The Shadow
COVINGTON Va. (VR) – Covington City Hall, candidates both newcomers and incumbents gathered in the city council chambers to participate in a debate to let Covington voters know where they stand on key issues facing the city. The Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce and Tourism sponsored event attracted a large crowd of potential voters making the event a perfect opportunity for candidates to lay out their running platforms.
Jonathan Arritt acted as moderator of the forum, which showcased five political hopefuls, all eager to have their voices heard and their opinions known. Candidates participating included Lee Rowe from District Three, Susan Wolfe and Thomas Sibold Jr. from District Four and David Crosier and Susan Crowder from District Five.
Each candidate was given a couple of minutes to make an opening statement. The speakers went in alphabetical order, which meant David Crosier went first. He thanked the Chamber for putting on the forums and went on to tell everyone that he’d served on the City Council for 12 years, and thanked the citizens of Covington for allowing him to serve them for the past 12 years.
Susan Crowder went next and said that she was a proud graduate of Covington High School and that she’s lived in Covington most of her life. Her husband is Jay Crowder, and she has four children and four grandchildren. Crowder believes she will be great on the City Council because as a dental hygienist, she understands the importance of communication and teamwork.
Roe went next and stated that he has lived in Covington since he was in second grade in 1976, graduated from Covington High School and has been employed at the local papermill for 34 years. He’s a member of lifeline ministries and has been involved with fire and EMS services for over 30 years. He is the owner of two local businesses. He is running for council because he feels like it’s a time in the city when he feels like he should step up and do some things.
Sibold used his introduction time to speak about his education which consisted of going to Covington City Schools and then after high school, taking classes that interested him at what used to be Dabney’s Lancaster Community College. In the 1970s he started working for VDOT and worked his way to upper management. He feels like all his life experiences combined give him a great ability to listen to and serve the people of the community.
Susan Wolfe used her introduction to talk about her education and family. She has two children and has lived in Covington her entire life. She has a degree in business management, and worked for Parks and Recreation for six years and wants to serve her community.
After the last introduction was given the moderator moved on to the question-and-answer portion of the forum. As before the candidates
continued to go in alphabetical order which led to Crosier going first.
The first question asked was, “Why do they want to be on the City Council, and what are their goals?” Crosier said he is running again because there is still so much work to be done, that in 2012 the city was almost broke and during his time on council they have taken many steps to get things back on track and gotten to a place where the city is almost thriving. He wants to be a part of the next chapter. His goal while on council is to finish the Rayon bridge project which is just getting going.
Crowder answered by saying she wants to be on the city council because she believes that she can have influence in the city and that she wants to get the citizens of Covington involved in government. She chose to run after some things happened a couple of years ago on the council that she did not agree with and after getting involved herself through a Facebook group she helped create and going to all the meetings herself she decided to run. She wants to bring more governmental transparency and community inclusiveness to the council.
Roe believes innovative ideas and a new perspective is needed by the City Council. He knows it’s a tough job, people don’t always understand the reasons for things. He believes there needs to be more communication from the council with the public. He wants to participate in community review boards to help the city’s police department and get more people involved.
Sibold is running because he wants to continue the progress that’s been made over the past several years. He has been a part of a lot of profound changes and progress while serving the community and he wants to be a part of the remarkable things that are yet to come. He wants to continue the inter-governmental cooperation that they have established with Alleghany County and other councils because without their cooperation he thinks success for all the Alleghany Highlands is very unlikely.
Lastly, Wolfe answered by describing that she is running because of some things that were going on in the city and the council with which she did not agree. She wants to change that by creating more transparency and making information available to the public. She also wants to get kids more active in programs like arts, tutoring and technology.
There were several more questions asked and if you would like to see the entire forum it is available on the Virginian Review’s Facebook page under videos. The election for Covington City Council will be held on Nov. 5 along with other government elections.
If you missed the AH Chamber forums, you’ve still got one more chance. The Virginian Review is hosting its election debate on Oct. 3, at 6 p.m., which will be held at the Historic Masonic Theatre and live-streamed on the VR’s Facebook page.
If you still need to register to vote, contact the Alleghany County Registrar’s Office at 540-965-1690, or go to 110 Rosedale Avenue, first floor, Covington Va.
