CHARLOTTESVILLE (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Former University of Virginia Board of Visitors’ member and Jefferson Council founder Bert Ellis said he was removed from the board after Governor Youngkin made the military analogy that “the Marines are no longer needed and it’s time to bring in the Army” to affect change instituted by “leftist” faculty and administration. Ellis spoke publicly for the first time on The Schilling Show on NewsRadio WINA, saying the Governor removed him for being in violation of the code of conduct for being “too caustic”. Ellis said he believes that’s bogus, but there’s a limited amount of time to do the changes the new conservative majority on the board wants to do. He said the Governor told the first four members he appointed, that included Ellis, to “rattle cages, take the beach, and hold the beach until reinforcements come” to make the change. Ellis believes that ultimately is removing President Jim Ryan who has “shifted the university hard left”.
He continued the military analogy saying after holding the beach, a lieutenant has to stick up his head to take a look at moving forward and he was that lieutenant. Ellis says there were 13 Youngkin appointees before his removal and the board needs a majority of nine to accomplish some objectives and a twelve-vote supermajority to make major changes, such as removing the President. Ellis said there’s agreement on what they wanted to do, but he was definitely the most outspoken. He exercised the role of “whip” in finding if there were votes on initiatives, but the Governor wants to do it in “the Virginia gentleman style”.
Ellis said DEI is not over at UVA as the board majority wants. He said it took two weeks to take the website down, and the board did not move far enough in ending what he calls “gender mutilation” by the Health System. Ellis said the board was to pass a resolution to that affect saying “Jim Ryan, implement it and he told them to pound sand”. His strategy was making enough changes that were not palatable for Ryan to do and thereby force him out.
Find the interview unedited here:
