Thursday, October 25, 2018

That time of year




Here in Virginia we have elections every year. Soon the annoying robo-calls and commercials will stop—until next year. For those who may have been on the far side of the moon, here are a few comments about the upcoming elections in Goochland.

Winston Forrest, who was appointed by the Goochland Electoral Board to succeed longtime Director of Elections Frances C. Ragland, recently left the employ of the county for reasons that will probably never be publicly disclosed. The Electoral Board, comprised of two democrats and one republican, appointed Ryan Mulligan as General Registrar. Fortunately, Ragland has returned to act as  a Special Senior Assistant Registrar to assist in the transition and ensure that Goochland’s elections are conducted in the exemplary fashion that citizens expect. We owe Ragland a great debt of gratitude for her continued willingness to pitch in and decades of dedication to serving the voters of our county.

This year in Goochland we vote for United States Senator; 7th District representative to the United States House of Representatives; and two state constitutional amendments regarding local taxation of property.

Voters in District 3 will also have a supervisor election—John Lumpkins, Jr., who was appointed by the Board of Supervisors to succeed the late Ned Creasey until the election is running unopposed. His seat on the school board, to which Vernon Fleming was appointed until the election, is also on the ballot. Fleming and Karen Horn are vying for the 3rd District school board seat.

Next year, the entire Board of Supervisors and School Board will be up for election.

The amendments (https://www.elections.virginia.gov/election-law/proposed-constitutional-amendment-2018/index.html) deal with somewhat narrow provisions of property tax laws. It would seem that the amendment addressing flood prone land pertains more to Tidewater.

Tax relief for the surviving spouse of a 100 percent disabled veteran is addressed in the second proposed amendment.

Please take a few minutes before you go to the polls to familiarize yourself with these ballot proposals, and decide how you will vote.  Do not wait until you are in the voting to read and decide about these issues. Be considerate of others’ time when you go to the polls and be ready to cast your vote to keep lines moving.

Goochland consistently has high voter turnout. Visit http://goochlandva.us/359/Voter-Registration-Elections for complete more information.

Please note: GOMM will not publish comments relating to specific candidates. There are plenty of other forums for that.



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