The
last Supervisors who led “the Goochland Revolution” complete their terms at the
end of the month.
Twelve
years ago, Goochland County was in trouble. The biggest elephant in the room,
the Tuckahoe Creek Service District, had diarrhea, which could have put the county
into bankruptcy. Real estate assessments, the county’s primary source of tax
revenue, continued to decline. The treasurer had just been convicted of
embezzling public funds.
In
the spring of 2011, four people Susan Lascolette District 1, Manuel Alvarez
District 2, Bob Minnick District 4, and Ken Peterson District 5 threw their
hats in the ring to run for supervisor. All but Peterson faced opposition from
long-entrenched incumbents. They hoped to join the late and Very Honorable, Ned
Creasey who was running for his second term as District 3 Supervisor, and then
County Administrator the late Rebecca Dickson, to turn the county around. The
election was a clean sweep. The rest is history. (For details, read GOMM posts
from those times to see just how bad things were.)
Soon
after taking office, the new board realized that no matter how hard they
worked—and they did work very hard—they couldn’t make everyone happy. Nevertheless,
these fine public servants transformed Goochland from an embarrassment to an
exemplar. Under their leadership, our county earned three AAA bond ratings,
becoming the smallest jurisdiction in the United States to do so.
They
were all re-elected in 2015. In March 2018, Creasey passed away and John
Lumpkins, Jr., who had been elected to the school board in 2011 and 2015, was
appointed in April 2018 to complete Creasey’s term. Lumpkins was elected in his
own right in 2019.
Minnick
and Alvarez stepped down four years ago, succeeded by the late Don Sharpe and Neil
Spoonhower, respectively. In 2019, Lascolette and Peterson ran for third terms,
Lumpkins a second full term. This year, none sought another term on the board. Lumpkins
was elected Goochland Commonwealth’s Attorney in November.
At
the December 5 board meeting, resolutions commending and thanking the outgoing
supervisors mentioning some of the many accomplishments made while they were in
office, were approved, (See the board packet available on the county website
goochlandva.us for details)
Beginning
in 2012, the “new” board brought differing gifts, skill sets, and profound
common sense to the task of governing and serving the citizens of Goochland.
Refinancing
the TCSD debt, which has and will save the county millions of dollars, and
crafting and adopting sound financial management practices, led to Goochland securing
the “triple triple” bond ratings. These financial policies not only kept the
county’s money under careful control but earned many awards for excellence in financial
reporting.
Their
thoughtful engagement with citizens resulted in renovating Central High School
into a cultural and educational center, instead of demolishing this iconic
structure. Strong support for public safety led to building the first county
owned fire-rescue station in Hadensville and construction of the Sheriff’s Emergency
Operations and Communications Center.
The
first county budget approved by Lascolette and Peterson in the spring of 2012
was $67.6 million, the budget for the current fiscal year, approved last April,
totaled $141.05 million, all while keeping the real estate tax rate at 53 cents
per $100 of assessed valuation.
These
dedicated public servants attended hundreds of regular meetings, and even more
public hearings, many on controversial matters. There were also thousands of phone calls, emails
and in person conversations with constituents. They also held many district
specific town hall meetings and represented Goochland on many regional boards. They
always treated citizens with dignified courtesy even while being castigated for
pending or previous actions. They made the difficult seem easy and never failed
to make hard choices, even when they knew their decisions would not be popular.
This
“new” board changed county government’s attitude from “we can’t” to “how can
we?” For instance, bringing high speed internet access to the entire county was
seen as impossible. Though it was a long road, establishment of the Goochland
High Speed internet committee led to the county’s partnership with Firefly
Broadband that is connecting users to broadband every day.
After
decades of dispute the boundary between Goochland and Louisa counties was agreed
upon and memorialized.
Their
enthusiastic support for the Sheriff’s Office and fire-rescue by funding personnel
including deployment of career fire-rescue providers at each county station 24/7,
equipment, and salary enhancements has kept citizens safer.
After
holding a bond referendum in the 2021 election supported by a majority of
voters, the county issued general obligation bonds in 2022 before interest
rates exploded. Bond proceeds will fund capital projects including the new
Goochland Elementary School currently under construction, a fire-rescue
station, and a new circuit courthouse.
Peterson
contributed extensive professional experience in the world of finance to his service
as a supervisor. The importance of his instrumental role in the restructuring
of the TCSD debt, advocating for and creating sound fiscal policy and
operational standards for Goochland government cannot be overstated.
