What are the most important issues facing Hanover County and the Mechanicsville District now and in the near future?

The recent economic downturn has slowed development and reduced the rate of growth in the county. But as history has taught us, this will not continue forever. As the economy recovers, developers will begin looking for sites for new projects. It’s very important to have experienced elected officials who understand the benefits as well as the impacts of development on our community. With proper planning and good decisions by the Board of Supervisors, Hanover can continue to prosper without giving up the way of life we enjoy.

As businesses look for places to locate in our area, Hanover will be in competition with surrounding localities for those businesses. So it’s important that our county has the elements those businesses will be looking for. We have the advantage of being able to offer a great quality of life for potential businesses’ employees with our great schools, excellent law enforcement and outstanding fire and EMS services. But we need to make sure we have sites available and ready to receive those new businesses. That’s where our Comprehensive Plan and a hard working Economic Development department will play and important role. We can attract good businesses to our area without sacrificing our beautiful rural areas.

Why do you want to run for re-election?

Being a county supervisor for the Mechanicsville District has given me the opportunity to learn more about the concerns of residents and actually make a difference. I’ve enjoyed my first term and would like to be able to do more for my community. During the past four years our board kept its focus on the economy, keeping taxes low and trimming the budget - as we should have - but because of this it was difficult to address some of the issues I’d hoped to get accomplished during my first term. Hopefully, as the economy recovers, our board can focus more attention on issues like economic development and revitalization of older commerce areas. As a county supervisor I’ve learned things I probably wouldn’t have learned otherwise, met many nice people I might not have ever gotten to meet and had the chance to give back to the community where I grew up. It’s been a very positive experience for me and I would like to continue to serve.

What have you accomplished during your first term in office?

One of the most important things I was able to accomplish during my first term was the creation and approval of a small area plan for the village of Mechanicsville. The Village of Mechanicsville, Inc. began meeting in 1999 as a small group of local business people interested in maintaining the vitality of the small commerce area along Mechanicsville Turnpike from the county line to I-295. During the initial meetings, the group identified the challenges facing the area and began to focus on ways to solve those challenges. One of the ideas was to create a small area plan that would help owners with properties that didn’t conform to current zoning requirements who wanted to make improvements to their properties. By enacting the small area plan, the area now has it’s own custom-made plan that allows for improvements so property owners can remain in their current location and make the changes needed in order to grow and prosper.

As a member of the Board of Supervisors, I voted to keep the real estate tax at the same low rate of $0.81, and cut the budget for
the first time in the history of Hanover County. All this was done without laying off any employees and without a reduction in vital
services. During the last four years Hanover County received a triple “A” bond rating and was awarded one of the 100 Best
Communities for Young People. So even while we were working with less money, we were getting better as a community. This
can only be done when people work together to make it happen.