Candidate Interviews 3 of 4 - School Board

by Neil Richard

Editor's Note: School Board, At-Large District, is currently held by Tammy Indseth. She previously announced she is not running for re-election. Gayle Hock, who currently occupies the Dahlgren District seat, is running to fill the vacancy. School Board, James Madison District, is currently held by Kristin Tolliver. She is running unopposed. School Board, Dahlgren District, is currently held by Gayle Hock, who is running for the At-Large District seat. Carrie Gonzalez is running to fill her vacancy.

 

Candidate: Carrie Gonzalez

Q: When did you arrive in King George and why did you choose to live here?
A: My husband and I have lived here for 12 years. I grew up in Pennsylvania. It was a very small, rural area. I went to Penn State for engineering and got a job at Indian Head in Maryland where I met my husband. He grew up in Puerto Rico. We used to live in Waldorf and looked at moving to La Plata but when we came to look at King George, we were shocked that people, complete strangers, would wave to us. When we’d drive through at night it was dark and we could hear crickets. It reminded me of home.

Q: What made you want to run for office?
A: After having two kids, I felt like I had more to give. We’re all busy and it can be overwhelming but the community needs people to step up and represent those that aren’t heard. Somebody needs to do it. For the School Board side of things, my kids are now 3 and 5. My son started Kindergarten at Potomac and I feel the schools are a good place for me to start. Teachers have a hard but very important job. I feel that when things get hard, we need people to step up.

Q: What do you do in your free time for stress relief or as a hobby?
A: Free time is such an enigma. I feel like there’s never enough time in the day to do everything. I enjoy cooking and baking and sharing that with my kids. We’ve enjoyed going to the Farmer’s Market for years now. I enjoy reading but never have enough time. I also enjoy gardening. My mom lives near us now and we share a garden. I also try to stay in shape and enjoy running, biking, swimming, and yoga. I also enjoy playing the piano and I’m a member of the Dahlgren Jazz Band which is made up of base employees.

Q: How would you promote unity within King George?
A: Communication is key. I don’t remember the exact quote but in your Local Leaders interview with Mike Bennett, he said something about “it’s not what you do but how you do it, it’s not what you say but how you say it.” I think that we’re so divided as a population and it’s so hard for us to start a discussion with others on the other side. We need to stay open-minded and listen. It’s a shame that we don’t. With my kids I’ve learned that they’re human sponges and don’t question what you say. It’s made me realize that all views and opinions are different. That doesn’t mean opposing opinions aren't valid or wrong and that they should be respected. It’s important to be aware of how we’re received and perceived by others. To answer your question, I would promote unity by leading by example through honesty, transparency, and respect.

Q: If you received a $1 million grant to use for King George any way you wanted, what would you do with it and why?
A: A traffic circle at Owens in Dahlgren. There’s been a lot of chatter about traffic lately and with the new bridge coming, it’s going to increase. There’s base traffic, a day care center, housing developments there. I know the turn lanes were put in to improve it but it still scares me to go through there.

Campaign Finance Reports

Candidate: Gayle Hock

Q: When did you arrive in King George and why did you choose to live here?
A: I moved here in 1970. My husband got a job here after having been here for a co-op. I became a Social Worker in King George. It was so different here in the 70s. I remember actually visiting a family that lived in a cave on the Rappahannock River. I eventually went on to work as a Social Worker in Fredericksburg then transitioned to home health then pre-school then finally arrived back at King George as a Social Worker before eventually becoming the Supervisor of Family and Children’s Services.

Q: What made you want to run for office?
A: I was getting ready to retire four years ago from school and a friend at the School Board Office suggested it. I had worked with countless School Board members, Superintendents, and Supervisors so I thought they were crazy to suggest it. But they said I could represent the “voices that aren’t heard” and, as a social worker, that really resonated with me. My favorite students are those that are on the verge of being suspended or expelled because often times they didn’t get heard. We’ve had some intervention programs that have worked well but they’ve gone away over time.

Q: What do you do in your free time for stress relief or as a hobby?
A: My dogs. We have three standard poodles, two of them were rescues. They’re country poodles so they’ll roll around in deer poop and chase squirrels. I also love to quilt. And I love plants but I wouldn’t call it gardening. I like to dig in the dirt and sometimes I’m lucky enough that something grows. We live on the river so we love being on the water through all the seasons. We’ve lost track of how many boats we’ve had during our marriage.

Q: How would you promote unity within King George?
A: Working in the school system, we created unity via suicide prevention, classroom integration, and more. But unity with a destructive motive is disastrous. You could consider lynch mobs a form of unity so we need to be careful of our own motives when building unity. Unity starts with a conversation. You can’t unite with someone you don’t know. Which means we need to start listening which will build trust. Divided groups can then come together with common goals and efforts. The Opp Shop is a successful example of a community project. It started as a conversation that evolved into what it is today. They raise over $100,000 a year in donations. Fall Festival is a great opportunity too. Communities also do great at uniting over disasters. It takes somebody with organizational skills and trust. That’s a lot of words for no specific answer.

Q: If you received a $1 million grant to use for King George any way you wanted, what would you do with it and why?
A: Sad to say, but a million dollars isn’t a lot of money. Anything we do for the community takes funds to create, execute, and sustain. We offer a lot for college-bound kids but not enough. It’s good but I’d like to expand Career Technical Education (CTE). We’re doing amazing things but I’d like to see more. Maybe a free-standing program that could expand to include the Middle School and adult education classes. Including community college courses like welding or diesel mechanics or cybersecurity. If we had a location, we could expand existing programs from colleges here. So a million dollars would get us started but we would need to find a way to sustain it.

No Campaign Finance Reports Available.

Candidate: Kristin Tolliver

Q: When did you arrive in King George and why did you choose to live here?
A. 1985. I lived with my roommate at the time. I don't know that I chose as much as stayed. I met my husband here and got a Masters degree in Social Work.

Q: What made you want to run for office?
A. I decided that when my son went to school, I decided to run for the School Board. I didn't know what I was getting myself into. When the time came, my neighbor ended up running too so I stepped aside. Then they left and I ran. But I hate public speaking and being in the public eye.

Q: What do you do in your free time for stress relief or as a hobby?
A: Exercise like jazzercise, cardio, and weights. I like to spend time with friends and time with my dog at home.

Q: How would you promote unity within King George?
A: Embracing diversity. Bring people together at community events. Cultural diversity. I think overall we're a solid community and we're still a safe and small town to live in and raise our kids.

Q: If you received a $1 million grant to use for King George any way you wanted, what would you do with it and why?
A. My first thought was to spend it within the schools. One million doesn't really go far in the school budget though. We need to find a better way to support those with challenging behavior issues, especially in elementary schools. I think school psychologists and behavior specialists would help. We need to find ways to meet the needs of those kids. Outside of school, I think I'd like to see a dog park or a performing arts center. Although our High School does a good job. I think that would help feed into the unity in the community.

No Campaign Finance Reports Available.

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