Letter supporting Barlow for Congress
I have the unique gift of sharing a life and a home with someone running to represent the 6th Congressional District, Peter Barlow. When Peter first approached me about running for Congress, I was unsure what to think. Running for public office is an enormous commitment and would drastically alter our responsibilities and relationship to our community. Now, though, after many conversations around our kitchen table I know exactly what I think: Pete is the person for the job, and I support him wholeheartedly and energetically. Peter said to me many times during our early morning and late night chats that now feels like a time to be courageous. With all of the division in our community and all of the dismantling of our much-needed federal programs, Pete told me, again and again, that this was a way for him to be brave. Peter did not make this decision lightly and I can assure you he is dedicated to being a congressman that represents the multitude of voices and needs in our community.
I could use this space to try to sell you on Peter’s platform, but I won’t. You can read it here, if you’d like: pete-barlow.com. What I will do is tell you about who he is, as a person and as a partner. He is energetic, he is hard working, and he is kind. He is beyond proud of the life-long roots that tether him to the Shenandoah Valley. He has a deep love for this community and sees the uniqueness and value of this home that we all share. He has the upmost respect and trust in his neighbors, even when they are people who may have voted differently than he. Pete is not afraid of disagreement – he sees this only as an opportunity to deepen relationships through conversation and debate. Disagreement, to him, is the opportunity to understand one another on a more honest level, to understand ourselves, and to weave a richer relationship. He wants to listen to and honor wherever it is you are coming from. He values both tradition and progress and knows that sometimes they contradict one another. He knows what it means to push through (and grow beyond) hard times. His boundless energy and commitment to his relationships carry him through adversity.
He has deep working knowledge of federal policy, processes, and standards, and he is the kind of patriot that I love: he deeply believes in the potential of our federal government to enact good policies that make our communities stronger and safer.
As a partner: he listens, he cares, and he adapts. He understands that what it takes to be in relationship is to be dynamic to the needs of those to whom you are committed. I strongly believe that as a congressman, in relationship to our community up and down the Valley, he will listen, care, and adapt to all of our needs. He sees being a congressman as the most important and fundamental committed relationship that he could be in – aside from, of course, our marriage.
Hannah Mack-Boll
Weyers Cave
Opposes Orchard Lake service district, announces candidacy for supervisor
At the August 27 Board of Supervisors meeting, the county introduced an agenda item for the creation of a proposed service district in the Orchard Lake Subdivision. The ordinance, drafted by the county attorney, includes in it mandates that infringe on subdivision property owners’ rights. The proposed ordinance is the county’s solution to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation’s (DCR)assertion of the unsafe condition of the Orchard Lake dam, and that the cost of bringing it into compliance would be prohibitive. The DCR awarded a 50% grant on an estimated project budget of $1million. The grant requires that Botetourt County match $500,000. The purpose of the proposed service district is to create a “special tax” to replace the money that Botetourt County spends on repairs. It is very simply put: unconstitutional!
I am an Orchard Lake resident, so at the meeting, I proposed several options for addressing this situation without levying an additional tax on county residents. My main focus was creating a non-profit foundation to solve the problem. I included the resources and research I completed to enact this solution. I would love to share the details with anyone who wants to see them, and you can hear me discuss them if you watch the recording of the meeting.
The county’s negligence of this situation, since its part-ownership of the dam in the mid-1990s, and the county’s lack of transparency about the circumstances and proposed solution, are a huge part of the problem. They also contribute to other problems in the county.
If the county can do this to us, they can do it to anyone. That’s why I’m declaring my write-in candidacy for the Amsterdam District Board of Supervisors seat. Voting for this election begins in Fincastle on September 19, and culminates in-person on Tuesday, November 4, at your regular polling locations. You can reach me at: lindageorge4bos@gmail.com with questions and comments. I hope to see you during my campaign so I can hear YOUR concerns for Amsterdam and Botetourt as well.
Linda George
Daleville
