Face time

All too often, citizens engage with local government when they are upset about something. Proposed land use changes have sparked considerable resident involvement in past years. Most people pay little or no attention to what’s going on in their county. Voter turnout for local elections—though higher in Goochland than most Virginia jurisdictions—is poor.

It would be interesting to know how many residents can name their supervisor or school bord representative. A couple of years ago a citizen speaking during a public hearing stood in front of the board of supervisors, all of whom had been in office for more than one term and asked who they were.

Since 1996, Goochland Leadership Enterprise has been trying to change that. Each fall a group of residents from every part of the county and all walks of life, begin a series of classes that explore the many facets of our community. Sessions include presentations by county staff, elected officials, law enforcement, schools, and non-profit and other community organizations. The program includes a day at the General Assembly for discussions with Goochland’s legislative representatives.

On February 4 the current GLE class dined with county supervisors at Goochland High School’s Culinary Arts center, part of our school division’s career and technical education program. A delicious meal was cooked and served by students.

Chef David Booth introduced the food preparation team, looking very professional in their uniforms, and others who hosted the event. 

Chef David Booth (in blue) introduces his team.

Bruce Watson CTE director introduced Jalyn Burns, a GHS senior and accomplished culinary arts student. Last fall, Burns was one of three finalists for the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging, and Travel Association (VRLTA) state culinary student of the year, which was won by a student from Virginia Tech.

Burns is currently working on an entry for the NASA HUNCH competition to design meals for the international space station. Burns told the GLE class that, as a vegan, she wants to show that vegetarian fare can be tasty and meet all nutritional needs of astronauts.  We wish Jalyn success wherever life’s journey takes her.

Bruce Watson and Jalyn Burns

Neil Spoonhower, who was elected to the District 2 supervisor seat last November said that “walking into a room full of engaged citizens who are investing so much of their valuable time to learn about the county is probably every public servant’s dream.”

A GLE student just last year Spoonhower, who has also served on the Goochland Board of Zoning Appeals, found himself on the other side of the equation. He enjoyed hearing feedback and being asked thoughtful questions. “Each person I sat with was looking at this (GLE) as a first step to being involved. In a time when we are bombarded by negative messages being able to see first-hand positive, engaged citizens brings a lot of hope.”

Spoonhower also praised the culinary arts students for the food preparation and service. “The meal was excellent, we were waited on hand and foot, and we got to see first- hand what a powerful program CTE.  The pride each student showed was encouraging.”

Pete Williams, GLE Director does a great job of organizing the program, which is sponsored by the Virginia Cooperative Extension. Visit https://goochland.ext.vt.edu/ to sign up for next year’s class.