McGlennon to Run in Roberts District

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Current James City County Jamestown District Supervisor John McGlennon announced Wednesday he will be running for re-election in the Roberts District this November.

McGlennon’s home was shifted into the Roberts District during the recent county redistricting, which means he can run in the upcoming election for his new district. The November election is “a unique opportunity to change the tone and change the direction of the Board of Supervisors,” McGlennon said in a press release Wednesday. “We have the chance with this election to finally put in place the policies that county residents have been demanding.” He has served four terms in the Board as the Jamestown Supervisor. In November, he will likely be facing Jack Fraley, who also intends to run in Roberts.

McGlennon aims to continue to focus on four goals during the upcoming election: protecting the quality of life in the county; scrutinizing development proposals based on their impacts on the county; enhancing the strength and diversity of existing business while maintaining the character of the community; and spreading the cost of government services fairly across the community and not shifting more of the burden onto residential property tax.

He believes that county growth needs to be controlled. “Our citizens are right when they say that we are growing too fast, and that our pace of growth threatens to destroy what makes James City County such a great place to live and work,” he said.

Though the Comprehensive Plan focuses on sustainability, McGlennon voted against it “because it substituted the developers’ goals for James City County for the citizens’ vision,” he said. “The so-called Economic Opportunity Zone is a poorly-designed attempt to turn rural farm land into an urban complex of eight-story apartments and office buildings.

“That is not what our citizens said they wanted for the future of James City County.”

The growth rate is expensive, and is placing a heavy burden onto homeowners, according to McGlennon. “We can’t afford the bills for developer-driven growth that won’t pay for itself, especially when the burden is being pushed more and more onto the individual homeowner,” he said.

His record on the Board shows that he is responsive to the community and has integrity and trustworthiness, according to McGlennon. “My constituents know that I will listen to their concerns, and that I will work with them to find solutions to their problems,” he said.  As an example, he highlighted his recent successful fight to convince the Virginia Department of Transportation to drop plans to put a new traffic signal on Jamestown Road.

As for entering a race in a new district, McGlennon said “I will be introducing myself to new constituents, but I’ve always viewed my roles as representing the county as a whole, not just one district.”

Several thousand Jamestown District constituents along Jamestown Road, Lake Powell Road and Neck O’ Land Road will join him as part of the new Roberts District, and he will also be rejoining voters of the current Roberts C precinct, whom he represented prior to the last redistricting. Voters in neighborhoods along Route 60 East, including Kingsmill, Grove, Skiffes Creek and others, make up the remainder of the district.

McGlennon has lived in the Williamsburg area for 37 years, and has lived in the Rolling Woods subdivision since 1987. Both of his grown children attended WJCC schools and now attend the College of William and Mary, where McGlennon has taught since 1974. He is currently the Chairman of the Government Department.

McGlennon will continue to serve as the Jamestown Supervisor, subject to the outcome of the November vote.