Four-way battle for sheriff highlights Charles City candidate forum

With nearly every candidate in attendance, approximately 150 citizens converged on Charles City High School’s auditorium for an Oct. 23 forum sponsored by Charles City’s branch of the NAACP.

Twenty-three individuals vying for votes addressed the audience during the two-hour Friday night forum. Headlining the event was a four-way race for county sheriff. Incumbent Javier Smith is being challenged by Ed Branch, Alan Jones Sr., and Vance Richards.

Each of the candidates vying for sheriff agreed that community policing is needed, but each emphasized a personal spin on how to address the matter.

“I come to you because of the word ‘community,’” said Branch. “Community comes with interaction. As sheriff, I will bring out professionalism in the department.

“As sheriff, I need to know my citizens and what their needs are,” Branch continued, speaking specifically about addressing the elderly in the county. “That is what interaction is about; knowing those in the county and having a visible face.”

Jones’ remarks focused on being a sheriff that residents can rely on any time of the day.

“My goal is to serve with respect and have an open door policy for citizens,” he commented. “I will be a hands-on person and not pass a situation on to another.

“I will not turn down grants and technology when available,” Jones added, emphasizing a method to reduce taxpayer money. “I will have deputy involvement and have them attend school for additional training.

“No deputy should be driving at 100 miles per hour just to hand out a speeding ticket. I will have a points system and deputies will be accountable for their actions,” Jones concluded.

Richards’ goal, he said, revolves around building trust and eliminating illegal activities, specifically drug distribution.

“I will reunite Charles City, expand the sheriff’s office, and emphasize community policing,” Richards said. “Trust is important for citizens of Charles City.

“As a deputy in Charles City, I observed the county and I loved this county that I protected,” he continued. “I will implement a ‘Weed & Seed’ program and in six months, I will have every drug and narcotics dealer off the street and arrested. I guarantee that.

“Crime isn’t just a problem for me, it’s a problem for everyone,” Richards concluded.

Smith’s campaign speech focused on what he termed his dedication and results produced in more than 19 years in the Charles City Sheriff’s Office.

“Not many can boast that they had all of their years of law enforcement in not only one jurisdiction, but in one that they love and truly care for,” the current sheriff said.

“As sheriff, I have a no-quit attitude and I challenged my staff to do the same,” Smith continued. “I have implemented programs such as Senior Watch, National Night Out, and an Auxiliary watch program.

“My staff is continuously being trained to produce safe environments. The more we interact and the more we share, the more the community trusts us,” concluded Smith.

However, during the question-answer portion of the forum, questions read by moderator and New Kent supervisor James Burrell challenged Smith’s actions over the last six months.

“Rumor has is that you lodged the complaints against Vance Richards. Was that to help your campaign or hurt his?” Burrell asked Smith through a submitted question stemming from current allegations that Richards used a false address to run for sheriff.

Smith did not hesitate to respond.

“Everybody has to play by the same rules to be fair,” said Smith on the investigation that is being handled by the state police. “A crime occurred in Charles City and I am sworn to protect the citizens. I felt this crime affected the citizens.”

Richards elected to respond to Smith’s comments through a telephone interview Monday afternoon.

“My response is that comments made by Sheriff Smith were directed to sabotage my campaign,” Richards said. “While employed there [Charles City], I brought up alleged crimes against certain family members within the upper administration and was told to ‘back off’ from the situation.

“That is the main reason I left Charles City’s Sheriff Office. It was the favoritism within the organization and the selective crimes that I could not investigate,” Richards concluded.

A second question for the current sheriff asked about his actions of terminating Jones, who was employed as a county deputy and a school resource officer at the time.

“I called Jones on the radio,” Smith said. “I tried to have a conversation with him but he said he didn’t have time. I went down to see him and asked him to meet me and he just said he didn’t have time. I asked him to turn in his things for insubordination and failure to follow orders.”

When asked about the situation, Jones said he was not working at the time of the call.

“I was off-duty at the time he called for me,” Jones recounted. “I was helping with a track meet and told him [Sheriff Smith] that I would be there as soon as possible.”

Races for county supervisors in District 2 and District 3 were also hot topics at the forum.

In District 2, former supervisor Sherri Bowman seeks reelection against incumbent Bill Coada.

“It was a privilege to serve as the first female on the board of supervisors four years ago,” said Bowman. “I love the people of Charles City and I love to serve. I help set fund balance goals, increasing it in 2011 and then again 2012.

“I also helped match revenue with expenditures,” she added. “We made tough but fair cuts to get it done.

“It’s not all about me, it’s all about you. I offer you leadership you can believe in,” Bowman concluded.

Coada, however, challenged claims made by Bowman.

