A new leader does not mean a new direction for Hanover County's governing body.
The Board of Supervisors elected Supervisor G.E. "Ed" Via III as its chairman last month — it's the second time the Ashland District representative has been tapped — but Via says the board's focus will remain the same.
"We want to keep Hanover the great place that it is," Via said last week.
But that task will be harder as revenues shrink for the fourth consecutive year and because ongoing revenues for the fiscal year beginning July 1 are projected to be down $6.2 million, he said.
County Administrator Cecil R. "Rhu" Harris Jr. is expected to unveil his proposed budget this month.
Via said the challenge is to balance a budget with lower expenditures while trying to maintain high-quality services that residents have come to expect.
A native of Christiansburg, Via grew up in Richmond before attending North Carolina Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount. He returned to central Virginia in 1973 and has lived in the same house, near the Hanover Air Park, ever since.
Via is the owner of Basic Fence Builders in Ashland, the company he founded 25 years ago. He said he was a hands-on owner early in his career — "I'd hate to guess how many postholes I dug by hand."
He has long been an active member in the Hanover community, first as a volunteer on the Hanover County Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission and then on the Planning Commission.
"Once you become a volunteer in the community, it makes you more of the community," said Via, who was first elected as Ashland District supervisor in 2007. "I think that you appreciate your community more for your involvement in these things."
Though he now sits in the chairman's seat, he is quick to remind people that he has only one vote, just like the other six board members.
He also is helping to guide a board in transition with four first-time supervisors. But the other three members, including Via, have a combined 32 years of experience on the board.
"We've got a good working relationship on our new board," Via said. "I think we're going to come together cohesively and look into the future for the betterment of all the citizens of Hanover County."
Also on the board's plate this year is reviewing the massive comprehensive land-use plan that last was adopted in 2007. Via said he doesn't expect the board to make wholesale changes — maybe a few tweaks — to the plan.
The goal is to maintain the county's rural feel while keeping existing businesses in Hanover and attracting new ones.
"We want to keep Hanover as pristine as we can for all of our citizens," he said.
During a nearly hourlong interview Thursday afternoon, Via said repeatedly that being chairman is not about him, but rather the county. As a supervisor, he said, he is the voice not only for the constituents who live in his district but also for all residents.
At the same time, Via has to be a good listener to the six sometimes different viewpoints of his fellow board members.
First-term Henry District Supervisor Sean M. Davis, who nominated Via for the chairman position, described Via as a "confident leader."
"I feel like he has the ability to bring a lot of thoughts together and carry the board's message to different departments within the county and their messages back to the board," Davis said.
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