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Sunday, December 9, 2018

OPINION - Candidate Workshop

by Neil Richard

Ruby Brabo hosted a Candidate Workshop on November 15 at the Citizen's Center. Although not officially sponsored by King George County, quite a few current and former local officials were present. Brabo, Lorrie Gump, the County Registrar, and Renee Parker, former School Board member, presented the basics of what was needed to run for office.

Between the three ladies, it sounded like a lot of paperwork was involved and, though not required, a lot of door-to-door campaigning was recommended. It was also recommended that, at the local level, a candidate not declare for a specific party but rather run as an independent.

Gump's biggest advice was to come to her and ask questions if you weren't sure. She said all conversations would be confidential and nobody would know you were running for office until you filed the paperwork. She also said declarations can be filed as early as January 2, 2019 and the deadline was in June.

Parker echoed the advice of asking for help. She said many current and former representatives would be happy to help and answer questions. She also recommended using the state's online system for tracking finances and other paper work, noting that the state would eventually make it mandatory.

Brabo though was the real treasure trove of information. From sharing that she spent too much money, roughly $2,500, for her first election to sharing that she felt like she needed to spend even more money on her last election than the $13,500 she spent. She also shared that in-kind contributions, such as food or supplies, would need to be documented as well as cash donations. Although there was an option to file as an exempt candidate that would not take donations, it still required plenty of paper work to be completed.

Brabo also listed the positions that were up for election in the November 2019 elections. They were:
  • Sheriff
  • Treasurer
  • Commissioner of the Revenue 
  • Commonwealth's Attorney
  • Board of Supervisors, At-Large District
  • Board of Supervisors, James Madison District
  • Board of Supervisors, Dahlgren District 
  • School Board, At-Large District
  • School Board, James Madison District
  • School Board, Dahlgren District
Although I attended the event as a member of the press and a curious citizen, I don't feel it's appropriate to say who I saw there. However, I will mention that I asked one individual what office they were running for. They played it close to the chest and didn't answer. Out of respect for their privacy, I didn't push the issue. However, we did have a nice conversation on what many voters were looking for in any candidate, the most important thing being honesty.

Of those offices up for re-election in November 2019, the following officials intend to seek re-election:
  • Keri Gusmann (Commonwealth's Attorney)
  • Ruby Brabo (Board of Supervisors, At-Large District)

The following officials have opted to not seek re-election:
  • John Jenkins (Board of Supervisors, Dahlgren District)
  • Tammy Indseth (School Board, At-Large District)

The following officials have stated they are undecided at the moment, will make an announcement in the future, or did not respond to a request for information:
  • Steve Dempsey (Sheriff)
  • Randy Jones (Treasurer)
  • Judy Hart (Commissioner of the Revenue)
  • Richard Granger (Board of Supervisors, James Madison District)
  • Kristin Tolliver (School Board, James Madison District)
  • Gayle Hock (School Board, Dahlgren District)

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