34-year incumbent Reynolds
challenged in Natural Bridge
By Melissa Caron
As a first-time candidate, Hunt Riegel was attempting to unseat long-term incumbent Maynard Reynolds at the polls today in the Natural Bridge district Board of Supervisors race. The polls closed at 7 p.m.
Riegel, 63, who had never run for political office before, said a committee he formed with local residents earlier this year asked him to run.
Reynolds, who has lived in the county his entire life, has represented Natural Bridge on the board for 34 years.
Both candidates have raised concerns over the county's land-use plan and waste management.
Riegel said the committee that asked him to run was made up of residents concerned over what they saw as the county's unmanaged growth.
"We recognize that growth is going to take place in the county and that we really can't and probably don't want to stop it," he said. "But what we need to do is manage it more effectively so that it doesn't eat up all the acreage."
The county adopted a land-use plan in 2003 to better manage and protect open spaces and agricultural land. Since then, no zoning ordinances have been created to put the plan into effect.
As a result, Riegel said, landowners have been breaking up their land into small tracts to sell off and create subdivisions.
"What it is doing essentially is removing land from potential farming forever, making it much more difficult for our children and our children's children to be able appreciate and use the land in Rockbridge County the way we have," he said.
Reynolds abstained from voting during a meeting in August over whether the county should adopt a time-release plan or sliding-scale method for land development. (More on zoning)
Reynolds said he abstained because residents in his district said that they wanted time to learn more about the options.
If the county encouraged developers to use land that already has water and sewer lines, Reynolds said, then it would be a long time before developers would have to turn to farm land.
Reynolds, who owned his own oil distribution business in Natural Bridge for more than 35 years, said he would also like to see the county gain more light industries.
Waste management is another issue both candidates addressed. The county's landfill will be shut down by 2012 because of Virginia legislation that requires all state landfills to be lined by then.
Riegel said the supervisors had had eight years to come up with a plan to deal with the landfill, but have done nothing yet. Four years from now, the county will begin shipping its trash to Amelia County, several counties away, he said.
"The cost of waste removal in the county is going to at least double, if not triple," Riegel said.
Riegel and Reynolds agreed that it was time the county looks to create more recycling programs and look for other ways to reduce the county's trash flow.
Reynolds said he had created a recycling program in his district that should be up and running in 60 days.
Reynolds said he had not heard anything from Riegel that differed from what the board is already doing. Reynolds also warned about the dangers of campaign promises.
"On this board, it's a five-man board, and you can only get anything done if you have three votes," he said. "I don't make promises because you have to garner the other two votes to do it, and sometimes that is difficult to do."
Riegel said he was interested in keeping abreast of his constituents' concerns. If elected, he said, he would hold monthly meetings in the Natural Bridge area.
As Election Day approached, Reynolds said he was confident and hoped his district supported him as they had for the past 34 years.
Riegel, too, remained hopeful despite the incumbent's long history on the board.
"On a good day, I think I've got about a 50-50 chance, but it's very difficult to unseat a long-term incumbent like Maynard Reynolds has been," Riegel said. "I will just wait and see what the electorate thinks."
Produced by Washington and Lee journalism students.
Lead supervisor: Prof. Brian Richardson
Reporting supervisors:
Technical supervisor: Michael Todd