By Charlotte Rene Woods | Government & Climate Reporter
Scottsville resident Donna Price is usually in attendance at Albemarle County Board of Supervisors meetings meetings. And the Navy veteran aspires to join its ranks pending the election results this November.
Price served in the Navy for 25. After retiring, she served as senior vice president of a healthcare provider and has operated a private law practice. Having been stationed around the world and in various localities in Virginia, it’s the Scottsville District that captured her heart. When not working cases, she splits her time between fixing up her old farmhouse and commuting to Glen Allen once a week to teach a course at the University of Richmond and babysit her grandchildren so her daughter and son-in-law can have a date night.
On the 60 acres surrounding her farmhouse, Price is growing shiitake mushrooms, taking care of honeybees and plans to get chickens. If elected as a supervisor, she plans to step down from her law practice to devote representing her district as her full-time area of focus.
“Even though Scottsville is in the southern tip of the county, it is the central hub not just for south Albemarle, but also Nelson, Fluvanna and Buckingham counties,” Price said. “So, the things that we do in the town of Scottsville and in the Scottsville District also has an impact on these neighboring communities, and what we do in the Scottsville District also has an impact on the other five magisterial districts in Albemarle County and the city of Charlottesville.”
As such, one of the themes of her campaign is “hand in hand, arm in arm.”
“That is that we all have to work together, because if we do work together, then we can find common ground, but all of us need to respect the needs and desires of other people as well as just what ourselves may be interested in,” she said.
The district stretches from the southeastern border of the city of Charlottesville towards to the curve a curve of the James River near Fluvanna and Buckingham counties. It also borders the northwestern part of Nelson. With a blend of urban and rural concerns, Price said she plans to keep an open ear and open-door policy to represent her varied constituents from the dais of the Board of Supervisors.
As the Scottsville Rescue Squad was dissolved this April, concerns over response times in the rural parts of the district featured in a recent candidate forum, and in speaking with Charlottesville Tomorrow, Price focused regionally near the town of Scottsville.
“If Scottsville can’t bring enough people itself, which was the big issue leading up to the dissolution, we will provide as well. It’s not just the town or district. As I understand it, if you take a 10-mile radius around Scottsville [town], it includes parts of the Samuel Miller District, Buckingham and Fluvanna. Those are the people probably most likely to be within the response range for that rescue squad in Scottsville,” Price said. “I would hate to see a situation where there’s a fire on the other side of the bridge and we say we can’t help our neighbors. Counties need to come up with some kind of agreement.”
On the main priorities if elected, Price said she wants to focus on education, environmental responsibility, transportation, economic development and health care.
If elected, Price said she would help ensure the Board of Supervisors works with the county School Board to ensure that teacher workload is sustainable, the school sizes accommodate the students and that quality teachers can be retained through good pay. Price said she will collaborate to make sure that planning and development within the county and her district are sustainable and environmentally friendly.
On affordable housing — a topic that has surfaced in many local races — Price said she supports various efforts to enhance affordable places to live. She noted how in many ways the city and county are too expensive to live and work in for many people who end up moving and working elsewhere or commuting from further away. A unique idea she also offered is rehabilitating the abandoned homes she sees scattered through the district for less than new construction to be put on the market at affordable rates. She suggested that it could be a public-private venture.
Price said public service is her life, and in her potential next role of service she plans to keep an open mind to best serve her constituents.
“I avoid words like ‘always’ or ‘never,’” Price told Charlottesville Tomorrow, and has reiterated in candidate forums. “That’s because there may be some exceptions.”
Price is the democratic candidate for Scottsville District supervisor. Election day is Nov. 5.
Questionnaire
What inspired you to run for supervisor?
From the earliest years of my life my mother has always said that I have been the champion of the underdog. As a career Naval Officer, I became skilled at bringing people with different viewpoints together to solve problems and achieve the mission. Having made my permanent home in the Scottsville Magisterial District, rebuilding an old and abandoned home, loving the history, culture and legacy of the area, it is no surprise that I want to do my part to help make this wonderful place even better. The majority of my life has been focused towards public service, with leadership roles in: Student Government in College; 25 years of active duty service in the Navy – retiring as a Captain; local homeowners associations; serving on the Board of Directors of non-profit organizations and Chair of the Board of Governors of the Military Law Section of the State Bar of Virginia; as an Election Official at four different Precincts in two different jurisdictions, rising to Assistant Chief, and then Chief, while ensuring that our elections are held in strict compliance with the law; active in my church as a Delegate for several years to the annual Diocesan Convention, in addition to service over the years as a Crucifer, Acolyte, Lay Eucharistic Minister, Lector, member of the Vestry and Senior Warden, and President of a Parish Council; President of the Family Advisory Council and Representative at the Board of Governors for one of my children’s college; actively engaged in lobbying activities before State and Federal Legislatures in support of ending Gerrymandering, and on behalf of various organizations ranging from the NAACP, Equality Virginia, and the National Organization for Women; I have long been engaged in social justice work through training and presentations ranging from Human Resources professionals, to Law Enforcement Organizations and Military Commands. After 40 years of the practice of law with – for the past 15 years – a focus on saving people’s jobs, it is – for me – just the next logical step to continue my public service through seeking elected office in the place I call home, the Scottsville Magisterial District; with the seat on the Board of Supervisors being the perfect fit for my background, experience, and interests.
