John Stanmeyer makes his case for nomination to the Shenandoah District seat on the WC Board of Supervisors

In the wake of our Meet the Candidates follow-up Q&A with Ralph Rinaldi based on our familiarity with Rinaldi’s involvement with the Property Owners of Shenandoah Farms (POSF) run-ins with the Warren County Board of Supervisors in recent years, as well as his time on the Warren County School Board, we were contacted by John Stanmeyer about a similar follow up.

Noting our unfamiliarity with him, his not having been involved in public service or issues related to local government during his six years residency here, we asked if he would be satisfied with questions based on his Meet the Candidates interview with our publisher Mike McCool. He agreed, and following is our Q&A with Mr. Stanmeyer based on our phone conversation of May 3rd.

John Stanmeyer, candidate for county Republican Committee nomination for the Shenandoah District seat on the WC BOS. Photo from Royal Examiner website

Question – In your Meet the Candidates interview with our publisher you said you thought the current Board of Supervisors (BOS) has had “some pretty good personnel changes,” and that the “current board is doing a good job.” — Could you elaborate on those observations with some examples of that “good job” and positive moves initiated by the current board?

“First and foremost, the current board has taken a new posture towards over-development and I would continue that. We don’t want our community to be overrun with vape shops, by-right data centers, and high-density residential developments from national builders that don’t reflect the beauty of our county. Intentional growth at a measured pace, allowing services to keep up and attracting the right businesses, while preserving our small-town charm and scenic landscape, is critically important. Other examples of good BOS moves include getting rid of the county administrator’s discretionary fund and merging it with the more transparent general fund, and working to save the Linden Volunteer Fire Department. I’m a big proponent of making sure our First Responders are funded and have proper equipment and training.”

Q – Is this your first foray into municipal government and/or local politics? And what will your corporate background in analytics bring to the table that is not currently a part of the county’s elected governing body? — And do you see that skill set coming to bear more in your interactions with your board colleagues, or interaction with and oversight of the County’s appointed financial, revenue, and treasurer’s staffs?

“It is my first foray into politics, and after years of corruption it’s time for citizen-candidates to step up and take the reins of government for the people. That said, I’ve long been informally involved to different degrees from local HOA’s to lobbying Richmond on local issues. In my current business role, our parent company employs 30,000 people – almost 75% of the population of Warren County. In that organization I interact with people at all levels – teams, managers, VP’s, all the way up to C-suite executives who are focused and formidable, demanding detailed knowledge and professionalism, and I will deliver the same presence and confidence in navigating county governance. In terms of analytics – I’ve saved taxpayers over $100 million during Post Office negotiations with airlines through big data analysis. With the utmost respect to the sitting board, I think it will be a new advantage to have that type of data-savvy directly on the BOS.”

Q – The current county board of supervisors often publicly comments on the fact that in the nearly four years its 3-person majority of Oates-Cullers-Mabe have been seated, with Ms. Cook and Mr. Butler coming on in past two years, it has not once raised taxes. You comment on trying to put “a hold” on tax hikes. Is that always possible, and where do you draw the line if you want to maintain your level of municipal services in an inflationary period, as this county and country have experienced to record levels in recent years, while the County has maintained flat tax and revenue rates??

“I will focus on rooting out waste, fraud and abuse, on ensuring national and multinational businesses with operations in Warren County are proportionally contributing to the County’s future and fiscal health, and on investing in tourism so we can bring outside dollars in. On the economic development side of it, looking to put EDA assets into productive use will increase revenue without relying on taxpayers, and will also reduce our debt service. Obviously, taxes may sometimes have to increase somewhat in an highly inflationary environment, but doing that on the backs of citizens should be a last resort and should be capped. There are several levers, and I’d like to rely as little as possible on the people for county revenue. Furthermore, both the vehicle tax and real estate assessments going orbital could have been handled more effectively. The band-aid of lowering the rate to offset excessive assessment increases does not resolve some of the inequities that were introduced, particularly for people who were unable to appeal.”

Q – You have noted that the town and county governments have many interlocking interests, tourism and development prominent among them. How would you work to improve both municipal governments consideration of potential impacts on the other by zoning, development, and other proposals brought to one, but not the other? One prominent example of that being the current Saddle Crest rezoning proposal for 128 residential units on the Sayre property currently zoned for about 30 units by right, in the Shenandoah District inside the town limits that the Town seems poised to approve despite County transportation and public schools concerns.

“If the town rezones for Saddle Crest, or accepts the reduced Heptad proffers for that matter, it’s going to strain our infrastructure and in the end the price will be borne by everybody. Every resident of the town is a resident of the county and we’re all in this together. This rivalry that’s been going for far too long is hurting all of us. I would like to use my background, which has always involved collaboration and consensus-building, to help end the us vs. them mindset. Back to Saddle Crest — in the strongest terms I would urge the town not to rezone beyond the 30 by-right homes until the East-West connector is not merely proffered toward, but approved and funded, right-of-ways dedicated, and ground broken. Even then, the community needs to have ample input to make sure we are not on the road to creating Ashburn 2.0.”

Q – And on the topic of mutual interests, do you think it advisable for the County and Town to try and negotiate a reunion of the two municipalities’ economic development interests? And related, what is your opinion of the BOS’s recent decision to replace the two most-experienced “reform EDA” board members, Jeff Browne and Greg Harold, who had played integral roles in seeing the EDA and County thru the past 3-3/4 years of litigation and core mission realignment?

“Whether it’s through a formal body or more of an alliance, the town and county certainly have mutual economic interests and should be working together. As for the EDA replacements, I was wondering the same thing. It’s unfortunate that the current BOS didn’t provide any explanation to the public as to why these two longstanding members weren’t retained. They kept the EDA afloat while there was no director. That said, I think the new appointees are capable and knowledgeable people and will handle their duties with competence.”

Q – You noted that an elected county official must represent the best interest of “the people of the entire county”, as opposed to just those who voted for them, and perhaps the political apparatus that nominates or endorses them as a candidate. How would you balance the interests of your constituency as a whole, versus the political/ideological desires of the membership of the Warren County Republican Committee whose nomination you are seeking on Friday?

“My priorities and values are aligned with Warren County values – fiscal discipline, honest management, preserving self-determination — our local decision-making ability — and freedoms, and protecting our community’s small-town character. No organization tells me how to think, and I intend to use my knowledge, skills and experience to make decisions based on facts and data. Including the data of what I’m hearing from the people. I intend to listen.”

With our questions answered, we asked Mr. Stanmeyer for any final thoughts.

“Just please come out and vote on May 5th at the North Warren Firehouse from 2-7 p.m. Every vote matters, and this is not a well-known primary,” he concluded.