Making Goochland a better place

 

Comments about the April 3, 2024, graduation of the 25^th class of Goochland Leadership Enterprise (GLE)held at the Industrial Tap House in Centerville.

GLE 25th class (GLE photo)

 

Thirty years ago, the Goochland Board of supervisors created a Commission on the Future comprised of a group of citizens charged with looking at where Goochland was and where it needed to go.

Its final report issued August 1, 1995, included this vision statement:  In the year 2010, Goochland County is a community of which all its citizens can be justifiably proud. We have a cooperative alliance of public citizens and elected officials whose implementation of a plan for orderly growth has preserved the rural character of the county while maintaining the fiscal integrity of its government. We have a superior school system, kept pace with the growing demands of public safety and provided all citizens with the opportunity for compassionate care and leisure time activities such that Goochland County is an enviable place for its citizens to live, work, and enjoy life.

Those words apply to Goochland today, but 14 years ago, not so much.

Members of the Commission recognized the need for fully participating citizen government. “Good and effective leadership is not limited to those in positions of authority, nor is it limited to any one race, culture, or economic strata. There are individuals throughout Goochland with leadership potential.

“In order to reap the benefits of the varied backgrounds of the citizens of Goochland, the county should introduce a leadership development program to do the following.

·        Identify potential leaders.

·        Help to cultivate leadership skills.

·        Encourage potential leaders to take a more active role in the county.

·        Educate participants about the opportunities and problems in Goochland.

·        Bring current and potential leaders in contact to encourage discussion and debate.

·        Develop a spirit of cooperation to benefit the county as a whole.”

Chuck White, Rick Cagan, Mary-Ellen Kendall, and Sallie Mae Pleasants, of the Virginia Cooperative Extension, put those words into action and established GLE.  White was the Director for the first few years. He was succeeded by Ken Holt, and then George Gill who preceded current director Pete Williams.

The first class formed in the fall of 1996, meeting on Thursday nights. We also met on several Saturdays to conduct team building and other collaborative exercises. We may have done Myers Briggs tests. The class included—as it has ever since—newcomers and lifelong Goochlanders from all parts of the county. We got to know people we might never have otherwise met and learn about the whole county, not just the parts in our “flight paths”.

Since then, GLE graduates have served in most elected and appointed government roles, volunteered in a host of ways, and include several Christmas Mothers. County employees completed GLE giving them a better understanding of the people they serve. One blogs about the county.

According to an article in the late, lamented Goochland Courier about the 10^th graduating GLE class, more than 200 people had completed the class. The 15 classes since then have enriched our community and will continue to do so.

George Gill, second GLE director, who now lives in Kentucky, said "I believe that GLE was the right program at the right time and made a huge difference to Goochland by providing a mechanism for people to learn about the county and how to get involved, especially with volunteer opportunities.”

Knight Bowles was born and raised in Goochland and returned to the county after he retiring as a Captain in the United States Navy. He was a member of the first class and offered reflections on the program as the keynote speaker at the graduation.

Bowles urged the graduates to stay engaged with the county. He cited his service, in the early part of the century, on the Goochland Board of Equalization, which deals with property valuation disputes. At that time, assessments were performed every four years by an outside contract awarded to the lowest bidder, with predictable results. After the disastrous 2004 assessments, Bowles advocated for the county to hire its own assessor and update values on an annual basis. He considered that a success.

One of his greatest frustrations is that solutions to the high cost of home ownership in Goochland which continues to price most county employees, who work for the Sheriff, Fire-rescue, schools, and local government out of the housing market remain elusive.  

Bowles is a tireless volunteer for Goochland Habitat for Humanity (https://www.goochlandhabitat.com/), and other programs that provide home repairs for low-income residents.

Ben Slone, also a member of the first class, who currently serves as Chair of the Goochland Economic Development Authority, said that GLE provided a wealth of information about Goochland, a variety of ways to engage with the community, and the opportunity to get to know fellow Goochlanders that you might not otherwise encounter.

The next GLE class starts in the fall.