After a fiery primary, which saw two Republican candidates tie and have to draw sticks for the right to represent the party, the race for the seat being vacated by longtime Hollins representative Richard Flora hasn’t calmed much. Since the official end of the primary in May, two other area residents have announced their candidacy and will be joining Republican victor Al Bedrosian on the ballot November 5th.
Brian Lang, a three term chairman of the Roanoke County Democratic Committee, announced his candidacy for the Democrat Party in June. Lang has said his top three priorities as supervisor will be economic development, supporting public schools, and ensuring the quality of life in the Hollins District and Roanoke County as a whole.
Referencing a 2002 survey of the wishes of Hollins University students, Lang says his economic development plan calls for the construction of a new Hollins Branch Library on Williamson Road near the university along with adjacent shops and a farmer’s market, a project he has termed “Hollins Village.”
The current Hollins Branch Library on Peter’s Creek Road would be made vacant, he said, “The building is in a prime commercial corridor and could be sold for private sector use. I don’t like the idea of the government holding onto property for which it no longer has a compelling purpose.”
Also in his plan are the placement of multiple dog parks including a new one on the grounds of Walrond Park, which is located just off Plantation Road. “Dog Parks are a low cost way of attracting more visitors to area businesses. In the case of Walrond Park, Roanoke County already owns the land and there are some perfect spots for it,” he said, pointing to an unused area just beyond the park’s entrance. “The minimal cost of putting up fences could be offset by sponsorships from local businesses who would then see more traffic as a result. It’s a win-win.”
“I want to create conditions in which private enterprise can prosper and I’d like to create memory forming experiences that don’t cost Roanoke County big money, but that add substantially to the quality of life.”
Independent Gary Jarrell officially entered the race in February, but didn’t begin campaigning seriously until the resolution of the Republican primary. Jarrell said he joined the campaign not for the ideology of one political party or another, but to see Roanoke County continue its forward progress.
As a twelve year member of the Roanoke County Planning Commission, he said he believes wholeheartedly in the county’s comprehensive plan for the Hollins District, which includes bike trails, sidewalks, land preparation, and infrastructure repairs.
“We need to have land ready to roll when [economic] opportunity comes.” he said in a recent forum at Hollins University. In addition to the Planning Commission, Jarrell has served on a number of building committees including the one that chose the site of the Roanoke Regional Jail.
As the owner of Valley Boiler since 1998, Jarrell said he has experience in dealing with many different issues. “I know how to set budgets and work within those financial constraints.” On his website Jarrell said he, “can set goals and work toward the larger picture.”
The larger picture in Roanoke County, said Jarrell, is infrastructure, which he believes will bring more and bigger businesses to the valley. First up, would be the development of the Roanoke Valley Broadband System, something he said the county would have no ownership or expenses in and that would ultimately be handled by a private corporation – but that needs to be implemented.
Addressing the issue of a new Hollins Branch Library, which he supports, Jarrell says, “There’s no room for new construction at the current branch. One hundred percent of the land is used if you count the parking lot, and then there’s the issue of driving in circles because of the U-turn.”
After winning the contentious Republican primary, Al Bedrosian said his focus as supervisor will be the downsizing and limiting of government. Bedrosian said that Roanoke County has the third highest property tax rate in Virginia and the highest in comparison with neighboring counties. “Roanoke County has seen less than a ten percent increase in population, but more than a two-hundred percent increase in debt. I think we need to do everything possible to lower those rates in order to bring people back to Roanoke County.”
Unlike the other two candidates, Bedrosian makes no promises about economic development or quality of life. A significant part of county debt, he said, is for capital projects like the South County Library, the Green Ridge Recreation Center and the soon-to-be-constructed Vinton Library. With the Green Ridge Center in particular, Bedrosian point out, customers are being moved away from privately funded facilities like the Roanoke and Botetourt Athletic Clubs to a publicly funded facility where employees draw a paycheck from the county government. “I think we need to be very careful about government becoming the enterprise because then things become too big to fail.”
On proposals calling for the replacement of the Hollins Branch Library, the second busiest of Roanoke’s four primary libraries, Bedrosian added, “Renovation would be good for the library. Spruce it up with things like new carpet and paint, and more outlets for people looking to plug in laptops, but libraries are not a driving factor in economic growth.”
“I look at the supervisors’ job like a referee in a game. We shouldn’t be noticed, but should set down broad guidelines that are applicable to everyone.”
On the looming compliance to federal mandates for storm water runoff, all three candidates are in basic agreement with none of them supporting a raise in taxes or the implementation of fees, as was proposed in Roanoke City. “We need to evaluate the solutions for the least amount of impact to the taxpayers,” said Jarrell.
The race for the Hollins District seat on the Board of Supervisors will conclude on Tuesday, November 5th along with other area and state races. Visit www.roanokecounty.gov for polling locations and hours.
– Ian Graham
