement provided to the town by Mr. Sabio when the Vice Mayor was an applicant to the Purcellville Police Department.
External Linlk: Sabio’s Formal Reference for Nett’s PPD Application (May 2022)
It is also worth pointing out at this time, that on Mr. Sabio’s last day as town manager, one of his last acts as interim town manager was to to reportedly reinstate Mr. Nett to his position as a Purcellville Police Officer with backpay and benefits and possibly legal fees as well. This action was subsequently overturned by the incoming town manager and questions of illegal quid pro quo have been raised by citizens regarding Sabio’s instruction.
Returning to the issue of violations of Open Meeting Laws, it is fairly apparent that at best Mayor Bertaut, Vice Mayor Nett and Council Members Luke and Khalil were avoiding the intent of the law, which is for open and transparent governance where the public has the opportunity to provide public input and oversight of council actions.
We at Citizens for Purcellville believe that it is never in the benefit of the town for a small majority to exclude public discussion or members of the minority from the political process (regardless of who that majority consists of).
The State Legislature seems to agree since following this action, a law was passed preventing last minute additions or changes to the agenda unless a super majority of the town council approves of those changes.
It is also worth noting that the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney has a full case load. Just because formal charges have not been filed, does not automatically mean that violations of law, policy, or procedure have not occurred. Adding to that is the complicating factor that the special prosecutor overseeing these cases and any potential civil or criminal filings against these members of town council lives and works in Stafford County over an hour and a half away.
Mayor Bertaut, Carol Luke, and Susan Khalil will all end their terms of office with open recall proceedings filed against them. At this point, it is unlikely that any of the evidence of their own wrongdoings beyond what has already been entered or what is later entered into evidence in any Nett/Fraser legal affairs will ever be made public at this point.
A “Neutral” Moderator?
Citizens for Purcellville is also organizing a September candidate forum that it describes as “non-partisan.”
In an invitation to the Blue Ridge Leader and other media outlets, Shields wrote that “to ensure impartiality, a neutral moderator will facilitate the event.”
The PAC selected Riverside High School teacher Ben Freeman.
Freeman, a Purcellville resident, signed a petition seeking the recall of Mayor Chris Bertaut, who is now running for reelection. The recall effort never went to court and did not result in Bertaut’s removal.
That history is relevant when Freeman is being presented to voters as a “neutral” moderator.
Admittedly, you have us here, but we’re not unwilling to correct this issue.
The initial planning sessions/discussions for a candidate forum was held by a group of residents shortly after Nett’s recall trial ended. This was well before the formal Citizens for Purcellville group was organized or even before some of them .
The reality is that based on previous candidate actions from past elections, we fully anticipated that the BRL’s slate of chosen candidates would work to find reasons not to attend (in the manner in which they have in previous years).
To that end, we worked as a group to collectively brainstorm as many justifications they might have to not participate so that we could try to address those issues as early as possible.
In seeking a moderator, I offered initially to conduct the search. I ruled out some typical options (such as the mayors of neighboring towns given Mayor Bertaut’s relationship with the Coalition of Loudoun Towns). We also agreed that professors from Patrick Henry should be omitted simply due to their proximity. We ruled out retired judges and mediators given all of the ongoing legal issues.
I personally reached out to several individuals:
Dr. Mark Rozell – Dean at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government
Dr. Jeremy Mayer – Associate Professor at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government
Dr. Jennifer Victor – Associate Professor at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government
Mr. Michael Romano – Department Chair and Associate Professor of Political Science at Shenandoah University
Unfortunately all of them indicated an inability to fulfill the role due to various obligations or constraints, especially since our event was proposed near the beginning of the school year.
I also reached out to the League of Women Voters, but they indicated a desire to host their own event. (My understanding is that they plan to host a virtual event of some sort). We also reached out to all four of the organizations that regularly provide news: The Loudoun Times Mirror, Loudoun Now, The Blue Ridge Leader, and Purcellville News.
At this point, realizing that it was now approaching late July, I asked for assistance from the larger group in identifying a moderator.
One individual offered up to contact teachers they knew that might be of assistance and Mr. Freeman came up as an alternative.
Mr. Freeman is now in his 23rd year of teaching, and is a respected instructor at Riverside High School in Leesburg. He was named Teacher of the Year in 2023 and has also served as the keynote speaker at Riverside’s commencement in 2019. He has created the “freeman-pedia”, an extensive online educational repository for AP history students.
