The James City County Board of Supervisors interviewed six candidates for the vacant Powhatan seat at a special meeting Wednesday.
The board distributed a list of questions to the applicants Wednesday morning, which members used as a structure for the interviews. Board members were able to ask questions not included in the list as discussions went on. The questions were similar to those used to interview applicants for the Jamestown seat earlier this year. A list of the questions is available on the county website along with the applications received.
The interviews were televised and will be available online by Friday.
Supervisor Jim Kennedy said he thinks there are six good candidates for the open seat and Mary Jones appreciates their “willingness to serve.”
The board will meet Tuesday, Dec. 18 to discuss the applicants. Citizens will be able to speak for three minutes each at the meeting prior to the board discussion. The board asked citizens who have longer comments to either put them in writing or to send e-mails to the board. Contact information for individual board members is available on the county website.
Andy Bradshaw
Bradshaw said early in his interview, “Community service is in my DNA.” He has served on the James City County Board of Supervisors before and his father previously served on the planning commission.
Because of his experience on the board, he said the “steep learning curve” would not apply to him and he could assume the role of a board member fully from his first day on the job.
Bradshaw indicated that he only wants to serve for the interim term due to the time it takes to campaign. Redistricting placed him out of the district he knows and into the Powhatan district; he doesn’t want to divide time between “seeking the office and serving the office.” Bradshaw also said that serving only in the interim term would allow more focus. He said an appointed member “won’t be devoting energy toward a three-year policy if you only have one year.”
One of the things Bradshaw would like to see happen is balance to be achieved between demand and the service that can be provided. especially with a slowly recovering economy. “When there is slow growth…it means that some things have to be postponed…the further into the future we can plan” the better, he said.
Bradshaw said if he is appointed, he wants to meet individually with each board member to reach a goal. The divisiveness that has been reported on in the board is due to partisanship, he said. He has low tolerance for partisanship and considers the last time he served on the board to have been very successful.
Supervisor John McGlennon asked Bradshaw for his opinion on board relationships with the media and Bradshaw said he has been painted as Kennedy’s nemesis because they ran against each other in an election. He said sometimes it is more editorial and more provocation may be encountered but he enjoys it “for what it is” and said, “We may occasionally be embarrassed but we’ll make it through.”
Richard Krapf
Krapf said he has a long history of serving the community with United Way, Friends of Forge Road and the James City County Planning Commission. That experience, he said, would afford him a shorter learning curve.
He would like to see the board approach issues more like a business and to quantify and monitor projects so if something goes poorly, decisions to make change can be made earlier.
Kennedy said he had contacted Krapf and told him to apply for the seat; when Bradshaw served on the board, he appointed Krapf to his position on the planning commission and Kennedy reappointed him when the time came. Kennedy said he would not consider himself and Krapf to be friends but “acquaintances.” Krapf said that they have a professional relationship and, if appointed to the board, he wouldn’t be influenced by Kennedy although he does respect Kennedy.
Krapf and Carlson both indicated they were Republicans on their applications for the seat. When asked about this answer, Krapf said he was required to register as a Republican during active duty service in order to vote in primary elections. He is not a member of any party or committee and said he feels that he is able to “work with a variety of individuals” and considers himself to be unbiased.
Krapf does not intend on resigning the planning commission if appointed to the board. He thinks his service on the board will be similar to the planning commission except with a wider scope. He said he will “not sacrifice [his] integrity” and he is capable of voting one way on the planning commission and another way on the board.
One of the things Krapf would like to see happen in the county is for the focus on development to be shifted to agriculture. He appreciates conservation easements and would like to see a partnership with agricultural colleges so graduates can apprentice with area farmers. He is also interested in seeing “agri-business” such as creating designer produce for restaurants like in the Charlottesville and Albemarle areas.
Krapf said it is not his intention to run for the seat.
Glenn Carlson
Carlson wants to serve on the board as an opportunity to get more involved. He has served as the treasurer and president of his homeowner’s association and has been vice president and president on his church council. He wants to be a moderator to the board and said sometimes there can be an appearance of divisiveness but he saw some good moments as well.
The main thing Carlson would like to see the board focus on is schools. His family moved to the area in 2005, which was his son’s senior year of high school. He said he saw his son do very well and would like to see schools thrive.
