Tangier Island, officials named in federal lawsuit filed by former Police applicant

Photo courtesy of Gordon Campbell with At Altitude Gallery in Cape Charles.

By Linda Cicoira

Two Tangier Island officials and the town itself received notice late last week of a lawsuit filed against them in the U.S. District Court in Norfolk for deprivation of property.

It is unclear what plaintiff Joseph Hayes, of New York, who was once considered for a job as the island’s police officer, is attempting to accomplish with the filing. His Norfolk attorney, Todd Gaynor, filed papers in January, but was unable to notify the defendants, the town, Manager Laurie Thomas, and Mayor James “Ooker” Eskridge, because he said the ferry wasn’t running in the winter months. Gaynor was not available for comment on Tuesday and did not return the call.

Mayor Eskridge said that about two or three years ago, the town wanted to hire an officer, and Hayes was interested in the position. “We were going through background checks,” and realized that Hayes “wouldn’t be able to do the job” due to reasons Eskridge would not disclose. “I’m not going to go into it; the background check that was done, it just wasn’t going to work.”

“Not sure what he wants,” Eskridge continued. “He never actually worked for the town. He couldn’t do anything because he wasn’t sworn in. He was compensated for time on the island. We paid him in good faith even though he wasn’t sworn in … at the time, he seemed very pleased. He didn’t own any property. He was renting a mobile home. The town was actually paying for that,” the mayor added.

The town is in the process of finding a new attorney. “Our town is not in very good financial shape,” Eskridge said. “He’ll have to get in line.”

As far as receiving a summons, “The ferry was running. It lost some time because of the ice. We may have lost two or three days. There was a boat running.”

The mayor said he has other things to think about. “We are in the process of getting a new fuel dock – doing upgrades. The former owner didn’t want to do it. It was going to close. The town got a grant, but had to take over the system. It was either that or not have one.”

Eskridge also said Hampton Roads may take over town sewage issues. “The treatment plant is old and worn out, being held together by duct tape, pretty much,” the mayor continued.

Watermen are going out for crabs now, he said. “The market was the problem for oysters. A lot of oysters were coming from the Gulf for a much lower price.”