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Blanchard seeks first term on Highland board of supervisors
BY ANNE ADAMS • STAFF WRITER
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MONTEREY - Mill Gap resident David Blanchard, 41, has been steeped in Highland County life since he was a young boy spending summers working on his family's farm. He eventually moved here 16 years ago with his wife, and says he feels now that seeking office is one of the ways he can be a positive influence on the community where he's raising his family.
He is running for a seat on Highland's three-member board of supervisors as one of four challengers to the incumbents.
"I feel a sense of responsibility, a commitment to the community, and I feel that running (for office) is a good way of serving that community," he said. "I think I recognize there is a quality of life here and I think I bring a positive attitude. I'm a good listener. I'm willing to work the job and work hard at the job. I think that I might just bring a different way of looking at this job that would be beneficial to the community, and working together with people and listening to what they have to say."
Seeking his first term as a supervisor, Blanchard said, was motivated in part by his belief that Highland needs leaders who will pay more attention to citizens and focus on the positive aspects of this county.
"I think my experience with working people, and managing people over the years, especially in an area like this where it is a small type community, I think I've come to understand that people are coming from different backgrounds and they bring different viewpoints to a situation," he said. "I think what I've learned over the years is how to work with those viewpoints ... that's probably the strongest characteristic I bring. I do know that I have a lot to learn still, but in owning my own business and working with people, I think I have a management style that's inclusive."
Blanchard has attended supervisors' meetings in recent months to get a better idea of how Highland officials put their duties into action. "In my observations of those meetings, I saw a lot of concerned citizens who apparently were very frustrated and felt like they weren't being heard," Blanchard said. "Appearance goes a long way ... it appeared they were not listening."
Blanchard says if he were elected, he would work to give citizens a voice in their government. "There are a lot of people up here that have something to say, and a lot of times it's out of frustration that they become very vocal about their position," he said. "Sometimes it's not all that helpful, and I think that you can head that off by at least acknowledging that they are there for a reason. There certainly are times that you have to give people the space to voice their concerns and you have to acknowledge that they are saying something. I think that in a leadership role, in a small community such as this ... leaders don't need to be so polarizing.
Blanchard said the board's primary role is creating an overall county budget and then finding ways to achieve goals as outlined. "I believe the duty of the board is to create avenues of opportunity here, not necessarily to create a job here, but to create an environment where jobs can be created and ideas can be explored," he said.
Highland's economy
"I've learned that there aren't easy answers up here," he said. "When our tax base is built off of a land tax, it does make it difficult. There does need to be a balance of economic development, quality of life, and maintaining the agricultural character of the county." Like most candidates, Blanchard sees unfunded mandates from the state or federal level as a problem, but one that supervisors must take the lead in solving. "Unless the supervisors are willing to go to Richmond, and work on these changes, or addressing the concerns we have, we're just going be waiting for what walks through the door ... There are a lot of people up here that want to help, but they need the support of the supervisors," he said.
Blanchard said while he's not familiar with the economies of other localities, he does believe concerns here are similar to those everywhere else. "They all struggle with taxes, with school systems, job creation. I think that our current economic situation can always be improved," he said.
Agriculture
Blanchard believes maintaining Highland's rural character is important in the long run. "I think why people stay (in Highland) is that there's a quality of life here. The agricultural character is why people like to come here and move here. I know there are individuals that are working on ways of maintaining that character ... I know it's tough on the farmers and the burdens that they feel. I also know there are a lot of people who recognize that (and) develop ideas," he said.
Blanchard says he understands why farmers here struggle, but also doesn't want to necessarily dismiss large landowners who do not farm for a living. "I think it is hard. I think always farmers have had a hard time, especially when the taxes continue to climb but the price for their product doesn't climb at the same rate," he said. "It is hard when you're looking at things and you think these are new events. I think things like this have been going on over decades and it's not until we're faced with the struggle personally that we say, oh, golly, what are we going to do? There are always going to be people buying these larger farms that can afford it, but I feel that in Highland, a lot of these people are adding a lot to the community at the same time."
He believes instead of being afraid a gentrification of Highland will be detrimental, the county should take advantage of the different kinds of people living here and bring them together, a role he believes supervisors, as county leaders, should take on.
