Changing Course...

On Saturday, January 8th I announced my candidacy for the Beverley Manor District seat on the Augusta County Board of Supervisors in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Election is November 8th 2011.

As a result, I have decided to change course with this blog. I am going to turn this blog into a live journal of what it is like to run for public office, at least on the local level.

I have included the picture to the left because it is very important to me and speaks to the reason that I have decided to run for public office. When I was in school, my class took a field trip to Washington D.C. My father pointed out this statue to me outside the National Archives. At 12 years old, I didn't understand the inscription below the figure. My father explained what the meaning was. He explained that Eternal Vigilance means that it is our responsibility as citizens to remain on constant watch and to remain informed about our community and government, because only an informed and educated public are able to protect their freedom and liberty. However, that was not the end of the explanation, he went on to tell me that we as a people must be always ready to act and defend our freedom and liberty. At the time of my father's explanation this didn't make a large impact on me. It wasn't until I started paying attention to my community and local government did it come back to me.

I have been attending the local board meetings of my local government for the last 18 months. Over this period of time I have had the opportunity to witness some actual history making, most of it not the best history, but history none the less. As I sat in the audience, many times alone, I watched as decisions were made that directly impacted my wallet and my liberty. The urgings inside of me were to stand up and speak out when I felt that the Board had overstepped its bounds or had made a poor decision. Therefore, I have decided to put my name forward to the community in which I live as an alternative choice of representation, I believe we can do a better job in Augusta.