Obenshain supports Nicely for Fincastle Board of Supervisors
Republican Party candidate Brandon Nicely deserves your vote as candidate for Fincastle District Supervisor. The Botetourt County Republican Party has a long history of honest and capable candidates for Botetourt’s elected offices. Brandon Nicely proudly will carry on this tradition of our Republican Party’s public service.
Brandon has demonstrated his abilities and qualifications to serve as Fincastle District Supervisor in numerous ways. He is a successful businessman, farmer and family man. He has served his community in numerous ways both as a member of the Botetourt County Planning Commission and, before that, as a county employee.
Brandon understands that controlled development in our county and the quality of our public schools are essential to providing an opportunity for our young people to work and live in Botetourt as so many of them want to do. As one of them, he will work diligently to minimize the local tax burden on fellow homeowners, business owners and farmers.
Brandon has always been a hard worker and a person who believes deeply in the bright future and the incredible history of Botetourt County.
I urge you to vote for Brandon Nicely for Fincastle District Supervisor.
Joe Obenshain
Fincastle
Supports Obenshain for supervisor
I read recently that all five county supervisors in Botetourt County are Republicans. As Republicans they are supposed to adhere to the Botetourt County Republican Creed which includes “fiscal responsibility and budgetary restraints must be exercised at all levels of government.” If so, then why is the county $119 million in debt? In the 2023-2024 budget we are spending over $7 million of our tax dollars just to service that debt.
We desperately need change. In the Fincastle District please encourage everyone you know to vote for Independent Don Obenshain. He will listen to you and be your voice on the Board of Supervisors. He is not beholden to special interests. Here are the large donations by occupation received by his opponent, Brandon Nicely:
$3,350 Real Estate/Construction
$1,400 Public Employees
$1,192 Health Care
$1,000 Financial Services
$1,000 Roanoke Leadership Fund
$700 Energy, Natural Resources
$500 Political
$450 Agriculture
$400 Transportation
$200 Miscellaneous
We are rapidly losing what many of us cherish about our county: a beautiful, rural, friendly, uncongested, low-tax community. Vote for change. Vote for Don Obenshain.
Charles Ruhl
Fincastle
Supports Nicely for supervisor
With early voting set to end on Saturday, Nov. 4 at 5 p.m., Election Day is quickly approaching. Voters in the Fincastle District will be voting for their new supervisor, among other offices. Brandon Nicely is the Republican nominee for this office and is whom I will be supporting on November 7.
Brandon is a small business owner and a farmer who has called northern Botetourt County his home since 1984. Prior to starting his own business, Brandon served the county in various roles for 19 years. Since that time, Brandon has chosen to continue serving the community by volunteering with the Botetourt Education Foundation and serving on the Planning Commission.
Serving on the Board of Supervisors is a challenging and time-consuming job. To be an effective advocate for your constituents requires not just a general knowledge of local government, but also experience with the budgeting process, local zoning issues and processes.
I have found Brandon to be insightful and knowledgeable on the current issues facing the county and the Fincastle area. He is a hard-working, respectful, and responsive individual who wants nothing but the best for Botetourt and its citizens.
Brandon’s record of service, prior experience in local government and as a small business owner and farmer make him the best candidate for the job. I ask all those who live in the Fincastle District to join me in supporting Brandon Nicely with their vote for Fincastle Supervisor.
Chad Simmons
Fincastle
Obenshain will work to preserve Botetourt history
Dear citizens of the Fincastle District: I am 92 years old and have lived in Botetourt County all of my life. I have seen tremendous changes in the county during my lifetime.
Some have been great, but some recent ones have not. I am the author of two history books about Botetourt. I am most concerned about the loss of historic structures and sites in the county. My son, Don Obenshain, will work to preserve these sites. The county’s record of preservation is sad, and I look at the destruction of historic Daleville as an example of what we don’t want in Fincastle. Historic sites have been desecrated with no thought to their historic significance. The Daleville Cemetery is threatened with development, and as a resident of the Fincastle District, Don and I are very concerned.
We need Don on the Botetourt Board of Supervisors because he will work to save our history. We can’t afford to elect more leaders who have shown no interest in preservation. Don is a native citizen of Botetourt and that means a lot. He is the 10th generation of our family that has lived here. I would ask that you vote for him on Election Day, November 7.
Mary Anne Rader Obenshain
Troutville
Obenshain will take Fincastle District into the future
An important election is coming up on Tuesday, Nov. 7 in the Fincastle District of Botetourt County. This may be the most important election in the last generation, because it will shape our future for many years. One candidate has set himself apart as a revolutionary leader with a refreshing vision of the future.
That leader is Don Obenshain. He has an impressive record in his career as Corporate Compliance Officer at Catawba Hospital. That experience will be an asset to our school system that strives to keep our children safe in uncertain times, when kids around the nation are afraid to go to school.
His education at Roanoke College and Liberty University, where he graduated with honors, means he understands the value of good instructors.
He understands the concerns residents have with irresponsible development. He understands that small business is the backbone of the local economy. He knows we need good development like offices for doctors, medical facilities, grocery stores and prescription services. He questions the need for cluster development like apartments and hotels in residential areas. He sees the unsafe traffic conditions caused by the new traffic light recently installed at a dangerous curve on Route 220 in Daleville. Like most citizens, he is concerned with the four more traffic lights planned for that area. He has met with VDOT officials that explained it is the responsibility of local leaders to improve traffic flow on local roadways, not VDOT.
By contrast, his opponent has voted for every unpopular development. He has gone against public opinion at every turn and even voted for developments that the Board of Supervisors has denied. A 76-page record of his voting record is available for all to see. He voted in favor of the Gateway Crossing Project, the Murray’s Apple Cider Farm development and others, despite public outcry. He has been a consistent rubber stamp approval for the county administrator’s bloated government.
Citizens have all seen the notices of reassessment on their doors. We are smart enough to realize this means only one thing. Another rubber stamp approval for a huge tax increase, rumored to be across the board at 30%.
We need a leader like Don Obenshain to take the Fincastle District into the future. He will give thoughtful consideration to areas that truly need development, while protecting the culture, environment, history and aesthetic qualities we all love. He will communicate regularly with citizens at scheduled Town Hall meetings. He believes there has been a complete breakdown of communication between residents and board members. He has pledged to donate his salary from the county to the Fincastle Fire Department.
Don will actively work to reinvigorate our small towns, edged out by aggressive urban sprawl. He understands that the needs in Eagle Rock, Oriskany and Fincastle are very different and must be treated respectfully.
All of these qualities represent the true integrity of a great leader. I would urge you to vote for Don Obenshain on Tuesday, Nov. 7.
Greg Rieley
Troutville
Craig Creek pollution hypocrisy
Over on Craig Creek, property owner Bill Lemon has filed suit against the Commonwealth claiming the public is trashing and polluting his section of the creek. Meanwhile, the cattle farm on Lemon’s property is using the creek as a watering hole and cattle bathroom with the cattle in the creek depositing cow manure and urine.
Who is polluting Craig Creek? Lemon himself, the Craig Creek property owner. A good case of hypocrisy. There is no law prohibiting cows from polluting the creek, but there is something called Best Management Practices (BMP) which Lemon is either unaware of or chooses to disregard.
The good landowners along Craig Creek should be aware of what is going on and ask Lemon to fix the problem. No one else can get that done but him, if he cares enough.
Bob Harris
Cleveland, Ohio