On his application, Carlson identified himself as a Republican. Like Krapf, he said he had to declare a party while he was on active duty in order to vote.
Carlson said, “I like to be open-minded and listen.” He said there need to be disagreements to lead to healthy discussion and he “will play devil’s advocate.” He is not fearful of being the deciding vote and can bring the ability to come up with unique ideas to bridge the gap.
His job allows him flexible hours so he can attend board meetings. Sometimes, he does travel for business and if he is traveling during a meeting, he said he can make himself available by Skype or phone.
Carlson said he will decide about running for the seat as time goes on.
Melinda Lincoln-Richardson
Lincoln-Richardson would like to serve on the board because she wants to represent the county. She said, “I have the experience, I have the know-how and I would like to share those abilities…I would like to give back.”
She thinks declining revenues and prepping seriously for the economy are things the board needs to focus on. She said businesses open despite the economy and then close after some period of time. “This area is so unique and we need to build on this and continue building for the future,” she said.
Lincoln-Richardson said she believes “communication is at the heart” of everything. She said meetings of the board need to be open to constituents and the board needs to listen to them; the problem is effective listening and emotions need to be put to the side to come to solutions.
She did not list a political affiliation on her application but said that a year ago she registered with a Republican women’s party and was a member for one year. For the purpose of applying for the board, she said it’s best not to have a political affiliation.
Lincoln-Richardson and her husband have owned property in James City County for six or seven years and she has lived here steadily for the past two years. “I’m a quick study…I wanted to be in political office since the age of eight…I want to be sure the quality of life is there,” she said.
Lincoln-Richardson plans to run for the seat.
Michael Hipple
Hipple has been a James City County resident for most of his life. He has wanted to get involved in the community for years and has done so by joining the fire department and other organizations.
He is interested in serving on the board to shape and move the economy. He said, “You’re here to serve the citizens,” whether serving for one year or longer and whether appointed or elected. “I’m a people person…I don’t know anybody I can’t get along with…I’m community based.”
Hipple said the board can’t be successful if it was always one way—blending ideas is important.
Keeping a “hometown setting” in James City County is important to Hipple. He said growth in the area has slowed but is still in the background and that people reinvented themselves during the Great Depression and the county should do that, in a sense. His hands-on knowledge of building can play an important role in his position on the board if he’s appointed, he said.
Hipple does not identify himself as a developer; he said he is a builder who works primarily in building and remodeling single-family homes but has done some remodeling for commercial businesses. Kennedy said Hipple built one of the first green homes in the county.
Kennedy said he admires Hipple’s neutrality. Hipple is not affiliated with a party.
Prior to his interview, Hipple contacted all board members except Kennedy because he said he knew Kennedy had been ill. He had breakfast with McGlennon and Supervisor Jim Icenhour but Supervisor Mary Jones and his schedules conflicted so they were unable to meet in person; he said he wanted to find out what was really involved in being a board member.
Hipple was asked his opinions on the media and the board’s interaction with it and he said that it’s important to get the word out to people and people need to be educated on how to find information. He said people don’t read the paper or watch television like they used to.
Kennedy asked if he could handle going from the “darling” to the “ugly duckling” and Hipple said, “The media can be unfair,” and “I know who I am and if you want to know who I am, you need to come meet me.”
“I know you’ve all been painted a different way with a different brush and [if elected], I’ll be in the paint can with you,” he said.
Hipple plans on running for the seat.
Steven Ward
“I think James City County is a wonderful place to live,” Ward said.
He has lived in the county for eight years and grew up in the Newport News area. He said he thinks he would be a “very capable leader” and “people are most important.”
Ward thinks the budget is an important issue. He said it’s important to live within the means and James City County has done a good job tightening its belt. “Any government needs to try its best to stay within the financial parameters that are budgeted.”
He said he is worried about the Interstate 64 corridor and new roads in the area because people “come for a visit and then they want to stay a while.”
Ward is not affiliated with a political party and doesn’t think he can change anyone’s mind, but can listen to two sides of an issue and what people want and when there is head-butting, he can put a stop to it.
“I live in the real world…I can bring the quality of leadership,” Ward said. He has no “axes to grind” and only wants to lead the county.
Ward said he will probably run for the seat but wants to wait and see what the first 12 months are like and then he will have a strong sense of whether or not he is accomplishing goals.