Swimming pool project
The county's proposal for a public swimming pool as been raising questions about whether the project can work. "As it stands right now, it appears to have the funding to be built and has support for four years," Blanchard said. "I recognize the quality of life aspect that it can bring to Highland. It is a touchy issue when you are looking at the frustrations of people, of taxes continuing to climb. I do support the idea of a county pool, in the current way they've been raising funds to support it. But there have to be avenues explored in supporting that in the future."
Wind energy
Blanchard didn't take a position on whether the proposed industrial wind energy project here was right for Highland County. He does, however, support the planning commission's suggestion for a five-year hold on other such projects until the county has time to address the issue further.
"I think we have to wait until we see the outcome of those (state) decisions," he said. "On the current project, if all those organizations approve it and the go-ahead is given to Highland New Wind Development, then it will be my job to be sure that we are getting the proper tax revenue from that, and that the guidelines are followed. I certainly will review those guidelines and make sure they appear acceptable to me with this project," he said.
The estimated $200,000 a year the county might receive in taxes from the project is something Blanchard sees as a positive outcome in spite of the controversy surrounding the utility. "I would consider putting the money into general funds, or a special account as reserve, and not just look at it as money for money's sake, maybe put it into a trust to earn interest."
"I would fall back to the planning commission's recommendation of having a five-year waiting period at this point. I've seen how it's affected the county for the past four years and I'm not sure if we want to drag back through all those issues again. I think that HNWD knows what they need to do to be able to qualify with the (state and federal agencies)," he said.
Accentuate the positive
Blanchard said the controversial issues Highland has faced in the last several years, including the wind energy project, have created a sense of divisiveness, something he'd like to work to change, if elected.
"A lot of it is frustration with our current government and what appears to be a lack of transparency," he said. "I think that one main thing I recognize, the hardest part for me as 'comehere' as I've been around, is that I see this community, this family community. It's a close-knit bunch and they do care. I feel their frustration's come because the community's being challenged, whether it's people moving here not feeling part of it, or whether people have grown up here. There's this divide that's unnecessarily created.
"I'm not coming in with an agenda," he added. "I'm not coming in saying, 'We've got to do this; this is the absolute.' I'm going to listen to people and see if we can't get people to develop a plan we can work on and move forward with. I think (we need to) understand the community we have here is one of our greatest assets. I don't think we're as divided as a group as it often appears. I think, ultimately, we're here in Highland for the same reasons. We all just bring different backgrounds, and I think no one necessarily wants it to remain stagnant. We want to continue moving forward having opportunities for ourselves, for our children."
No matter what, Blanchard believes capitalizing on the assets Highland already has, and taking a proactive role in emphasizing what's possible is the only way the county can improve in the future. "I think it's significant that Highland County is unspoiled (here) only three and a half hours from D.C.," he said. "We don't have heavy development here. We don't have crime. We have a strong school system. We have a strong community, strong churches - I think those are worth valuing and worth building on ... And the tough part about the job is, how do we build on that? If we're sitting around waiting for something to come to us then we're always going to have fights within ourselves (about) what's good and what's bad."
Blanchard says he has nothing in his personal or professional life that would create a conflict of interest for him if elected as a supervisor. "My term on the chamber of commerce is ending. I have a private business. I do have a wife in the school system, and I think that could appear as a conflict when it comes time for budgeting but the budget for the school system is prepared by the superintendent and approved by the supervisors," he said.
While he's not entirely familiar with Freedom of Information Act laws, Blanchard said he believes governing bodies should be open in their actions. "Information, when asked for, should be freely released," he said. "I do understand it can be a concern, but government should be transparent. If you're doing what you should be doing, barriers shouldn't be put up to people accessing information they have a legal right to obtain.
"Transparency is everything," he added.
"I truly understand I'm in for an eye-opening experience (if elected)," he said. "I know that there are things I'll learn about that I'd never thought of. It's a hard job. Even when you believe you're doing a good job, there are always people who are going to be unhappy with that."
But Blanchard thinks the right kind of leaders would be less apt to encourage any dividing lines among county residents, and that such leaders need to be open with citizens in order to bring the community back together. "It all leads back to transparency," he said. "The minute people are not given information is the minute they become defensive. We can't do that anymore."
About the candidate David Blanchard, 41 Bachelor of fine arts from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1989. Moved to Highland County 16 years ago with his wife, Julia. The couple has two young daughters. Highland Telephone Cooperative board president; board for Highland chamber until term expired. Has furniture restoration business.
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