HOW I SEE IT: My take on the Stevensburg BOS race

As the Star-Exponent has pointed out, this year’s most contested local election is for supervisor from the Stevensburg District.  Here are my views.

» Gardiner Mulford is running as an Independent since the Republicans of the district did not select him to represent them.  Mulford’s most effective endorsement came from a soldier who served under him in 1991.  The soldier praised Mulford’s leadership during Operation Desert Storm.  With 24 years in the Army, I value military-style leadership, but I’m not sure it is particularly useful on the Board of Supervisors.  In the military, commanders issue orders and subordinates obey.  In contrast, the BOS is a collegial body in which decisions are made by consensus.  To be effective, members of the BOS must collaborate, cooperate, and negotiate.  Nothing I’ve seen or read convinces me that Mr. Mulford has those skills.

» F. Dewayne Payne is running as the Republican candidate for supervisor, and thus, as the Star-Exponent noted, will have the advantage of an “R” adjacent to his name on next week’s ballot.  Additionally, Payne has well served the citizens of Stevensburg on the County Planning Commission, and the positions he has expressed on his campaign material are very reasonable.  However, although I’m a Republican, I’m somewhat turned-off by this party rigamarole.  The issues we face in Culpeper are practical, not partisan, and we need pragmatic supervisors to resolve them.  The last thing we should do is interject party ideology into BOS business.

» Finally, Bill Chase is also running as an Independent.  I respect Mr. Chase for his service to his country — he led American soldiers in combat and was severely wounded in action — as well as his service to people of Stevensburg over his past 28 years on the BOS.  I don’t agree with all the decisions made by the BOS during the 13 years I’ve lived in Culpeper, but I’m comfortable with the vast majority of them.  Moreover, I’m very satisfied with Mr. Chase’s approach to carrying out his responsibilities.  He always seeks to do what he thinks is best for his constituents and for the welfare of the county, consistent with law and local ordinances.

Bill Chase has earned my vote next week, and I encourage the voters of the Stevensburg District to return him to the Board of Supervisors.