Heath Richardson is calling off his campaign to represent the Stonehouse District on the James City County Board of Supervisors less than three days after formally announcing plans to run.
He issued a news release late Thursday announcing the end of his run, saying his job as a federal employee prevents him from pursuing the seat.
Richardson cited the Hatch Act of 1939, which prohibits federal employees in the executive branch from engaging in certain political activities.
Because James City County attaches partisan identifiers to its supervisors, Richardson said he is not eligible to run.
“Before filing as a candidate, I investigated the act’s provisions and concluded its intent was to prevent simple conflicts of interest,” Richardson said in the release. “I felt very confident that I could keep both my career and my role as an elected official as separate endeavors, while giving short-shrift to neither.”
But after Richardson submitted an inquiry, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel ruled that while federal employees can serve on minor boards and commissions without a problem — he is a member of the county’s planning commission — he could not participate in the race as a candidate with an identified political party.
“It’s my hope that the people in the Stonehouse District still may have a diverse crop of candidates from which to choose this year,” he said.
The Stonehouse seat, currently held by Jim Kennedy, is part of an election set for Nov. 3. Kennedy, who changed his affiliation from Republican to Independent in the past year, has not indicated whether he will run for a third consecutive term.
Kennedy served from 2000 to 2003 and again from 2008 until present.
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