Goochland
Sheriff Steven Creasey, who was joined at the the meeting by several deputies
and dispatchers, told the outgoing supervisors “it’s been a great ride serving
with y’all. We could not have done what we accomplished in the past years
without your complete support. It has been amazing.”
Creasey
presented Lascolette, Lumpkins, and Peterson with plaques expressing greatest
appreciation for their steadfast commitment to public safety.
Board
Chair Neil Spoonhower, District 2, said that the board of supervisors’ team is
the best he’s ever worked with, especially because of the collaboration among
members. Spoonhower also recognized the work of the late District 4 Supervisor
Don Sharpe.
“For
the last years you have put Goochland first, put egos aside and worked together
well. We disagreed, didn’t always have 5-0 votes, but got the job done for the citizens.
What I really appreciate about this board is that we never did the easy thing,
we did the hard. There were times when we could have done the easy thing, but
this board, through its leadership, showed us how to do the right thing. Thank
you for that. I’m going to miss you.”
Lascolette recalled election night 2011 and the exhilaration
of the team when they realized that they won. “It didn’t take very long for us
to realize uh-oh, we won. Fortunately, we had great mentors in Becky Dickson,
Ned Creasey and Lisa Beczkiewicz, who had our backs and watched out for us. Our
new board was looking to fulfill the mandate given it by the citizens. There was
no ego involved, we just worked for the common good.”
 |
| Susan Lascolette and Vic Carpenter |
She said that “this twelve years has given me a great
appreciation for the diversity and beauty of this county and its people. I’ve
made a lot of great friends and met people that I don’t agree with, but I’ve
learned from every single person. Staff
has been wonderful. I’d like to thank the rest of the board who have always
been friends and mentors, especially Ken. It’s been my personal joy to support
the priorities of this county, public safety, and education. It’s time for a
new generation to take over and I truly appreciate the opportunity to serve.”
Peterson said it is the right time to “thank those who helped
us along the way.” He thanked the citizens for putting their trust and faith in
him that he would take the job seriously, give it a hundred percent and do a
good job to the best of his ability. He too thanked his fellow supervisors and
staff for support along the way.
 |
| Ken Peterson and Vic Carpenter |
Peterson honored the memory of those no longer with us,
Becky Dickson and Supervisors Ned Creasey and Don Sharpe, “who were so
instrumental in taking this county from where is was to where it is and could
be.”
Peterson said he will miss most the people and relationships
he’s established during his tenure in office. “We’ve worked some very long days
in short years and during that journey we’ve made history. We set very high standards
and inspired others by demonstrating the art of the possible. If we can do it,
perhaps others can.”
He wished the incoming board well as they take Goochland to
levels not yet achieved. “They will all make us feel blessed to call Goochland
home, I sure do because this is a very special place.”
He also thanked his wife Joan, the First Lady of District
5, “for graciously sharing me with the county and her unwavering support. I could
not have done it without you. Sweetheart, thank you for always being there. And
thank you Goochland County. It has been a true honor and distinct pleasure to
serve you.”
Lumpkins said, that having begun public service on the
school board, he has a somewhat different perspective. He said that while he has
fond memories of his days on the school board, it has been an honor and privilege
to serve as a supervisor. He said that Goochland is a special place. “I’ve had
a chance to observe that from this perch. He too wished the incoming board well
and looks forward to working with them as Commonwealth’s Attorney.
 |
| John Lumpkins and Vic Carpenter |
Former District 2 supervisor the Honorable Manuel Alvarez,
who was elected in 2011, served two terms as a supervisor and ten months as
interim county administrator before Vic Carpenter was hired, thanked Lascolette,
Lumpkins, and Peterson for their leadership and the honor of working with them.
“We were a perfect team. When we first got elected it was like
drinking from a fire hose. We were able to meet before we were sworn in to set priorities.
We all agreed that the Tuckahoe Creek Service District had to be fixed. We
worked on other things at the same time including agriculture and broadband.”
The old saying “if you love what you do you will never work
a day in your life,” applies to his time on the board. “There were issues and difficult
meetings. We were here until two o’clock one Tuesday. Overall, it’s been great.
The bond ratings set a bar for the future. If those become suspect, the people
will know.”
Alvarez thanked the board for approving funds for the temporary
Sandy Hook Fire-Rescue Station, another of his goals twelve years ago.
There are no adequate words to express the gratitude Goochland
County owes to these fine people.
This is truly a passing of the torch to new ideas and
viewpoints. Incoming supervisors, you inherit a well-run government. Don’t mess
it up!
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