Observations from the big green chair
By Terri Beirne FORMER INTERIM MIDLOTHIAN SUPERVISOR

Beirne

I was sworn in to temporarily serve the Midlothian District on the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors on July 31 and attended my last board meeting on Nov. 8. I saw my responsibilities during that short time as threefold: assisting the county in making land use decisions through zoning cases, helping citizens in the Midlothian District navigate through often complicated county laws and procedures, and learning as much as possible about activities in Chesterfield, so that I could properly represent the county to people and groups both within and outside of it.

Friends suggest this was a unique opportunity for me to stick my toe into the waters of pubic service. While the experience didn't rule out the possibility that I would run for office, it certainly gave me a greater appreciation for the commitment of time and energy necessary to do the job well. It also gave me a unique perspective and, from that, I'd like to share a few observations:

The responsibility to represent the interests of the 65,000 people in Midlothian District in a county with a $1.1 billion (that's "billion" with a "b" and countless zeros) budget is overwhelming in a wakeyou up-in-the-middle-of-the-night sort of way. Since taking the seat, I've had personal contact with probably a couple hundred people in the district and discussed specific issues with a few dozen of them. Trying to imagine how all 64,999 of my neighbors might make every decision was impossible. Taking useful advice from other board members, I just did what I thought was right using my experience and the information at hand.

The work of the five members of the planning commission is underappreciated by the public. The commissioners spend a tremendous amount of time unpacking complicated development plans and imposing reasonable conditions upon developers in exchange for their right to develop Chesterfield in a useful and attractive manner. By the time such decisions get to the Board of Supervisors, the commission has heard from the public and resolved most of the controversy. The board is merely fine tuning the results of significant negotiations between the commission, county planning staff and developers.

Being a supervisor can take as much or as little time as you have to give it. Beyond attending regularly scheduled board meetings and briefings with county staff, I received invitations to attend an average of 10 events per week, both within and beyond the Midlothian District lines, before and after 5 p.m. All were supporting or celebrating a group doing valuable work for some sector in the county. If I didn't have a busy law practice and a little girl at home, I easily could have made this a full-time pursuit.

Citizens complained to me not because they couldn't get answers from the county, but because they didn't like the answers they got. Flowing from that, I sincerely believe that the Chesterfield County staff is knowledgeable, professional and responsive. Recognizing that they may have been particularly helpful to me because I was on the board, I also made some inquiries anonymously. Those too were addressed thoroughly and efficiently.

You can't believe everything you read in the daily newspaper. I was in the unique position of seeing something in print and being able to ask the county attorney or administrator what was really happening. I realized that while the county's actions may appear newsworthy, they were usually well-reasoned and based on limits placed on counties by the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Many people asked whether decisions are really made in smoke-filled back rooms. However, I found there to be no behind-thescenes dealings between board members. Virginia's Freedom of Information Act laws prevent more than two board members from discussing public business outside the public arena and, as far as I could see, those laws are carefully followed. While there are numerous one-on-one wireless phone conversations between board members leading up to meetings, issues are usually decided on the spot in the public eye.

I appreciate my three month "internship" on the Board of Supervisors as a once in a lifetime experience. I'll never forget the first time I sat, like Lily Tomlin's little Edith Ann, in the huge green leather chair at a board meeting. The first order of business was to recognize clowns from the "Fruit Loop Troop" during National Clown Month in August.

Thanks for the unique opportunity to serve the Midlothian District.