Current Issues

C500 will have at least three primary areas of focus in the coming months:

1.  As always, we are looking ahead to the Board of Supervisors elections.  The next election is in November 2011, and will include four districts (Chancellor, Courtland, Livingston, and Salem.)  We try to continuously monitor the performance of sitting supervisors, as well as encourage highly qualified potential candidates to consider running.  Starting several months before each election, C500 carefully follows a well-structured process to evaluate candidates for their overall adherence to our C500 Principles (see “Principles and Key Implementing Actions” page), including distributing and putting on our website each candidate's responses to our written questionnaire, and holding in-person interviews and public candidate forums. Based on all of these, we make our candidate endorsements and work hard to help get these individuals elected.

2.  C500 strongly believes that county supervisorial voting districts should be drawn fairly, which includes dividing the population approximately equally among districts.  As happens only once every ten years, the next “redistricting” process will occur throughout Virginia during late 2010 and early 2011 to determine voting districts based on the results of the 2010 census.  We are actively encouraging the most accurate and complete census count for Spotsylvania, as well as a very fair and open redistricting process within the County.  At this time, C500 is actively learning more about the mechanics of the process, and trying to ensure that the public is very much a part of it.  C500 has not taken any formal position at this time in terms of whether the number of districts should be increased or if some other countywide addition(s) to the Board of Supervisors might be appropriate.

3.  “Smart Growth Management” remains a key continuing theme for C500.  (See “Principles and Key Implementing Actions” for major elements of smart growth.)  We remain convinced that the strategies of smart growth should be carefully adhered to and actively applied by the County as a normal part of its planning and zoning activities.  C500 will actively monitor various aspects of smart growth within Spotsylvania, and may selectively provide comments and opinions to the Planning Department, Planning Commission and/or Board of Supervisors on certain high-impact major projects or issues.

______________________________________________________________________