Full ballot awaits York County voters
This year’s races include supervisors, school board members, sheriff
YORK — The scale of development and the prospect of thousands of cruise ship passengers arriving in Yorktown next year have emerged as key issues in Tuesday’s election for York County’s Board of Supervisors. Three of the five seats are contested.
In District 4, incumbent Stephen Roane faces a challenge from Robert Holloway Jr.
Holloway, a long-term resident of Tabb and a small business owner, describes himself as a “simple man” on his website.
“Once every square inch of land has been sold to the highest bidder and developed into yet another high-density housing project, will this still be the York County you fell in love with?” he asks.
Holloway, an independent, has also expressed opposition to a pilot program by Princess Cruise Lines to make Yorktown a port-of-call in 2024, raising the specter of hundreds of passengers being unloaded in the historic village.
Roane, a Republican who has lived in York County for 24 years, emphasizes on his website that development should be a balancing act.
“I will strive to ensure a balance between property rights, responsible development and conservation to support the best interests of York County residents,” Roane said. “I will work to preserve the character of our county while providing for sustainable growth.”
He said he wants to make sure York County does not become like northern Virginia.
In District 2, long-term incumbent Sheila Noll, a Republican, faces a challenge from Dalila Johnson. Noll was first elected in 1996.
Johnson, who was born in Colombia, is a Navy veteran who served in Desert Storm and Desert Shield. Running as a Democrat, she has taught in middle and high schools for 18 years. She said “education is on the ballot” and is campaigning for better school funding.
Noll did not provide a comment.
District 3 is the only other seat to face a contested election. Incumbent Chad Green is running unopposed as a Republican for the 69th District of the Virginia House of Delegates. George Clark and Wayne Drewery are battling for the seat on the Board of Supervisors.
Clark is a Seaford resident, a small business owner and the current York County Director of the Colonial Soil and Water Conservation District. He is running as a Republican on a platform of low taxes.
“Low taxes are a vital factor in attracting individuals, families, and businesses to our county. When taxes are burdensome, it creates an unfavorable environment for economic growth and investment,” Clark writes on his campaign website.
Drewery said he is skeptical about the Princess Cruises proposal. He accuses the current Board of Supervisors of a lack of transparency.
“If my constituents don’t want it, I will be voting against it and vice versa,” the independent said on his Facebook page.
Drewery describes himself as a “constitutional conservative Christian.”
“I believe the Constitution should be taken very seriously and should not be in any way compromised or altered to fit anyone’s agenda that is not for the people,” he said.
Republican Douglas Holroyd is running unopposed in District 1 to replace Walter Zaremba. Incumbent Thomas Shepperd, a Republican, is running unopposed in District 5.
York County is facing a contested election for sheriff between Ron Montgomery and Scott Williams while Sarah Webb is challenging Brandy Palazonne, the interim commissioner of the revenue.
The transparency issue emerges again in Webb’s campaign material. She accuses the commissioner’s office of a “disconnected and severed response” to citizens. Webb has been endorsed by Noll, Roane and Green.
Palazonne, who is also running as an independent, was appointed interim commissioner of the revenue on Sept. 1 after the retirement of Ann Thomas.
“I want to exceed the expectations of my constituents and garner their trust and support through my commitment to excellence, providing a customer-focused service approach and administering consistent and impartial assessment practices,” she writes on her campaign website.
Three out of five of York County’s school board elections will be contested Tuesday. All of the candidates are running as independents.
Incumbent Mark Shafer is unopposed in District 1, and fellow incumbent Jimmy Richardson is unopposed in District 5.
In District 2, resident school board member Brett Higginbotham faces a challenge from Zoran Pajevic.
The challenger, who has been endorsed by the York County Republican Committee, has children in York County Public Schools. “If elected, I will remain committed to service as a school board member to enable the successful educational development and safety of local children, build valuable parent relationships, and support career success of our valued educators,” Pajevic stated on his website.
Higginbotham did not return an email from the Gazette.
In District 3, incumbent Laurel Garrelts faces a challenge from Kimberly Goodwin. Garrelts says she has worked hard to increase parental involvement in schools.
“I want to continue to help make our schools the best in Virginia by focusing on supporting teachers, engaging families, prioritizing student achievement, and encouraging innovation,” she stated in a campaign profile.
Goodwin, a Seaford resident for almost three decades, has worked as a school counselor and a director of community mental health. Her campaign slogan is “education, not indoctrination.”
“Education should prioritize teaching children how to think critically rather than promoting a specific ideological agenda,” Goodwin states.
In District 5, the sitting school board member Sean Myatt faces a challenge from Lynda Fairman.
Myatt, a former Army infantry and military intelligence officer, said in a profile on WAVY.com that he is a product of the public education system. “My aspiration is to continue to provide the same educational advantages to all the children in York County,” he said.
Fairman has been a teacher for over 40 years, including 20 years with York County Public Schools.
She is campaigning for better pay for teachers. “There are several administrative leads in the school board office who make multiple six-figure salaries while dedicated classroom teachers have gone several years without promised step raises and quite a few work additional jobs to make ends meet. Many teachers use their own, personal funds for classroom supplies,” Fairman says on her campaign website.