Four York Supes Face GOP Primary Challenges

By Samantha Thrift Friday, June 24, 2011

Eight candidates have filed as Republicans and on Aug. 23 will be fighting in the GOP primary for four of the five Board of Supervisors’ seats in York County.

District 1 incumbent Walter Zaremba will face Mitchel Thomas, a retired NASA employee who has lived in York County for 36 years.

After receiving a call from a neighbor asking him to run for the seat, Thomas decided that he needed to give back to the community. “I do believe District 1 needs a fresh view on the issues that face our county today and days to come,” Thomas said in an email. “I believe I am qualified for the position.”

Thomas and the other challengers have displayed similar concerns with the current Board. “I think the county should impose term limits on the Supervisors.  I think county government needs to exercise tighter restraint on unnecessary spending and find efficiencies in county services that will ease our tax burden,” Thomas said.

Sheila Noll, who has been a member of the Board of Supervisors for 16 years, will face G. Frank Barger in District 2. Barger, who worked for Newport News Waterworks for 30 years, has been a Virginia Peninsula resident since 1970 and moved to York County in 2005. He has been a Delegate to the First District and Virginia State Republican Convention and has helped campaign for Congressman Rob Wittman and Senator John McCain.

Barger said in an e-mail that he decided to run for the Board of Supervisors because of how the existing members continue to spend taxpayers’ money during a slumping economy.

“Some of the issues facing the county are probable lower assessments resulting in lower tax revenues.  Tax increases are out of the question in this economy.  Reduced spending across the board and delaying capital projects could lessen the impact,” Barger said. “Another concern is the traffic congestion on George Washington Memorial Highway.  I would urge VDOT to place this project at the top of their priority list.”

Bob D’Eramo, owner of the Ben & Jerry's and Green Mountain Coffee Shop on Water Street, will be challenging District 3 incumbent Don Wiggins. The Coast Guard brought D’Eramo to Yorktown in 1970.

The issue that inspired the construction company owner of 28 years to run for public office came from how the current Board dealt with a problem concerning his business at Riverwalk. D’Eramo, along with three others, claimed they were being overcharged for rent because square foot measurements of their stores, from which the rent is determined, were miscalculated.

“[The problems with] Riverwalk opened my eyes.  It was an awakening for how the government was. I had never experienced that type of issue,” D’Eramo said in an interview. “When it went public, dozens of people called me about their issues. [The calls] weren’t about Riverwalk. They weren’t about me. They were about the issues with the county.”

D’Eramo’s concerns with the current board include overspending and how long members should serve. If elected, he plans to serve two, four-year terms, a standard he believes all members should follow. “I’m a businessman, not a politician,” he said. “But I have common sense. I understand budgets, I understand accountability and I understand outcomes.”

District 4 incumbent George Hrichak will face Jim Haas, owner of Haas Investment Management and a resident of York County for 26 years. Haas states on his website that he is concerned about York County’s economic health and financial sustainability.

“I will continue to be a strong voice for sound economic policies. I will continue to speak out concerning York County financial decisions and budget matters,” Haas said on his website.

District 5 incumbent, Tom Shepperd, remains unchallenged.

Also on the Aug. 23 primary ballot: Incumbent York-Poquoson Commonwealth’s Attorney Eileen Addison and her former deputy Benjamin Hahn will be running against each other for the Republican nomination. The pair worked together for years before Hahn announced his candidacy - and resignation - in late April. Addison asked him to leave the office immediately.

Running for District 3 in the State Senate will be incumbent Tommy Norment and Mark Frechette, which you can read more about here.

Winners of the primaries will go on to run in the November general election. No Democrat has yet announced a challenge for any of the positions.