On December 17th, four new local officials were sworn in to serve on the Board of Supervisors and School Board effective January 1, 2020. In Livingston District, Barry Jett replaces Greg Benton who did not seek re-election on the Board of Supervisors. In Salem District, Deborah Frazier became the first Black Supervisor elected in Spotsylvania by defeating two-time incumbent Paul Trampe. Also, in Salem District, Rita Daniels won a three-candidate race to replace Bill Blaine who did not seek re-election to the School Board. In Courtland District, Rabih Abuismail defeated two-time School Board incumbent James Meyer. Chancellor District incumbents Tim McLaughlin and Dawn Shelley were re-elected to the Board of Supervisors and School Board, respectively. In Courtland District, David Ross won re-election to the Board of Supervisors and Kirk Twigg won re-election to the School Board in Livingston District.
Local Elected Officials (By District – Next Election Year)
Battlefield – (2021) Supervisor Chris Yakabouski School Board Baron Braswell
Berkeley – (2021) Supervisor Kevin Marshall School Board Erin Grampp
Chancellor – (2023) Supervisor Tim McLaughlin School Board Dawn Shelley
Courtland – (2023) Supervisor David Ross School Board Rabih Abuismail
Lee Hill – (2021) Supervisor Gary Skinner School Board Lisa Phelps
Salem – (2023) Supervisor Deborah Frazier School Board Rita Daniels
Livingston – (2023) Supervisor Barry Jett School Board Kirk Twigg
The Board of Supervisors and School Board are unlikely to see a major political shift in the next two years. Although each Board has two new members, the candidates’ platforms indicate that the political compositions of the bodies are unlikely to see major change. For the Board of Supervisors, Mr. Jett is likely to align more with conservatives Mr. McLaughlin and Mr. Ross. Ms. Frazier likely will align more with Mr. Skinner and Mr. Yakabouski on tax and spending issues. Although the School Board added a conservative member, Mr. Abuismail, it will still leave them outnumbered 4-3.
The main result of the Board of Supervisors election is that Berkeley Supervisor Kevin Marshall becomes the clear “swing vote” on budget and tax issues. Where Mr. Marshall falls on taxes and spending will play a large factor in how Spotsylvania operates over the next 2 years.
How Should Spotsy be Governed?
Elected officials must pay close attention to the voices they represent. They must know when to push forward and when to pull back - a political balancing act that requires skill and ultimately results in whether one keeps their position.
There are some, however, that believe elected officials should only act as their constituents demand. This isn’t a necessarily wrong way of looking at things but it can be a problematic one that leaves us worse off. Often the general population is not as informed on the issues as an elected official is. In these instances, should we expect our elected officials to disregard facts and evidence and support policies they know to be bad, simply because their constituents believe it to be in their best interests? Further, in Spotsylvania each supervisor represents roughly 20,000 people. How many of those 20,000 do they actually get a chance to seek input from before each vote? Even if they spoke to 100 people - which is a lot - that still equals only 1 percent of those they represent. Is following the will of those 100 - assuming there is even a complete consensus among them - representative government? The reality is the most vocal constituents and more likely the most politically motivated are the voices listened to most often making voters calls to do their will an unclear and dangerous proposition.
Make no mistake, Leaders shouldn’t do whatever they want and certainly not without a well-articulated defense explaining why they are voting against the will of their constituents. In those cases, they must be honest and forthcoming with those they represent and deliver a full explanation for their views on why they disagree. Maybe former Missouri Senator Thomas Hart Benton said it best “I value solid popularity—the esteem of good men for good action. I despise the bubble popularity that is won without merit and lost without crime...I sometimes had to act against the preconceived opinions and first impressions of my constituents; but always with full reliance upon their intelligence to understand me and their equity to do me justice"