Bristol City Council member Michael Pollard apologized in a Facebook post on Monday for “publicly criticizing and lying” about city employees, including City Manager Randy Eads.
He also said that he had breached the council’s code of ethics, “despite multiple warnings in closed meetings with the full Council,” and had shared information that had been shared privately with him.
Pollard, who was elected in November 2022, did not, however, detail what he had lied about or what led to the apology. It was posted shortly after a called, closed city council meeting was held at 8:15 a.m. Monday.
The sole item on the agenda was to discuss, consider or interview prospective candidates for employment, assignment, appointment, promotion, performance, demotion, salaries, discipline or resignation of specific public officers, appointees or employees of any public body.
Pollard’s statement went on to say that on Saturday, he sent a private Facebook message to a citizen regarding Eads that “contained numerous falsehoods about Mr. Eads that I knew to be false at the time I wrote the message.” That was a violation of the code, he said.
Contacted by phone Monday afternoon, Pollard declined to comment further about the posting. Asked if he will resign his council seat, he said no, but added that he is talking to an attorney.
The apology came just four days after the council’s annual reorganizational meeting, during which the mayor and vice mayor were chosen and the city manager, city attorney and city clerk were appointed. Eads, who serves as both city manager and city attorney, was reappointed in a 4-1 vote, with Pollard casting the dissenting vote.
On Sunday morning, Pollard forwarded to several members of the news media a Virginia Freedom of Information request that Eads sent him late Saturday. Eads said that he was requesting information based on Pollard’s vote during the Thursday meeting. The request sought any email, text message, social media post, notes or documents, and audio or video recordings that mention Eads or his job performance since January 2023, when Pollard took office.
On Monday, Pollard’s statement said that Eads had a right to FOIA the documents.
“When you communicate with a government official about matters pertaining to the city your communications may be subject to FOIA. If I were in his position, I would have probably issued a FOIA as well to see what my boss may have been saying about me that was false and not founded in fact,” Pollard said in the statement.
He added that Eads will not require him to respond to the FOIA request “based on my apology and admissions today.”
Eads would only say Monday that Pollard’s statement “speaks for itself and I look forward to working with Michael Pollard as we continue to move forward.” Eads has served as city attorney since January 2017 and city manager since July 2018.
The remaining four council members, including Mayor Becky Nave, did not immediately return phone calls or emails seeking comment Monday.
Pollard is an advanced systems analyst for Universal Fibers, according to his LinkedIn profile. He previously served on the city’s planning commission. His first attempt at a run for city council in 2018 was unsuccessful.
In May 2023, all members of the current council signed a code of ethics and standards of conduct document that states that those who hold public office have been given a public trust that demands the highest levels of ethical and moral conduct.
The code includes a process to follow if a council member is accused of violating the standards. The accused is informed of the complaint and given a reasonable time to respond, and then the remaining council members and the city manager/city attorney can meet to discuss the allegation and poll members about the disposition of the matter. The code does not detail what happens beyond that.
Under the city code, any council member may be removed, but only for malfeasance or neglect of duty. The member must be notified of the grounds for removal and given a public hearing. The council’s decision is final, the code states.
In October 2018, the city council appeared poised to use that power to remove Councilman Doug Fleenor, but Fleenor resigned hours before the hearing was to take place. The city claimed that Fleenor asked then-Vice Mayor Kevin Wingard during a recorded phone call to purchase property and, in return, Fleenor would resign his seat and leave Bristol.
Fleenor denied the charges and said he was resigning because he would not get a fair hearing.
