Early Look at Washington Co. Va. Candidates
ABINGDON, Va. – Seven months remain before the general election, but candidates hoping to win the favor of Washington County voters are already announcing election bids.
Three seats are up for election this year on the seven-member Washington County Board of Supervisors. Also on the ballot Nov. 3 will be three seats on the seven-member board for the Washington County Public Schools. The school board election is nonpartisan.
School board
The first to file paperwork to run this year was J. Sanders Henderson, who is hoping to fill the school board seat now held by Curtis Burkett, who is not seeking re-election.
“If I’m going to do something, I’m going to go all at it and roll up my sleeves and try to get the job done,” Henderson said. “I was born and raised on a farm, and that’s how we did it.”
Henderson, 47, lives in Poor Valley and describes himself as “a blue-collar type guy that’s got a master’s degree” and served as a teacher and coach before becoming an assistant principal. He is the assistant principal at Chilhowie Elementary School.
Burkett, 59, of Abingdon, who was a teacher, coach and principal before serving on the school board, said he won’t seek re-election because of health reasons.
“If I physically felt like I was up to it, I would definitely be running,” Burkett said. “It’s a hard thing to come to grips with, that you’re not physically able to do the job like you would want to do it, and I just felt like it was time for me to step aside.”
The other two board members facing re-election in November are Tom Musick of Damascus and Herschel Stevens, who represents an area near Bristol.
“We are in a building program of $7 million, and I want to see it through,” Stevens said.
Musick, the school board chairman, said he is circulating petitions to get on this year’s ballot.
County board
On the board of supervisors, Vice-Chairman Jack McCrady, D-Damascus, was the first to announce his re-election bid.
“A lot of people in our area [have] lost their jobs, and we have to work with them and live within the present tax structure,” said McCrady, 60, a builder and retired coal miner. He said that means focusing on core services and living within the county’s means.
“It’s vitally important to keep as many people working, and you need to send as many good signals about the economy, as you can,” McCrady said.
He also said he’d like to see more pavement and high-speed Internet infrastructure in rural Washington County.
Supervisor Dulcie Mumpower, R-Wyndale, who represents the area between Bristol and Abingdon, said the county’s current financial situation will be the most pressing issue in the next few years.
“I’m seeking re-election because I’m interested in progress for the county and there’s projects that I want to see fulfilled, and to serve the people and try to keep the tax rate low and make Washington County a better place for the citizens that live here,” said Mumpower, 62, a lab technician who has served on the board since 1993.
Supervisor Paul Price, a political independent from Shortsville who represents the northeast section of the county and makes a point of not seeking handouts for his district, said he is so far undecided about another term.
Price, 59, said health concerns are at the core of his dilemma. But, he said, “I’ll decide something real shortly.”
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Reader Reactions
By all means look for ways to live within the tax structure. Do not look at ways of doing things differently to achive better results.
Just keep doing things on the cheap.
Oh, how funny!! Mr. Henderson can roll up his sleeves on a daily basis, and he can borrow all he wants from his farming experience. However, this is Washington County, and history shows that ‘influential’ parents control the schools there. Some hard-nosed folks have been elected to the school board there, yet when it came right down to it, they usually caved in to parents.
I’ve often wondered why school board members wouldn’t support teachers and/or coaches.
Mr. Henderson, the article says you were a teacher and coach. Given that, you MUST know the struggles those folks face on a daily basis. If elected, will you suddenly develop amnesia? Will you step up, and go against the cowards with whom you serve on the school board? If you’re elected, we’ll see.
Years ago, many begged for a time that school boards were elected by the public. We’re now seeing how dangerous this can be. Those who are elected can just as easily be voted out by folks who don’t like tough decisions that must be made. To maintain their position on the board, too many seem to forget their tough words which got them elected in the first place.
An uneducated electorate can cause some horrible, and sad results for our schools. Don’t believe me? Just find some teachers with a few years of experience, and ask them.
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