Be in the know

This is Goochland. Would you recognize it on a map without a label?

How much do you know about Goochland County? Do you know why the school year starts in August? Do you know who is responsible for building and fixing roads, and how they are funded? Do you even know who your supervisor and school board member are? Are you aware that the county expects to keep 85 percent of  Goochland rural going forward?

Local government has a huge impact on our everyday lives, but most people pay little attention to it. Next year, 2019, Goochland will hold  elections for supervisors, school board, sheriff—incumbent James L. Agnew has announced he will retire at the end of the current term, treasurer, and Commissioner of the Revenue.

In 2011, Goochland voters elected four new supervisors and an entirely new school board. Changes made by this group of intrepid and hard working people brought our county back from the brink of financial ruin and transformed a dysfunctional local government into one that is a model for others to emulate.

The close collaborative relationship between the supervisors and school board—almost unheard of elsewhere in the Commonwealth—laid the foundation for a school division rated best in the region while keeping the tax rate steady.

Next year’s election will bring changes as new faces run for office. As local elections tend to have low voter turnout, even a handful of votes can change the course of  government going forward. People tend to pay no attention to county government until “their particular ox”  is being gored.  At a recent meeting about the county’s major thoroughfare plan, a longtime resident glared at the Board of Supervisors, who had been in office for more than six years, and asked who they were.

An  excellent way to learn abut the many facets of local government and its impact on your daily life, is participation in the Goochland Leadership Enterprise (GLE) program. Twelve sessions between October and April, held at  different places around the county, and a day at the Virginia General Assembly, explore subjects ranging from agriculture and natural resources to economic development. Participants have the opportunity to get up close and personal with constitutional officers and elected and appointed officials and ask questions. Volunteering with local non-profit organizations is also explored.

Class members come from all walks of life and all corners of the county.  GLE provides the opportunity to get to know folks whose paths they might otherwise

not cross.

Graduates of the program, which began in 1996, include elected and appointed officials, Christmas Mothers, a wide range of community volunteers, and GOMM, who was in the first class.

A vibrant, healthy, and well-governed community does not happen by accident. It needs well-informed, engaged citizens to get involved, pay attention, and ask questions.

For more information, or to register for  GLE visit https://goochland.ext.vt.edu/ and scroll down to the GLE brochure.