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Kennedy Plans to Run for Reelection in StonehouseFriday, June 24, 2011 Stonehouse Supervisor Jim Kennedy announced Friday he will run for reelection in November as the Republican candidate. “The progress James City County has made over the last four years is extraordinary, and we have become a model for Virginia,” says Kennedy. “I kept my promises to eliminate the storm water fee, to reduce the size of County government, to fight tax increases, and to put our fiscal house in order.”Kennedy highlights some accomplishments the county has achieved during the course of his most recent four-year term, including reducing the size of the county staff through attrition, reaching a AAA bond rating and a ‘Rare Air’ bond rating from Moody’s, improving the business climate and not raising taxes through years of tough economic times. In his previous election campaign, Kennedy ran on a platform of eliminating the storm water fee, which happened soon after Republicans took the majority on the Board. He applauds voters for voting down last year’s stormwater bond referendum, which would have allowed the county to borrow $30 million to pay for stormwater projects. “We gave voters the chance, and they made the right choice,” Kennedy tells WYDaily. He also touts the county’s budget reductions as evidence that “our fiscal house is in order,” he says. “The previous Board majority had projected unnecessary and wasteful budget increases. We reduced those projected budgets by millions of dollars, insisting that County government live within its means. “We reduced the size of County government through the elimination of departments and redundancy, and reduced the size of the staff through attrition. As a result of our sound fiscal policies, James City has earned a AAA bond rating and ‘Rare Air’ classification from Moody’s, making us one of the top 83 localities in America.” During his tenure, the county has become a friendlier place for businesses, says Kennedy, who owns Dudley’s Farmhouse Grill in Toano. “I have… worked diligently to improve the County’s business climate. “When I was elected in 2007, the previous Board majority had been stifling and shelving the recommendations of its own Business Climate Task Force. That Board was unwilling to acknowledge that years of County policies had given James City a lousy reputation as a place to do business. I successfully fought to implement the Task Force’s recommendations, and we have turned our reputation around. "Existing businesses have expanded and new businesses have opened in the county, creating new jobs in the midst of what we are frequently told is the worst recession since the Great Depression,” according to Kennedy. “Finally, James City County is being seen as open for business, a dramatic turnaround.” To Democrats and others in the county who argue that the county is growing too fast because the Republican-controlled Board is quick to approve residential development, Kennedy says, “Other than what might have been generated by the now-defunct Continuing Care Retirement Community at Ford’s Colony … we have approved fewer than 100 units during the last four years. “And, we adopted a Comprehensive Plan that ensures land use predictability, providing a blueprint that will ensure our county will remain a great place to live without overwhelming our citizens with crippling taxes.” He lashes out at Democrats, saying that, should Democrats control the Board, “they will reinstitute the policies that made James City’s business climate toxic, killing jobs and discouraging businesses from expanding here and from locating here. “They will advance policies that restrict the property rights of Stonehouse residents, taking a ‘government knows best’ approach that undermines liberty. And, they will return the County to the course on which they had placed it, one of more expensive and expansive government that inevitably leads to higher and higher taxes.” Kennedy was first elected to the Board in 1999, lost a re-election bid four years later, then was returned to the board in 2007. He served as chairman for three years, and vice chairman for one year. “As Stonehouse Supervisor, I will continue to fight for the people I am honored to serve, to keep taxes low, to protect property rights, to promote a strong business climate and to ensure that County government uses our tax dollars responsibly and lives within its means,” Kennedy says. “The voters of Stonehouse have twice elected me to be their voice on the Board of Supervisors. I am asking for their votes again, so that I can continue to fight for them.” |
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Comments
You can take your count to 203. My family visits the park.
How about showing a little leadership Mr. Kennedy and support elimination of staggered terms immediately? This simple step would return power to the people and take it away from staff who still run roughshod over the BOS and County without fear. It did wonders for York County.
While your at it, stop wasting money on Freedom Park. JCC has spent millions on water lines and utilites and gold plated toilets. The 200 people a year who go there can now use the new convenience store being built on the corner of Longhill and Centerville.
Your comment about Rare Air is equally applicable to the air quality in Building C of the municipal complex. Its loaded with black mold and spores and is a public health and safety risk and needs to be torn down immediately. Don't replace it on site though but rather look to move the entire complex to New Town in a new County Complex worthy of our great heritage and supportive of our high quality of life. The private sector would never be allowed to build such a dump totally devoid of architectural merit, appropriate land planning and parking, stormwater controls, handicap access and energy efficiency. You just built the police a new $15M HQ for heaven's sakes -lets get on with it while prices are low and money is cheap.
Whatever you do, don't let County Staff build it. The Fresh Market center has been built and is ready to open in half the time it has taken General Services to almost complete its new facility on Tewning Rd. That project has lanquished for over 2 years and someone needs to be fired for this and multiple other screwups on public buildings - many of them under your watch. I'd be careful not to break your arm patting yourself on the back. Rare Air indeed.