WYDaily sent an identical questionnaire to each candidate for the Jamestown seat on the James City County Board of Supervisors. Jim Icenhour is the Democratic incumbent for the seat, and he faces Republican Kevin Onizuk. Icenhour’s answers are presented here. The election takes place Nov. 5.
View a completed questionnaire from Onizuk here.
1. Can you share your age, family and professional background history?
After the transient life that comes with a military career, my family put down deep roots in the community. Both of my daughters graduated from Peninsula High Schools and attended Virginia colleges, and my wife and I have lived in James City County for nearly 20 years.
Education
- B.S. – U.S. Air Force Academy, 1967.
- M.B.A. – University of Utah, 1976.
Military
- Twenty year U.S. Air Force career as a fighter pilot, 1967-1987.
- Flew 195 combat missions in Southeast Asia, 1969-1970.
- Awarded two Distinguished Flying Crosses.
Professional
- Eighteen year airline pilot career with Pan Am and Delta, 1987-2005.
- Awarded the Air Line Pilots Association Superior Airmanship Award, 1989.
Community Service
- Board of Directors, Delta Pilots Charitable Fund, 2000-2005.
- Ford’s Colony HOA Strategic Planning Committee, 2002-2005.
- Board of Directors, Williamsburg Land Conservancy, 2003-2005.
- Virginia State Water Commission member, since 2005.
Political
- Elected to the James City County Board of Supervisors in 2005.
- Re-elected in 2009 and 2012.
- Currently serve as the Board of Supervisors representative to:
- The Peninsula Council for Workforce Development.
- Community Services Coalition.
Family
- Married to Linda Fisher since 1968.
- Peninsula residents for 29 years.
- James City County residents for 19 years.
- Two grown daughters:
- Daughter Cheryl is a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Air Force.
- Daughter Cynthia is a school teacher in Newport News.
2. What are your opinions regarding growth in the county? Are there areas within your district you’d like to see protected or developed?
The national average annual growth rate is around 1% – I would like to keep county’s annual growth rate in the 1-2% range rather than the 3-4% range we have experienced over the past several decades. My district has become the urban center of the county with little left to develop except the housing component of New Town. The area in my district that will need future protection is Eastern State – when the Commonwealth gets around to selling it off.
3. How well do you think the board members communicate with each other and with the public? What policy changes, if any, would you make to improve communication with the public? What leadership skills do you possess that would better unite the board?
The Board has been hampered by lack of trust and an unwillingness to work together. For my part, I will continue my efforts to reach out to the full board and to honestly and openly state my views. I will continue to carefully listen to my constituents and all county residents to better understand their concerns.
4. County employees received a 3 percent raise this year after a five-year wage freeze. What is your assessment of morale?
Morale is pretty high given the difficult times county employees have endured. During the years they went without pay raises, our employees managed their budgets to produce annual savings of over $1 million – beyond the already reduced expenditures in the adopted budget. Even though we could only provide occasional bonuses rather than pay raises, they continued performing well above standards. I’m very proud of the great folks we have serving the public in James City County.
5. What challenges do you feel the county will face in the coming years? What do you consider the county’s hurdles to overcome these challenges, and how will you face those obstacles?
I’m proud that we are reducing our debt and increasing our bond rating, and will continue to do so even as we meet the needs of a growing community. Previously approved development will generate the need for additional schools, which will be impossible to fund without long term borrowing. Should the Board be unwilling to use debt financing, we could face significant school overcrowding and the return of classroom trailers. We will also face mandated expenses for stormwater regulations. Again, if the board is unwilling to consider the additional revenue opportunity the General Assembly has provided via a stormwater utility, we will have to use general fund money – and that means that some of the quality of life we now enjoy will have to be sacrificed to pay stormwater expenses. No one has thus far indicated what they would cut.
6. Talk about the regional goals you would like to see reached during the next four years and how James City County would benefit from them.
The prime regional goal would be transportation. We would all benefit by the widening of I-64, and with the new transportation law we may finally see some progress. I am also pleased with the regional cooperation of our EDAs in James City, Williamsburg and York.
