Shippee, Dandridge to join Henrico Planning Commission

The election of three new members to the Henrico Board of Supervisors means three new faces also will join the Henrico Planning Commission, whose five members are selected individually by the respective supervisors from their districts. (Each planning commissioner must be formally confirmed by a board of supervisors vote, scheduled for Jan. 9).

The planning commission is tasked with making land-use recommendations to the board of supervisors, including those that involve rezoning requests and components of the county's Comprehensive Plan (a guide to future land use) and with approving certain administrative documents, such as site plans, plans of development and others.

Two of the three new planning commissioners (from the Fairfield and Three Chopt districts) are known, but one (from the Tuckahoe District) has not yet been publicly announced.

New Three Chopt District Supervisor Misty Whitehead selected Bob Shippee to serve as the Three Chopt representative on the planning commission. Shippee lost in his bid for the Democratic nomination for the 57th District seat in the Virginia House of Delegates last June, falling to Susanna Gibson 55% to 44%. In 2015, he finished second in a three-way race for the Three Chopt seat on the board of supervisors, losing to Republican Tommy Branin (53% to 39%), who served two terms before Whitehead defeated him in a surprise outcome in November.

Shippee retired from Capital One in 2015 and has been an advocate since then, as well as vice chairman of the county’s electoral board. He is a strong supporter of environmentally friendly policies and before last June’s primary election said that he would work for tougher energy-efficiency standards in the state. He holds a bachelor of science degree in industrial engineering from Syracuse University and a master of business administration degree in finance from Cornell University’s Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management.

Shippee would replace Melissa Thornton, who was the appointee of Branin.

New Fairfield District Supervisor Roscoe Cooper, III, selected Jaron Dandridge to serve as his district’s representative on the planning commission. Dandridge has worked in corporate sales and management for nearly two decades, including time at Philip Morris USA, National Motor Club of America, Newport News Shipbuilding, Mechanical Solutions, QuadTec, Inc. and Mondelez International.

Dandridge holds a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from Hampton University and has served as the chairperson of the Deacon Board at Rising Mount Zion Baptist Church, where Cooper serves as pastor.

Dandridge would replace Chris Archer, who served as former Fairfield District Supervisor Frank Thornton's planning commissioner for all 28 years of his tenure.

Current commissioners Wiliam Mackey, Jr. (Varina District) and Bob Witte (Brookland District) both are scheduled to return to the commission, as the appointees of Varina Supervisor Tyrone Nelson and Brookland Supervisor Dan Schmitt, respectively.

Nelson is slated to be the non-voting representative from the board of supervisors on the commission.