Two Martinsville City Council members and other city officials were among those invited to attend a June 14 meeting hosted by the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership. The private event, held at the New College Institute (NCI), was closed to the public and media—prompting concern after Council member Julian Mei, who had not been invited, was asked to leave when he tried to attend.
“I simply wanted to hear what my elected officials and some city staff were presenting, and I was asked to leave, and left,” Mei said.
Mayor LC Jones and Vice Mayor Kathy Lawson both participated in the meeting, which was arranged and led by the Sorensen Institute—a nonpartisan organization affiliated with the University of Virginia that offers civic leadership training focused on ethics and effective governance.
While the event was not publicly advertised, officials said it followed a long-standing format that typically involves the sitting mayor and vice mayor. Lawson noted that the city had no control over the guest list.
“Sorensen is a leadership academy,” she explained. “People apply, are accepted, and pay to take part. It’s a private program, not a public meeting.”
Lawson also emphasized that NCI, which served only as the venue, had no role in determining who was invited. “It wasn’t anything sinister, the way social media is making it seem,” she said. “It was their meeting. They just happened to be at NCI.”
The meeting was also closed to the press. Lawson said that out of more than 800 events NCI hosts annually, only a small number include media. “This wasn’t a city or council meeting,” she said. “It was a private nonprofit event. I was invited to be a part of their panel, and that’s it.”
Jones said he attended the meeting as a guest and saw Mei in the room but did not interact with him. He recalled seeing Sorensen staff speak to Mei and noted that Mei appeared “agitated.” Jones said he was unaware there had been any issue until he saw reactions on social media afterward.
“He should have just said who he was,” Jones said, adding that the situation could have been avoided with a simple conversation. “He walked right by us. He could’ve said, ‘What’s going on?’ and we would’ve gone in and asked if he could join. It could’ve been avoided.”
Jones also pushed back on the idea that anything improper had occurred. “There was no secret meeting,” he said. “This happens all the time. We get invited to speak to groups or be on panels. If the people inviting us want the media there, that’s their decision, not mine.”
He added, “Attempts to portray the event as secretive or divisive were damaging to Martinsville’s image and growth.”
After the meeting, Mei criticized a city social media post that praised the event, saying it struck the wrong tone. “It reminded me of Shakespeare’s line from Hamlet, ‘The lady doth protest too much, methinks.’”
While he said he wasn’t personally upset, he acknowledged that others were. “Clearly, this upset more people than it upset me. I spent the rest of my day with friends, attending events, and making floral arrangements. Is this a great country, or what?”
Council member Aaron Rawls, who was not invited and said he learned of the event only the day before, also criticized Mei’s exclusion.
“I was alarmed because some members of our government require constant supervision,” Rawls said. “I am glad Julian tried to go and keep an eye on things for our citizens.”
He added that Mei would have been a better fit for the event’s panel. “I find it ironic and somewhat disheartening that a public institute nominally dedicated to ‘ethics and trust’ in government would prohibit an elected official from attending an event in a public building in his own locality.”