“This county was in the worst shape that it had ever been since 2002,” said Coada. “This current board doubled the fund balance from $1.9 million to $3.8 million.

“It was depleted so bad that we had to borrow money back then to make payroll,” he continued. “But I made promises four years ago and as a board, we did what we said we would do.

“This board has turned the county around, and that is leadership you can believe in,” Coada concluded.

In District 3, challenger David Ledbetter and current supervisor Floyd Miles Sr. took their respective stances in addressing county residents.

“I attended many board meetings and made many comments on the status of the county,” said Ledbetter. “I am running to set a better course for the citizens of Charles City County. I will work for financial support for education and that includes pushing for a public library.”

“I have provided a lifetime of service to citizens in Charles City,” rebutted Miles. “I took an oath to represent citizens of Charles City. Sometimes you may not like the answer that the board gives, but you will get the truth.”

When addressed by questions on the Waste Management lawsuit and a $890,000 shortfall that resulted in financial cuts for schools, social services, and government offices, Miles stood firm in response.

“You have to do your homework and you can’t make rash decisions without doing your research,” the current supervisor commented, speaking about a Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) report on leachate from the dump. “As for the shortfall, we received unexpected revenue from the state after the fact we made those cuts.

“It’s like a lottery ticket. We didn’t know we were receiving that and once we did, we put it in our fund balance. We’re not going to just get it and spend it right away,” Miles concluded.

Ledbetter retorted, saying that as a county supervisor, he would handle the situation differently.

“We still have DEQ and wastewater problems to address,” Ledbetter said. “I wouldn’t have waited two years before taking Waste Management to court when we knew about the problem.”

Other contested races allowed candidates to speak on their respective viewpoints.

In the District 1 school board race, Royce Paige looks to regain the seat after being ousted by current school board chairwoman Helen Payne-Jones.

“I have always fought for the children,” Paige said. “Children can’t progress on half-salary teachers. You have a lot of top-heavy paid people in the front office.

“You need to get up and vote for somebody who is going to stand up for these children,” Paige concluded.

“During the current term, we had obstacles to overcome and we did that,” said Payne-Jones. “As a board, we put solid, smart plans in for the schools. It is a plan to move forward and I am asking for your vote to see these plans move in this direction.”

Victoria Cox-Washington spoke about experience managing her father’s business as well as working in Chesterfield General District Court as a reason she’s vying for the position of circuit court clerk of Charles City.

“I worked my way from the bottom up,” she commented. “I learned a lot by managing my father’s business that includes working in finance, team management, and communication skills.

“I want the court system to have an automatic system so that residents can have access to it. I also want to give citizens the help they need as well,” Cox-Washington concluded.

Sandra Hunkele, also attempting to secure the position of clerk, focused on her knowledge and local commitment to the court system as reasons for citizens to vote for her.

“This job requires knowledge and experience,” she said, speaking specifically on handling a variety of cases. “I have 18 years of experience and I believe I have the knowledge and skill do this job well.

“There are a lot of duties involved with this and I have been handling them as chief deputy clerk and I ask you to allow me to serve as circuit court clerk of Charles City,” Hunkele concluded.

Current Commonwealth’s Attorney Rob Tyler is seeking another term. But challenger Wayne Orrell vows to do a job to benefit citizens of the county.

“I’m here to make Charles City better,” Orrell said. “Fair and equal justice is not just a slogan; it’s the reason why I want to make this county better.

“There are several reasons why we have issues in our criminal justice system,” he continued, referencing many cases ending in plea agreements. “I want to protect you, support you, and treat people with respect in the courtroom.”

Tyler’s rebuttal spoke about showing equality to both the prosecution and defense during cases.

“I think I have done a good job to punish people enough to deter crime, but enough to balance out being humane to those who come through the system,” the current commonwealth’s attorney said. “It takes vast knowledge to learn the trade and how to handle cases.

“I have been doing it for the last eight years and I hope you all will put your trust in me to continue to do it,” he concluded.

Candidates who spoke but are running unopposed include Donald McEachin (Virginia Senate-9th District), Gilbert Smith (Board of Supervisors- District 1), L. Fred Browning (Soil and Water Conservation Director Colonial District), Denise Burrell-Smith (Commissioner of Revenue), Mindy Bradby (Treasurer), Martha Harris (School Board- District 3), Preston Adkins (School Board- At Large), and Steve Fuhrmann (School Board At-Large). House of Delegates candidate for the 74th District Lamont Bagby was in attendance, but elected not to speak.

Not present due to previous engagements were candidates A. Norman Hofmeyer Jr. (Soil and Water Conservation Director Colonial District) and Herbert J. Johnson (School Board District 2).