At the time we discussed his selection, I do know that we identified that he lived in or near town. I believe it was relayed that he had relatively recently relocated to Purcellville. While his residency in town was identified as a potential concern, honestly, nobody thought to check if he had participated in the recall, since we have as a group put that particular effort in the rear-view mirror.
Between that and the fact that we were now facing a deadline to identify a moderator, running out of viable options, but also my own personal distraction due to an increased work load at my professional job, an ailing out of state parent that was hospitalized, and all of us working on other research related to our goal of providing information, we pressed on.
As the Director of Citizens for Purcellville, I accept the responsibility for approving him and I am happy to work with the candidates to select a moderator that is acceptable to all who are willing to participate if that would in any way encourage them to participate.
If each candidate would like to propose an acceptable list of moderators, we are more than happy to work to facilitate it and find a moderator acceptable to all candidates.
We still plan on hosting our event on September 10th and hope that we can work to bring all of the candidates together to publicly interact with voters in town and allow each candidate to individually and independently express their visions for our future and their positions on major policies.
If you have made it this far, thank you! I hope that this long-winded post serves to educate and enlighten at least a few people out there, and at the very least lights an interest in what is happening in our little town.
At the end of the day, those of us involved in this effort feel that it is critical for more citizens to become engaged and aware of everything happening in our local government. We will continue to post articles about the issues facing our town and work to educate.|
We have also created a file repository of documents that may be of interest, including hundreds of pages of legal filings and documents related to the civil recall and criminal proceedings currently working through the courts.
This library of documents we have collected and are working through is available here:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Rf-UL32D0WZEPCj55OuY6nhHCYxSM3yL?usp=drive_link
We also believe that it is in the best interest of our town to have candidates that will readily and independently stand behind their positions on the issues and provide detailed and intelligent responses to questions from their potential constituents.
We will continue to encourage such participation from ALL candidates, ask questions that we feel the voting public has a right to know, and work diligently to provide information that is backed up with evidence and established facts.
Please like and follow our page on Facebook for more frequent updates and announcements when we post articles to our website. Anybody wishing to support our efforts in any way is welcome to reach out via message on social media or our website, or by emailing admin@CitizensForPurcellville.org.
Best regards,
-Josh Shields, on behalf of the entire Citizens For Purcellville team
About the Director:
Josh and his family have lived in Purcellville since 2016.
In addition to his role as the volunteer director and coordinator for the Citizens for Purcellville PAC, he is proud to be actively involved in many different local community or volunteer organizations both in Purcellville and beyond.
An FAA Airline Transport and Flight Instructor rated professional aviator, he has over 30 years and 8500 hours of flight experience, teaches flight lessons part time at the Leesburg Airport, and is an active mentor of youth in local aviation and STEM programs.
A 9-year enlisted veteran of the Army National Guard with two federal deployments, Josh is also a Lieutenant Colonel in the Civil Air Patrol, the official Auxiliary of the United States Air Force. A member of CAP since 1998, he currently serves as the volunteer Director of Emergency Services for the Mid-Atlantic Region, assigned at a command staff level to coordinate and oversee high level disaster relief or search and rescue missions and training activities in VA, WV, DE, DC, NC, and SC. In this role he is a rated CAP SAR incident commander, trained air and ground SAR planner, and SAR mission checkpilot/instructor pilot, credited with participation in over two-dozen successful volunteer SAR finds and one SAR save.
From 2017-2022, he was the multi-year chair of the Emerick Outdoors committee, which raised funds for the installation of the outdoor classroom pavilion and outdoor amphitheater spaces behind Emerick Elementary. Now with older daughters, he serves as the unofficial Loudoun Valley HS marching band and girls gymnastics photographer.
Professionally, he sits on multiple advisory councils including University of North Dakota Aviation Alumni Advisory Board, the National Aviation Safety Roundtable, and is the corporate treasurer for the Northeast Safety Roundtable.
He has previously served as a ruling elder and property committee chair at Saint Andrew Presbyterian Church and also was the Architectural Review chair for the Hirst Farm neighborhood for several years.
He has been actively engaged at local town council meetings since the end of January 2025, he really wishes that he could have his odd Tuesday evenings off again so that he can go back to things he enjoys like spending time with the family and repairing the dozens of inflatable yard decorations that bring joy and happiness to so many minion-loving individuals during the Halloween and Christmas holidays.
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