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Wanted: Midlothian supervisor County seeks replacement following Barber resignation
Only registered voters living in the Midlothian District qualify to hold the seat. Potential candidates are asked to submit an application, resume, statement of why he/she wishes to serve and any letters of support by 5 p.m. on July 17. The applicant must present himself to the clerk to the Board of Supervisors, authorize a criminal background check and be fingerprinted by that same deadline. Each candidate must also appear at the July 20th special meeting of the board to tell the supervisors and the public in five minutes or less why he/she wants to be appointed. Board members will have 15 minutes to ask each applicant questions. Following the open meeting, the supervisors will go into executive session to discuss the candidates. The supervisors may decide to interview candidates individually Barber before the board votes at its regular board meeting on July 26. To be selected to fill the seat, at least three supervisors will have to vote in favor of the applicant. According to County Attorney Steve Micas, the board may decide not to select any of the applicants. In 1994, following the death of Matoaca Supervisor Whaley Colbert and a similar selection process, the board rejected all the applicants and appointed Dr. Freddie Nicholas to complete Colbert's term. Nicholas had not submitted an application. Barber resigned as supervisor of the Midlothian District last week after pleading guilty to two misdemeanor charges of sexual battery against his stepdaughter. He was the only Democrat on the board. Party spokesperson Lynne Cooper has called for the board not to use party affiliation to determine Barber's replacement. While the supervisors are soliciting applications, many think the board is unlikely to appoint someone who is relatively unknown to them. Unless the appointed person voluntarily pledges not to run for the office, the person selected would have the advantage of being the incumbent in the November 7th election to serve the remainder of Barber's term ending in December, 2007. Several Midlothian residents have indicated their interest in replacing Barber. They include Donald Sowder, a retired Army colonel and part-time consultant. Sowder, a Chesterfield Republican party member, lives in Charter Woods. Mark Tubbs, director of Government and Regulatory Policy for Columbia Gas of Virginia, is moving to the Midlothian District later this month and joined the Chesterfield Republicans last year. In 2003, he lost his bid in the Clover Hill District race to unseat incumbent Republican Art Warren. Dan Gecker, the current planning commissioner in Midlothian for over six years, said he is considering applying. The Princeton University graduate with a degree in economics also has a law degree from the College of William & Mary. His previous public service includes serving as vice chairman of the county's Committee on the Future. Gecker, who doesn't belong to a political party, works in the urban revitalization field. Attorney Will Shewmake, an Independent and Barber's planning commissioner from 1996-99, is also a possible appointee. He has also served on the Future committee and on the boards of the Midlothian YMCA and Chesterfield Little League while being active in the Midlothian Rotary. Salisbury resident Robert Hodges is considering the possibility of seeking Barber's vacated seat. He owns J.M. Fry Printing Ink with his brothers. After receiving his degree from the College of William & Mary where he majored in biology and chemistry, Hodges served in Vietnam and was awarded two Bronze Stars. He has been active in youth sports for years and is currently the president of the Chesterfield Basketball League. "You'd have to begin campaigning almost as soon as you are appointed," Hodges said. He is about to oversee the Midlothian District for the Chesterfield Republican party. Most observers expect a Republican to be appointed. A Chesterfield Republican party member who knows the four remaining supervisors well, but declined to be identified, said qualifications could also rule out some applicants. He thought Gecker was the best qualified, but was too closely associated with Barber. Shewmake is also well qualified, he said, but the board is unlikely to appoint an attorney who represents developers in rezoning cases before the board. Tubbs, he explained, hadn't yet moved to the district so the supervisors would question whether he knew his constituents' concerns.
Dentist Jim Schroeder, who has represented the Midlothian District on the school board since 1994, won't apply. He left open the possibility of running in the future. |
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