Stockton Will Run Against Jones for Berkeley Seat

Stockton Will Run Against Jones for Berkeley Seat

By WYDaily Staff Saturday, June 25, 2011

James City County Board of Supervisors Chair will have some competition to keep her seat on the board this fall. Carlton Stockton announced Friday he'll challenge Republican Mary Jones for the Berkeley District seat, a race he nearly won in 2007 when the two faced off.

Stockton ran against Jones in the same district in 2007, losing the race by less than 100 votes. Independent Michael Brown picked up over 300 votes, more than the margin between Stockton and Jones.

"We need to restore the public’s confidence in our Board of Supervisors,” Stockton said.

Stockton said confidence in the board has been "destroyed by a series of bad decisions by Jones and others," and charged that developers - not citizens - have been running the county for too long.

He cited Jones' support of nearly every rezoning and special use permit that came before the board both during her term on the Planning Commission and in the past four years on the Board as an issue. “The developers who overwhelmingly funded her campaign are her constituents, not the citizens of James City County,” Stockton said.

He pointed to Jones' support of several developments - especially Courthouse Commons on Monticello across from New Town, the recently approved car wash at Williamsburg Crossing and development of Hill Pleasant Farm in Norge - despite what Stockton called "obvious problems and the community's concern."

Stockton, who will run as a Democrat, said to win he'll have to have strong support of not just Democrats but Republicans and Independents. Stockton said he's "convinced my message regarding curtailing uncontrolled growth and restoring voters'confidence in the Board of Supervisors will resonate with voters across ideological lines."

He said the campaign will focus on the importance of making good decisions that help guide the county through difficult economic times and plan for the future of James City County in the short- as well as long-term.

Stockton pledged to meet three goals if elected:

Make better development decisions. He said development is not bringing enough revenue with it to pay for the impact on schools, roads and other infrastructure like water and sewer. Stockton said he won't approve projects that are a net negative to the communities.

Create good-paying jobs in James City County. More retail produces low-paying jobs, he said. Stockton said he'll work with businesses that produce higher-paying jobs to attract them to James City County.

Preserve rural areas and small communities. Stockton said he'd fight to preserve the current nature of the county's communities and quality of life.

Stockton lives in Governor’s Land with his wife of 47 years, Margaret. He retired in 1998 from his position as vice president of MCI. He currently serves on the Boards of Towne Bank and Williamsburg Landing, and is a layreader at Bruton Parish Church. He is a graduate of Saint Paul’s College and holds master degrees from Clark Atlanta University and Harvard University. In 2009, Stockton was one of seven citizens who applied for appointment to the Berkeley District seat vacated by Mary Ann Maimone on the Williamsburg James City County School Board. That appointment went to Jim Kelly.

Stockton said he would not accept campaign contributions from developers.

For more information about his campaign, click here for Stockton's campaign website.

Comments

-4 #4 Guest 2011-06-26 07:08

Dear Patriot: I hope you are getting well paid to be the voice of the Republican party online because you are doing a very good job. Just like Jones: toe the party line even when it makes you like narrow minded and foolish. I also can't help wondering where you live if you think that things have gotten better in the past 4 years! The trade offs for making money on development have been to make JCC look something like Northern Virginia south: terrible traffic, less pedestrian and bike friendly, and worst of all, a loss of the unique home town charm that brought me to Williamsburg nearly 3 decades ago. The most telling evidence is that Republican Fraley AND Democrat McGlennon are running on essentially the same platform: preserving Williamsburg. I would say to them that, thanks to that Republican board, they could drop that from their platforms since it's too late. But finally, I think that what JCC really needs is fewer partisan patriots and more community minded citizens like Bob Richardson and Wayne Moyer who must endure attacks on their characters even as they try to warn the rest of us about the future that lies ahead.

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+5 #3 Guest 2011-06-25 10:45

After Jones' miserable performance on the car wash situation, a new face on the board would be welcome.

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+3 #2 Guest 2011-06-25 07:45

Jones has sadly demonstrated her inabilities to understand issues and lead meetings during the past 4 years. A nice person, perhaps, but not ready for Prime Time when it comes to informed, intelligent, and community-wide thinking. She narrowly follows a partisan script, which 9 times out of 10 doesn't pertain to specific land use matters at hand. Her concern about sustainability and her willingness to support any new development regardless of its location (Wmsbg Crossing Car Wash) exemplify her many shortcomings. We are overdue for Stockton and he has our support.

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-7 #1 Guest 2011-06-25 04:16

Carlton Stockton lost in 2007 and will lose again in 2011. Voter confidence in the Republican Board has been rewarded with a AAA bond rating which is something no democrat controlled board could do. The independent analysts who rated James City County as one of the top 83 jurisdictions in the Country sure seem to see things differently.

A closer look at Stockton's goals reveals just how out of touch he and local dems are with JCC citizens. On one hand he decries Courthouse Commons which is a huge money maker for the County and then states he will not approve any project with a net negative. Say goodbye to workforce housing then Mr. Stockton. I'm sure that is OK with you and your pals like Ralph Bressler who live in Governor's Land but that is certainly bad news for our teachers, police and firefighters struggling to find a place to live in JCC.

Next, you state you intend to "create" good paying jobs. How does government create good paying jobs? Through expansion of government services and more employees no doubt. How do we pay these people you want to hire? You raise taxes - right Mr. Stockton? How about cutting government spending and eliminating wasteful regulations that stymie investment and the production of good jobs by the private sector like Mary Jones has done.

Next you want to preserve rural areas and small communities. What does that really mean? Do you intend to throw more taxpayer money at land conservation? Do you intend to take land and development rights from farmers and other taxpaying citizens? Seems a bit foolish to me since there is no stampede to develop rural lands anyway and we already have 13,000 lots ready for development.

You also crticize Ms. Jones for taking money from developers. Have you even bothered to look at her financial reports? Contributions to Ms. Jones campaign came exclusively from citizens of JCC - most here for generations - not from Democrat PAC's in Richmond and Washington, contributors in California, Georgia and throughout the United States who have probaly never even been to James City County. Why do you find it necessary to raise a majority of your campaign contributions from outside James City County? Doesn't that speak poorly of you and your ability to effectively represent all citizens of JCC including those happen to be in the development business. Your neighborhood was built by a developer and you don't seem to have problem enjoying the amenities and lifestyle in Governnor's Land - do you Mr. Stockton?

Berkeley voters will not be fooled by your pledges of higher taxes, bigger government, elimination of affordable housing, reduced freedoms and land grabs in our rural areas. We have been there and done that and it took a Republican Board 4 years to straighten out the mess.

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