At least two political signs directed at one Supervisor have cropped up around James City County to protest an upcoming vote on bringing back staggered terms.
The signs read “Tell Wilford Kale: Stop Disenfranchising Voters Call 229-2944 today!” They are located at one corner of the Regency at Longhill Apartments, a property owned by Philip Richardson (according to county records), and on Longhill Road and at the corner of Courthouse Commons on Monticello Avenue, a development created in part by former planning commissioner Chris Henderson. Henderson spoke against the vote at a Board meeting last week (read that story here).
County Supervisor Wilford Kale recently proposed the Board revisit its 2011 decision to end staggered terms; at a meeting last week, some citizens spoke out against Kale’s idea, and the Board deferred a vote until next week. In December last year, Republicans still had a majority on the Board; at the time, they voted to end staggered terms. Before that vote, the Jamestown and Powhatan district elections happened in the same year, and the next three seats were up for election two years later.
A citizen redistricting committee suggested last year to the board that it eliminate staggered terms because about 5,000 county residents were sometimes not able to vote for a period of six years if their districts change in redistricting, an argument championed by two committee members at the time.
The current signs refer to this “disenfranchising” of redistricted voters.
Kale said that as of Wednesday, when the first sign went up, he had received three phone calls from citizens in support of his position and one call against it. He had no comment otherwise about the signs.
Acting County Zoning Administrator Christy Parrish said Thursday that it was unclear whether the sign near Regency apartments was on private property or a utility easement, so the county has informed the Virginia Department of Transportation of its location.
County ordinance allows signs with political, ideological, religious, social or governmental messages unrelated to businesses, services or manufacturing activities or related goods to be placed on private property as long as they are 32 square feet or less.
