FINCASTLE – Rodney Spickard announced this week he is seeking the Republican Party nomination to run for Botetourt Commissioner of the Revenue.
“I am running for this position because I love living and working in Botetourt County, and would like to work for the citizens in an office I am qualified for,” he said.
Spickard said his background in business management and real estate and his education provide the qualifications to serve as Commissioner of the Revenue.
He has held his Virginia real estate license for the past 13 years and has performed hundreds of real estate valuations. One of the functions of the commissioner’s office is to maintain records of real estate values and property information and land use, he noted.
Spickard has 17 years of experience in business ownership and management relating to the real estate construction industry. “For these companies, I have performed all the business, finance and accounting functions relating to tax matters, accounts receivable/payable, budgeting, payroll and employee supervision,” he said in his announcement. He also co-owned a convenience store/deli in Daleville where he performed all the business and accounting functions for the store and supervised employees.
“I have a committee work ethic that I would continue with if elected Botetourt’s next Commissioner of the Revenue,” Spickard continued.
He is a lifelong resident of Botetourt and has lived in several different areas of the county. He grew up in Blue Ridge, the son of Dale and Sarah Spickard. A brother, Sonny, and sister, Donna Simmons, also live and work in the county.
Spickard graduated from Lord Botetourt High School in 1987 and earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Roanoke College in 1991. His wife, Laurie, and their three children live in the Cloverdale area and are members of Bonsack Baptist Church, where he serves as a special needs Sunday School teacher. He also drives the church bus for special needs members who have no means of transportation.
Spickard has been a longtime coach for youth sports, including youth basketball, baseball, softball and soccer teams for Blue Ridge, Troutville, Greenfield and Cloverdale sports clubs. “I enjoy getting to know the kids and watching them grow up into young adults,” he said.
Spickard currently serves on the Botetourt County Building Code Board of Appeals and he recently served on the Botetourt Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee, a group that made recommendations to the county administration and Board of Supervisors to help provide guidance for the update to the county’s comprehensive plan that covers land use, zoning, transportation, recreation, public improvements and other issues of public importance.
He has served as treasurer and board member for the Stone Ridge Homeowners Association and is on the Glade Creek Cemetery Committee in Blue Ridge.
“If elected, my goal is to provide efficient, timely service, equitable taxation and be accessible to all citizens of Botetourt County,” Spickard said. “In addition, I’ll provide careful maintenance of real estate and personal property taxpayer records, and assist the citizens in a competent manner when dealing with tax matters.”
Spickard’s announcement comes on the heels of Jay Etzler’s announcement a week ago that he will not seek re-election to the commissioner’s job that he’s held for 12 years.
