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Hardbarger runs for first term as Bath supervisor
BY CHARLES GARRATT • STAFF WRITER
 | | Carol Reese Hardbarger |
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MILLBORO - There is much about Carol Reese Hardbarger she doesn't reveal purposely on the campaign trail. It's not deep, dark secrets she is hiding, though.
For instance, Hardbarger has a family connection to the board of supervisors. Her father, Jim Reese, was a supervisor in the late 1960s and early '70s. And though no one calls her Dr. Hardbarger, she does have a Ph.D. in agricultural education.
But it isn't her family or her degrees driving Hardbarger to run for the Millboro seat on the board of supervisors. She is running, she says "to ensure the residents of the Millboro District have a strong voice in county government" and to "actualize my beliefs about being a citizen in a democratic society."
Hardbarger believes she can take "what I am and my expertise and put them to use for public good." She would prefer voters select her for the job because of what she offers rather than voting against her opponent.
While not avoiding specific issues, in her campaign, Hardbarger is emphasizing her 25 years in education, 20 years working with federal, state and local governments, her connection to the Millboro community, and her willingness to learn, listen and find fair solutions to issues.
She feels the board of supervisors can benefit from some new blood. Hardbarger is concerned the board has been dealing with some of the same issues for 20 years.
The old Millboro school is a case in point, she said. By its own admission, the board has been dragging its feet for 17 years, she points out. In the discussion of the future of the school building, Hardbarger sees concerns in some of the deeper issues raised.
For instance, she is distressed some in the community "hastily make decisions on stereotypes of people who need assistance." On the other hand, Hardbarger thinks the political process is working well in letting people voice opinions before the board makes a decision.
Hardbarger considers herself to be the "opposite of a micromanager." She doesn't want to learn the jobs of county employees, she said. She wants to learn what they need to do their jobs well. "It is not my job to know everything," Hardbarger said. The job of a good leader is "to create an environment where I am helping people do their jobs well."
Hardbarger laughs when asked to list her weaknesses. "I could give you a long list and I'm sure other people could, too," she remarks. But just as she is not quick to point to her list of degrees, her list of weaknesses becomes a list of strengths as she discusses them in more depth. Her major weakness, she feels, is her career being almost totally in the arena of education. But then she points out she has worked at all levels of government and from the classroom to management to consulting. She readily admits that she will have to work to learn the job of being a supervisor.
On the major issues facing the county, like many others, she puts development near the top of the list. Bath County can't be isolated from the Highlands, she said, and in that context the county has some problems.
The Homestead and Westvaco provide the majority of the jobs to Bath citizens, she said. Recent layoffs and plant closings in the Highlands area impact people in Bath who travel out of the county for employment.
Hardbarger feels the county government should be more proactive in helping individuals and small business grow in the county. Instead of trying to attract big employers, she said the county should have a strong vocational education program and support for homebound business.
She notes the current budget is "lean, but totally inadequate." The county is currently borrowing money for capital projects she said. "Where does the money come from?" she asks. "Do we really know how the (citizens of) the county feel about what services are funded?"
The board of supervisors is not a business, she notes. The county budget is not based on profit and loss. The board must make the best decisions for the citizens, "instead of trying to maintain a bottom line," Hardbarger said.
People can choose to move to Bath County, Hardbarger said. And if someone is smart enough to market to them, there isn't much the county can do to stop them. But development has to be "well thought out." Hardbarger said "If the infrastructure isn't planned out well in advance, the county will pay for something that is instantly out of date."
The county "can't maintain status quo." She dislikes the notion that "people will view us as a part time community, a part time destination." Hardbarger said the county must work to get new and part time residents involved and vested in the community.
While commercial wind gen- eration would not impact Hardbarger personally, she said, "At some point we all have to wake up and realize out dependency on fossil fuels is going to end abruptly." But she doesn't know how she would vote on a wind project in Bath. That vote would depend on a lot of good research and information, she said.
Hardbarger sees the coming four years as a time when the county can capitalize on the existing tourist industry. She also realizes that without proper management of growth and development protecting the people and way of life in the county, changes "will have a negative impact on people who have lived her for genera-
About the candidate Carol Reese Hardbarger, 58 Self-employed education consultant. Graduate Millboro High School, 1966. Husband Herbert served on Board of Zoning Appeals. Goshen Baptist church, county Democratic Party
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