Primary election 2015
Candidates battle for positions on Bedford Board of Supervisors
Over the next couple of months, two incumbents and four newcomers will battle to become Republican nominees for three seats on the Bedford County Board of Supervisors.
VOTE — Bedford County residents prepare for the upcoming election. Google Images
The election will take place June 9, and the six candidates are campaigning to represent Districts 5, 6 and 7. District 5 includes Boonsboro, Big Island, Sedalia and Peaks of Otter/Northside.
District 6 includes part of the town of Bedford, part of Thaxton, Montvale and Shady Grove. District 7 includes Goode, Lowry, part of the town of Bedford and part of Thaxton.
According to the News & Advance, people in both Bedford County and the town of Bedford will be able to vote in the primary. People in the town of Bedford are represented by either District 6 or 7. The primary will mark the first time in decades that residents in the town of Bedford are able to vote for the Bedford County Board of Supervisors due to the change of Bedford from a city to a town nearly two years ago.
The general election will take place Nov. 3 of this year, though the Bedford Democratic Party does not currently have any local candidates, according to the News & Advance.
The Bedford County official website states that the board of supervisors is a seven-member panel, with each member representing approximately 10,500 residents. The board’s responsibilities include levying county taxes, appropriating funds, approving and enforcing the county’s comprehensive plan, making and enforcing ordinances and establishing policies and procedures for county residents.
According to Nate Boyer, the Bedford County Grand Old Party chairman, the primary election is “critically important.”
“Too often … conservatives fail to involve (themselves) in the nomination contest within the Republican Party and, as a result, find (themselves) facing a lesser evil choice in the general election,” Boyer said. “… We tend to overlook local politics in favor of the national scene, completely missing the fact that while we as individuals have a very small impact at the national level comparatively speaking, at the local level, one informed and active voter can have a real impact since the voter pool is far smaller.”
Boyer also said the board of supervisors primary will help shape the local community.
“Local government impacts us all very personally by taxation, restrictions on the way we use our private property and in numerous other ways,” Boyer said. “We should be diligent to move government in the right direction.”
In District 5, two newcomers, Tommy Scott and John Messier, are vying for the nomination. Scott is being endorsed by Steve Arrington, the current supervisor who announced more than a year ago that he would step down from his position. Scott also currently holds a spot on the Bedford County Planning Commission.
In District 6, Annie Pollard, the incumbent, is being challenged by Andy Dooley. Annie Pollard has served on the board since 2007, the year she defeated Dooley. Dooley was appointed as an interim supervisor and served in the position for 10 months following the unexpected death of Bobby Pollard, Annie Pollard’s late husband, according to WSLS 10.
In District 7, Tammy Parker, the current chairman of the board of supervisors, is being challenged by Kevin Willis, who is currently a Bedford County School Board member.
According to Boyer, Messier, Dooley and Willis are running as part of a “Bedford First” ticket. The three are more focused on local issues, including increasing funding for law enforcement, education, fire and rescue and sanitation and water service, than on state or national issues.
The incumbents, as well as Scott, are focused on keeping the tax rates low and steady and limiting the reach of government, Boyer said. A year ago, when the board of supervisors passed a 4 percent increase in property tax by a vote of 4-3, Arrington, Annie Pollard and Parker opposed the increase.
Voters who wish to participate in the primary can cast their ballots at their regular polling places. Polls with be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. For a full list of voting precincts, visit bedfordcountyva.gov/res/vote/maps.htm.
Brown is the former editor-in-chief.
DISTRICT 5: JOHN P. MESSIER
John P. Messier, Republican, resides in Bedford County. He is part of a three person ticket called “Bedford First.” Bedford First, which includes Andy Dooley and Kevin Willis, is currently seeking a position on the board of supervisors. They wish to change the way business is conducted in Bedford with an increase in funding for law enforcement and an emphasis on “Service (and people) above politics.”
Messier is for aggressive economic development and increasing the tax base to lessen the burden of Bedford’s residents. Additionally, he is pro-education, supporting all the basic functions of local government. After owing Southern Flavoring Company, Messier developed the desire to keep taxes low while continuing to keep the community moving forward.
During Messier’s 41 years of living in Bedford, he has given to the community through service with the county’s largest volunteer EMS agency, membership in his church and numerous civic organizations.
