Race For Seats On Washington County Board Heating Up

ABINGDON, Va. – The ballot is set for this year’s Washington County elections, which will fill three seats on the Board of Supervisors and three on the School Board.

None of the School Board seats is contested, but the race is already heating up for the two contested seats on the Board of Supervisors – those representing the Damascus area and the area between Abingdon and Bristol.

The issue this year is jobs – and whether the incumbents have done enough to bring more jobs to the county.

Supervisors Jack McCrady and Dulcie Mumpower say they have; challengers Joe Straten and Vernon Smith say they haven’t.

“The reason I want to run for the Board of Supervisors is I believe that we can do more to bring business to Washington County than the current board is doing,” said Straten, a 68-year-old retired program manager who worked 24 years for General Electric after retiring from a 21-year career in the U.S. Navy.

“They need more innovative solutions to negotiating with businesses that want to come to the county. ... It seems to me the current board basically wants to reject a business based upon the first application.”

Straten, a Republican, says jobs are needed at all skill levels – for young people working part-time while in school, for young families looking for a reason to stay in the county and for retirees who still want to work.

McCrady, a Democrat, says the board has brought a new industry, Gates Corp., to the county as well as preserved existing jobs at Bristol Compressors. He says another major employer is interested in coming here and an existing one is considering an expansion.

“We are trying every avenue to pursue new employment,” McCrady said. “It’s easy to be critical. I think I have a record, I’ve worked very hard, and I’m open to new ideas.”

He said there are never enough good-paying jobs when the national economy is sending many overseas – but, despite the nation’s economic troubles, the board has expanded services, from school security to water and sewer services. He noted a sports facility and library will soon be under construction in his district.

Smith is running as an independent after losing the Republican nomination to Mumpower, who has served on the board since 1993. Smith is an Air Force veteran who is currently retired.

Nicole Price is seeking the third seat on the board, which is currently held by Paul Price, who is not related. Paul Price cited heath issues as his reason for not seeking re-election.

On the School Board, Tom Musick and Herschel Stevens are seeking re-election with no opposition. J. Sanders Henderson III is running for the seat being vacated by Curtis Burkett, who chose not to run for re-election.

The election is Nov. 3.

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