What do you see as your top three priorities should you be elected?
1) My first priority is to be accessible and available to hear the concerns of the citizens and residents of the District; to then be able to take those concerns to the Board of Supervisors and, with transparency, come up with the best solutions to meet the needs of the greatest number of people in the District – appreciating the connections between the District, the greater County, the City of Charlottesville, AND our neighboring communities and counties – because what we do in both the Magisterial District and the Town of Scottsville impacts all of the people living and working in those surrounding areas.
2) “Quality of Life” – with everything that encompasses and all the things that affect it then come together as they cannot be looked at in isolation. This is everything from good jobs to affordable housing, transportation (both in terms of time and expense of commuting), schools/education, and healthcare (both physical and emotional), and the environment (from clean air, water, and land to garbage and litter).
3) Jobs and controlled growth – this IS the Scottsville Magisterial District. Our needs and desires are different from any other District so while we may all have some similar needs and desires wherever we live in Albemarle County, we also have our specific needs and desires in maintaining and improving on what we have without losing the essential nature and character of our District. Having more people residing in the Town of Scottsville will bring with that more local jobs; while we want to avoid over-development that comes from uncontrolled growth, recognizing the impacts that development has on water supply, transportation, and congestion. The Town of Scottsville can be a “destination” without losing its essential character and charm.
Given your background, what do you think you can bring to the table if elected?
One of my assignments in the Navy was working in the Office of Legislative Affairs, where I handled all Personnel and Medical Issues affecting the Navy before Congress. The primary Committees I worked with were the Personnel Subcommittees of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees (HASC and SASC). In response to the manner in which I conducted these significant responsibilities I was recruited by BOTH the senior Democrat and senior Republican Senators on the SASC to retire from the Navy and then serve as a Professional Staff Member of the Committee. The fact that both political parties solicited my service in employment reflects the ability I have to go beyond Political Party ideology and work towards the greater common good. Combining that with the numerous senior leadership positions I have held in the Navy, as a Senior Vice-President of a Healthcare provider, as a Professor at the University of Richmond Law School, and – more importantly – as an attorney in private practice who has focused my work on helping save people their jobs have provided me with insight, knowledge, experience, and wisdom in relating to the human realities of living in a complex and often cruel world. I also know what it is like “to want” and to struggle just to survive, as my father lost his job when I was a child (when the company he worked for went bankrupt), it took him over a year to get another job; and, I know the reality of life’s difficulties. I will bring all of these experiences to working FOR the citizens and residents of the Scottsville District.
What do you think of Albemarle’s new project-focused high school center model? Would you support a bond referendum to build additional high school centers beyond what is currently budgeted?
I totally support seeking to expand educational opportunities beyond a singular focus on graduating high school students moving only towards college as the next step, however, until a number of questions are answered I am not ready to support a bond referendum for additional construction. While college is an admirable objective and accomplishment, and we as a nation do need many to achieve that goal, the multiple concerns of a system that: 1) sees college as the do all/end all for all students, 2) especially given the incredible expense of college and crushing college debt legacy (burdening far too many who may never get out from under that debt), and 3) the reality that our economy is lacking an adequate number of employees with technical education/training while far too many college graduates are incapable of obtaining jobs that will allow them to pay off their student debt. Thus, while it is clear that expanding the educational and training options should be explored; and, while I am very supportive of Albemarle County’s desire to create engaging learning environments for our children; before we spend tax payer money to build additional centers using this model, it is critical that we intentionally study how well the center is currently working for our students and whether the self-directed learning approach is the best way to prepare students for their futures. I have a number of questions as a taxpayer and as someone who cares deeply about the education of our young people: What are the precise goals of the center? Does passion-based project learning help create job readiness skills? Have we fully tapped into resources from districts who have successfully implemented similar programs to make sure that our program is designed to get the results we want? Have we created the kind of business-school partnerships that will allow for expansion of the model? If we decide the center is providing the results we want, could the work be done in our schools or do we truly need to construct new facilities? For a district, like Scottsville, it would seem that CATEC expansion may be a better, and less expensive, option. For example, the Culinary Arts program could partner with local farmers to teach students about agribusiness and the farm-to-table, buy local, restaurant sector helping different industries prosper. Our students are such an important resource and our concern for their futures demand that we are intentional and thoughtful about how we spend the public resources dedicated to preparing them for the future.
