Plaugher, Schmitt discuss education, crime, transportation at forum

The two candidates for the Brookland District seat on the Henrico Board of Supervisors agreed about the importance of education, transportation and community safety during a public forum last week but disagreed about the specific approaches best-suited to address them.

Democratic nominee Danny Plaugher and Republican nominee Dan Schmitt met at the Junior Achievement of Central Virginia Finance Park at Libbie Mill Library Oct. 3 at an event hosted by ChamberRVA and attended by about 50 people.

The candidates touched on those issues as well as economic development, diversity and others during the discussion.

With school overcrowding becoming an issue in pockets of the county, Plaugher proposed that a member of the School Board be appointed to the Planning Commission as a way to provide direct input on development projects.

Schmitt also expressed concerns about overcrowding in the district, as well as teacher salaries and retention rates that he believes are too low. He championed a better work environment for Henrico educators.

Plaugher noted that "concentrated poverty" exists in schools in the district and the county overall.

“[At] Johnson Elementary, right down the street from my house, I believe, every first grade school teacher is brand new,” Plaugher said. “Part of the reason for that is because 78 percent of the kids are on free and reduced lunch."

Teachers in schools like Johnson need an expanded support system, Plaugher said, to help children with greater needs.

Both candidates cited positives about the recent expansion of GRTC service within the county.

Schmitt, who sits on the Capital Region Airport Commission, described the benefits of a new connection between the 71 and 91 GRTC lines, which have provided more, and more frequent, trips to the airport for commuters.

“Let’s not forget, we are connecting 6,000 businesses now to touch points on that line," Schmitt said. "We are spurring economic development and helping business owners. As a business owner myself, when you take those job seekers and you put them closer and [make it] easier for me to attract them to employment, thank you very much Henrico County."

Plaugher, the executive director of Virginians for High Speed Rail and a board member on the GRTC Community Board and RVA Rapid Transit, views the introduction of GRTC's Pulse as a significant step forward.

“I know a little bit about transit," he said. "Thanks to the expansion of the Pulse, Henrico County, the Brookland District has become the number one stop on the whole Pulse line. It has impacted my own family, my wife is now taking transit in to work each day.

"Transportation and transit has a real impact on Henrico families. I believe that we have to expand it,” said Plaugher, who would like to see Pulse expanded to the Glenside park-and-ride as a way to spur economic development in the district.

Schmitt mentioned that the county's crime rate is down significantly and credited Henrico Police for the improvement.

But Plaugher asserted that the issue of crime is negatively affecting the community – citing car burglaries in Lakeside and two occasions on which his wife's car was burglarized in their neighborhood near Libbie Avenue and Bethlehem Road.

“One of the top things that we really need to start thinking about, when I talk about enhancing our quality of life and modernizing our neighborhoods, is expanding street lights. That is the number one request, when it comes to crime, that I get,” said Plaugher.

Attendee Melissa McKenney found the forum informative and was glad to hear from both candidates about the issues that are important to them.

“I think Henrico County has an opportunity to bridge the divide between different parts of the county," McKenney said. "We have a lot of resources, and there are a lot of things we are doing well. I think that we should take a look at how we can leverage that across the board."

Bob Witte, who sought the seat last year as a Republican but lost to Lynch in the special election last November, is supporting Schmitt and wore a sticker for the candidate at last week's event.

“We’ve got one candidate that’s intimately familiar with the Brookland District," Witte said. "The time he has been here, he has dealt with thousands of people. We have another candidate that is not as in touch with the people."

Attendee Dale Davis pledged support for Plaugher next month.

“I think Plaugher addressed the issues better, education, teacher retention, I think these are very important," Davis said. "I think pay increases for teachers are very important. I like what Plaugher said about drainage and sidewalks too. I think he is more in tune with what is going on in Henrico."