Meet the candidates running for the York County Board of Supervisors

Eight candidates are vying for seats on the York County Board of Supervisors this year.

The Triangle reached out to all of the candidates with a series of questions. We received responses from Douglas Holroyd, Dalila Johnson and Stephen Roane. Their answers appear below.

The other candidates did not respond by the deadline, but their names and websites have been provided.

Douglas Holroyd, District 1

Website: friendsofdougholroyd.com

Affiliation: Republican

Opponent: None/uncontested

What inspired you to run for this office?

I was disappointed to see a large residential development proposed for my area, less than 1 mile from my house, with no prior knowledge provided to the local citizens. I joined a grass-roots citizen organization to reverse that decision.

After successfully challenging that development proposal, I joined the York County Planning Commission to have a greater voice for my District. Retirement of the existing Board of Supervisor prompted me to run for election, following his request to me.

What is the most important challenge currently facing York County, and how do you intend to address it?

I describe transparency of decision-making as the greatest challenge. Citizens should not have been surprised by a large development planned for their neighborhood. Citizens on Springfield Rd, should not have been impacted by 100+ construction trucks per day serving a construction project (Tranquility Village).

Construction of a mega warehouse on Lightfoot Rd (Williamsburg Pottery Property) should have had public review. The County denied this opportunity.

In February, Princess Cruises announced plans to stop in Yorktown beginning in 2024. The York County community is divided on this topic. Some local residents say they support the arrival of the ships, believing that the economic benefits will be worthwhile. Others, however, have spoken out against the plan, going so far as to participate in grassroots meetings and/or sign a petition in hopes of blocking Princess’ arrival. How will you ensure your constituents feel heard when it comes to this controversial issue?

Once again, a transparency issue. The County was first aware of the Princess Cruises concept in June/July 2022. EDA and BOS members briefed in October/ November 2022. First public disclosure was February 2023 despite York County having applied for government grants in December 2022.

We have yet to see financial reconciliation of costs versus benefits to the County, we have yet to see a detailed environmental assessment, and we have not been provided a mechanism that allows the County to establish limits on number and size of vessels.

Until these steps are taken, the answer must remain NO. Provided we receive satisfactory answers to each of these questions, and a public forum is conducted to determine acceptability, only then will there be a path to accept a limited number of ships.

Dalila Johnson, District 2

Website: dalilaforyorkcounty.com

Affiliation: Democrat

Opponent: Sheila S. Noll (incumbent)

What inspired you to run for this office?

Service to my community. When I came to this country, I joined the US Navy, and now, as a
public school teacher, I want to be of service and create opportunities like this country has
afforded me. Our current Board of Supervisors has been operating under the same leadership
for over 30 years, and the incumbent has been on the board for over twenty-eight years. I will
bring a much-needed breath of fresh air and real solutions that can transform our historic
county into a model of the next century.

What is the most important challenge currently facing York County, and how
do you intend to address it?

Overbuilding is happening all over our county with no real oversight. Our county can do both:
increase its revenue and preserve our historic presence. We must be responsible stewards of our
resources. If we continue rezoning and using special permits, we will have failed our children
and grandchildren.

This has truly been a controversial issue from the inception and all comes down to the lack of transparency from our current Board of Supervisors. The board failed their constituents in the most basic of their duties. They neglected to ask and communicate to the residents of York County of their actions. I have spoken against it because contrary to what some people and some members of the current Board of Supervisors believe, Princess cruise will not bring economic windfall to Yorktown but will seriously jeopardize our delicate Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. So, if elected I will ask the Board of Supervisors to sign a CODE of ETHICS that will ensure our constituents that the Board of Supervisors operates with transparency, accountability and free of conflict of interest.

Stephen Roane (incumbent), District 4

(Courtesy photo)

Website: friendsofstephenroane.com

Affiliation: Republican

Opponent: Robert Holloway

What inspired you to run for this office?

I’m running for my first re-election as Supervisor because York County has truly become one of the best places in Virginia to live, work, and raise a family – but there will always be more work that can be done and improvements to be made. Serving as the District 4 representative provides me the opportunity help chart the York County’s course forward. As a husband, a father, youth football coach and IT professional, I have a unique skill set that equips me to add a helpful perspective to problem-solving here in the county. Our community is blessed with a large spectrum of talented individuals with unique experiences and I know that together we can continue to bring York County into a bright future and keep us competitive on both a state and national scale. We can continue to provide high quality education, provide sufficient resources to our first responders and keep taxes low.

What is the most important challenge currently facing York County, and how do you intend to address it?

The number one issue in my district that I hear the most is maintaining the quality of life we have here in York County. York County is a special place with a character unique compared to our neighboring counties and cities. I want to make sure the characteristics that make York County the best place to live, work and raise a family continue to thrive. I remain committed to development options that doesn’t overwhelm our community’s travel infrastructure, and that our growth is managed to against the services we provide like our fire and life safety department, as well as keeping our student-to-teacher ratio low, and that we have enough law enforcement officers to keep our neighborhoods safe. In my next term, I will work consistently to help ensure that my constituent’s needs are met and that we have smart, manageable growth in the County.

In February, Princess Cruises announced plans to stop in Yorktown beginning in 2024. The York County community is divided on this topic. Some residents say they support the arrival of the ships, believing that the economic benefits will be worthwhile. Others, however, have spoken out against the plan, going so far as to participate in grassroots meetings and/or sign a petition in hopes of blocking Princess’ arrival. How will you ensure your constituents feel heard when it comes to this controversial issue?

First, I will continue to do what I’ve done so far: communicate with my constituents via messages, one-on-one conversations and as part of community action groups. I will continue to disseminate information pertaining to Princess’ plans as I receive them via those channels as well as our cruise ship portal. I will also work to create an ongoing community-to-county forum to establish better dialog between my constituents, the Board and county staff. Good communication on this topic is critical. There is a wide array of opinions, thoughts and concerns about the cruise ship coming to our port and I want to understand them all as best as possible With the right communication network in place so that all voices can be heard, we will all be in a better position to assess the impact of Princess’ visits.

Editor’s Note: The York County Cruise Ship Portal referenced by Supervisor Roane can be found here.

Additional Candidates

District 2

Sheila S. Noll

Website: www.yorkcounty.gov/directory.aspx?EID=127

Affiliation: Republican

District 3

George Clark

Website: georgeclarkforsupervisor.com

Affiliation: Republican

Wayne Drewry

Website: facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092175633309