Do you think Albemarle should invest in affordable housing? If so, would you support a permanent affordable housing fund (i.e. with more dedicated funds than the end-of-year-surplus)?
I believe that the County must continue to explore any reasonable options to improve the affordability of housing; while always being wary of committing taxpayer funds unless there are reasonable metrics to demonstrate that the desired benefit is being achieved. The problem with only using end-of-year surplus funds is that there is no certainty provided to the beneficiaries, leaving them continually wondering whether assistance provided this year will be available next year. Instability in housing is one of the most difficult and stressful situations that individuals – and, especially, families – can face. Instability in housing affects a child’s ability in school, in development, and in a great many other ways. So the County must have social/general welfare programs that are consistent and provide stability to the recipients. As in most areas, I am especially supportive of public/private ventures that can expand the number of individuals and families being helped while minimizing the direct impact on tax funds.
What do you see as the future of transportation in Albemarle?
Unfortunately, I see the transportation future of Albemarle County as being one of our most complex and, likely, frustrating areas given a variety of factors. With the cost of living in the County being above what many individuals and families earn, we are in a situation where far too many people who work in the county cannot afford to live in the county. This situation then drives up the numbers of commuters, with a corresponding decrease in their quality of life as our “day count” population of workers far exceeds our “night count” population of residents. Additionally, the Virginia “Smart Scale” scoring system which, on its face, appears fair; but which, in reality, still results in Northern Virginia, Tidewater, Richmond, and now I-81, getting the lion’s share of the available funding resources, will likely mean a continuation of the County being left behind as regards our needs. Public transportation is only an option when it is reliable, regular, and affordable. If public transportation cannot affordably get people where they need to be when they need to be there, then they will not use it. Expansion of multi-modal transportation options are a start, but the geography of the area, the absence of bike lanes (or even shoulders!) on too many roadways makes non-automobile options unavailable and unsafe in too many locations while we continue to struggle to obtain funding for road improvements. There are only 3 passing areas in the entirety of VA-20/Scottsville Road between the James River and I-64, one of the busiest routes in the District; while US-250/Richmond Road and VA-53/Thomas Jefferson Parkway are also inadequate for the traffic loads they carry.
What do you think of the county’s new economic development plan? Which of the office’s recent activities (deals with WillowTree, Perrone Robotics, Central Virginia Electric Cooperative, and Potters Craft Cider) do you think are most successful and why?
I am supportive of the County’s new economic development plan and am excited about each of the various projects cited in your question. Diversification is one of the critical keys to success, and each of these projects contributes in their own respective ways to improving our broader economy and quality of life. The WillowTree Woolen Mills project helps save a historical site on the Rivanna River, which will bring housing, jobs, and encourage further enjoyment of the River area; the Perone Robotics expansion will help bring a “technology triangle” vision to an area that the Commonwealth’s flagship University of Virginia and our exceptional PVCC can help expand; The Central Virginia Electric Cooperative program through the Virginia Telecommunications Initiative will help bring broadband internet – as essential today as electricity and running water – to areas of the County that have suffered without that essential “utility;” and the Potters’ Craft Cider project helps expand on one of the top draws that our area has, bringing tourists and their money, from all over the area. I believe that they are all admirable, will be successful; and, by investing in each of these various projects, we help diversity and strengthen our economy.
Do you think Albemarle County should commit to “net zero” emissions in the county by 2050 as the staff has proposed?
Yes, absolutely. A mantra of Naval Aviation is: Plan the flight and fly the plan. Without a plan you get nowhere. While I recognize the reality that environmental (and other) plans are likely always going to be changing; and, that rarely does a the plan end up exactly where it started out; without a plan to reduce carbon emissions in the county we will never achieve our goals by 2050 (or any date), and – by failing to achieve our environmental objectives – we will be failing in our responsibility to leave a healthy, safe, and clean environment for our children and those who come behind us. I believe that it is a moral imperative that we been good stewards of our environment.
