Gecker prepares to run for supervisor
By Greg Pearson STAFF WRITER

Gecker

Dan Gecker hasn't officially announced his intention to run for Midlothian supervisor yet, but he is preparing to run either as a Democrat or an Independent. The decision could be made as late as June 12 - the final day to qualify for being - the final day to on the ballot. Supporters are collecting the signatures of more 125 voters from the district in case he decides to run as an Independent. Or, he could become the nominee of the Democratic Party.

Last November in a special election to fulfill the remaining year of former supervisor Ed Barber, Gecker, running as a Democrat, was narrowly defeated with 46.5 percent of the vote to Republican Don Sowder's 53.5 percent. Gecker claimed eight percent more of the Midlothian District vote than now Senator Jim Webb who beat former incumbent Republican George Allen. The Midlothian District is heavily Republican, but Barber, a Democrat, was elected to four terms as supervisor.

"I have not made a final decision, but am seriously considering running," said Gecker. "The party system should not be as relevant as it is at the local level…and can be destructive to local politics."

Republicans have been expecting an announcement by Gecker. "We're confident that Don Sowder can defeat any candidate this fall," said Sherman Litton, chairman of the Chesterfield Republican Committee. He pointed to the 68th District primary earlier this month when Republican Manoli Loupassi, a city resident, carried Chesterfield County in the House of Delegates' race. Loupassi and Sowder campaigned door-to-door together last fall to elect Sowder.

After the election, Sowder asked Gecker to resign from his position as Midlothian planning commissioner, but Gecker declined and will serve until year's end. With the support of Commissioners Russ Gulley and Wayne Bass, both Republicans, Gecker was elected chairman of the commission for this year, giving him more visibility.

Referring to the increase in property taxes despite the lowering of the rate, Gecker said, "The county plainly had a tax increase without a demonstrable increase in services. Chesterfield is short on [personnel] for the police department, fire and the Sheriff's Office. This budget doesn't reflect the county's priorities of health, safety and education."

Gecker opposed the board's decision to vote twice to cut school funding by $750,000 for a preschool program for at-risk four year olds. To include the program in its budget, the School Board eliminated positions for 18 new teachers and 12 new bus drivers. Sowder voted for the school funding cuts both times, and the four Republicans on the School Board strongly criticized fellow Republicans on the board for intruding into educational spending priorities.

"If I do this again," observed Gecker last year after the election loss, "we need to be better organized…[with] poll workers everywhere throughout the day."

Gecker, 50, is a real estate and tax law attorney with Urban Development Associates. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Princeton University and a law degree from the College of William and Mary. He has been the Midlothian planning commissioner since 2000. Gecker previously served on the Capital Region Airport Commission and the Chesterfield Committee on the Future. Married with four children, he is active in county sports leagues.

Earlier this year, Gecker and former Matoaca planning commissioner Ron Stack, who is a Republican, formed a nonprofit organization called the Chesterfield Conservancy to preserve green space in the county. They hired Virginia McConnell, a former employee of the state's Historical Resources Department, to run the conservancy. The conservancy wants to protect open spaces in Chesterfield by having easements donated to the organization by landowners. The landowner receives tax credits and is assured that the land will remain undeveloped. The conservancy is raising money to buy parcels when necessary, but Gecker has pledged not to accept money from anyone with a pending zoning case or abstain from voting on that case.