Board again names Hinson interim Brookland supervisor

The Henrico Board of Supervisors Tuesday night unanimously appointed a familiar face to serve as the interim Brookland District supervisor. Supervisors named former Henrico deputy county manager Harvey Hinson – who served in the same interim capacity for nine months last year – to the role again. This time, he will fill the seat vacated by Courtney Lynch, who abruptly resigned at the end of last month.

“Hinson had worked with us before and started from the bottom of the county government and successfully worked his way up,” said board chair and Fairfield supervisor Frank J. Thornton. “The choice was obvious.”

Hinson served in the same role after longtime Brookland District Supervisor Dick Glover died in February 2017 and held the seat until Lynch won a special election last November. Board members chose Hinson again as the result of his previous performance in the position and his longstanding position within the county government.

Since he entered the Henrico government as an entry-level worker, Hinson has served the county for 46 years.

The board's vote to appoint Hinson occurred during its work session, which precedes the regular meeting and is open to the public but closed to public comment. A vote during the work session is unusual, county attorney Joseph Rapisarda said. But, in order to get Hinson started immediately in the position, the board decided to vote on a resolution to appoint him then in order to allow him to participate in his new position at the regular meeting.

“I am energized, enthusiastic and ready to get started,” Hinson said. “I’m ready to serve the residents of Brookland and all the residents of Henrico County.”

A sudden vacancy in the board of supervisors is not a common occurrence. Prior to Lynch's resignation and Glover's death, the most recent such occurrence was in 1981, when then-Brookland supervisor Charlie Johnson died while in office. Board clerk Barry Lawrence told the Citizen that he was not aware of another occasion during which a supervisor failed to complete his or her term.

Hinson will continue to serve as interim supervisor until Nov. 6, the expected date of a special election for voters to select a new supervisor. Board members voted during the work session to request that the circuit court approve such an election for that date – which is the same date as the general midterm elections.

Three candidates have announced plans to seek the final year of the four-year term for the seat: Republicans Bev Cocke (the current Brookland District School Board member and a business development manager for the Henrico Citizen's parent company, T3 Media, LLC) and Dan Schmitt (the owner of RMC Events and president of the Glen Allen Youth Athletic Association) and Democrat Danny Plaugher (the executive director of Virginians for High Speed Rail). Both parties plan to set their nomination process in the coming days, with either assembled or unassembled caucuses likely to be held in both cases next month.

During the board's regular meeting Tuesday night, supervisors also voted to approve the expansion of the Glover Park parking lot in Glen Allen. A project to pave 163 new parking spots will be completed by October as part of a multi-stage process to expand the new park.