Messier lives with his wife, April Cheek-Messier, and is father to five children. He graduated from Liberty High School in Bedford and New England Institute of Applied Arts & Sciences in Boston Massachusetts with an associate degree in mortuary science.
TOMMY SCOTT
Tommy Scott, Republican, is running for District 5 Supervisor. He was born, raised and educated in Bedford County and he has successfully ran Scott’s Cabinet Shop for more than 40 years.
Scott believes government should live within its means, just as a family or business should, and says that limited government leads to more prosperity. He says his main objectives in serving as county supervisor include supporting low taxes, family values, good schools, public safety, free enterprise and less government intervention. Scott says what separates him from his opponent is his position on low taxes and less government intervention.
For over 35 years, Scott has been a member and leader at Heritage Baptist Church. He is presently serving on the county planning commission, seeking remedies to ease restrictions for business and landowners.
DISTRICT 6: ANDY DOOLEY
Dooley, an Old Dominion University graduate and life-long Bedford resident, is challenging District 6 incumbent Annie Pollard for the Grand Old Party’s nomination.
Dooley previously served as an interim supervisor for 10 months.
Dooley, who has a degree in recreation, served as the county’s first recreational director but has since retired. He believes his experience in recreation and his interim term as supervisor have given him the experience necessary for this elected position.
“After having served as an appointed supervisor for one year, I see the need for aggressive economic development, which would decrease the tax burden on residents,” Dooley told the Champion. “ … I am pro-education and am for fair and equitable pay for all county residents.”
Dooley, along with candidates Kevin Willis and John Messier, is running on a “Bedford First Alliance” ticket, proposing changes “that would move our community forward.”
ANNIE POLLARD
Annie Pollard is an eight-year District 6 incumbent. Additionally, she has served as the board chair and vice-chair and has served on several committees.
Pollard says she supports a “reasonably-funded” budget, according to what taxpayers can afford.
Pollard emphasizes the importance of promoting a friendly business atmosphere and protecting property rights for Bedford’s landowners. The incumbent also supports recreational development, including improvements to Montvale Park and the pavement of Bedford’s rural rustic roads.
“I think priorities have to be set, and they would obviously include education, emergency services and all other services as required by local government,” Pollard told the Champion. “I do not believe in government over-reach.”
Pollard also says she supports family values and “keeping Bedford’s rural lifestyle and history alive.” She currently chairs the Bedford Museum and Genealogical Library Board of Directors.
Pollard’s hobbies include genealogy, local history, writing, photography and gardening. She thinks it is important to relate to her constituents, and she believes her lifestyle and past experiences have equipped her for that.
DISTRICT 7: TAMMY PARKER
Tammy Parker is the current chairperson of the Bedford County Board of Supervisors and is running for re-election in District 7.
According to Parker, her campaign is running on a platform of conservative values, including keeping taxes low for Bedford County residents and encouraging a business-friendly environment.
According to Parker, government must stay out of the way of businesses and families and must avoid punitive property taxes on homeowners.
According to Parker, businesses are cutting back hours, benefit packages and even workforce due to increased taxes during a time of recession. Parker has not voted for a tax increase during her timein office.
Parker is running on a platform that highlights limited government, meaning providing the functions that are required of the local government and which are funded from the mandatory tax dollars.
“Government entities must stay within their boundaries,” Parker said. “Our citizens deserve consistency, accountability and complete disclosure of information from county administration.”
According to Parker, there is a mistrust of government, and the way to solve that is “a focus on fiscal responsibility and being a good steward of the tax payers’ dollars.”
KEVIN WILLIS
Kevin Willis, currently a Bedford County School Board member, is challenging incumbent Tammy Parker for the District 7 Board of Supervisors seat. Tammy Parker is currently the chairwoman of the board of supervisors.
Willis graduated from James Madison University in 1989 with a degree in finance/economics. He is currently the finance chair for the Republican Party of Bedford and vice chairman of deacons at Bedford Baptist Church.
Willis was a Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce nominee for Citizen of the Year.
Willis believes in supporting the fiscally responsible exercise of local government functions, including public safety, fire and rescue, public schools and waste management. According to Willis, it is important to support aggressive economic development in order to lessen the residential tax burden. This includes things such as expanding broadband internet access.
His main goal is to cooperate with the board of supervisors, Bedford Town Council, and the Bedford County School Board, as well as supporting fair and proportional pay increases for all county and school employees.