THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, May 1, 1996 TAG: 9604300172
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LINDA McNATT, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SURRY COUNTY LENGTH: Medium: 89 lines
Candidates running for election in three local council races in Surry County on May 7 are likely to have many of the same issues facing them that surrounding localities have had for years: transportation, growth and utilities.
But until only recently, Surry has sat more or less untouched by the hustle and bustle of metropolitan areas on its borders. Separated by narrow, two-lane roads and a wide river, it has remained a rural, agricultural county that enjoyed a laid-back country lifestyle.
All of that isn't likely to change in the next few years, said Mayor John Holt, in the small town of Surry Courthouse, but it is beginning to look like change is going to come.
Right now, the Surry Council already is beginning to plan ahead to what needs to be done at the town's major intersection, where Virginia Route 10 meets John Rolfe Highway, a direct path from the Surry Ferry, as popular as a tourist attraction as it is as a commuter route to and from the Williamsburg/Jamestown/Peninsula area.
The General Assembly approved in its most recent session taking the toll off the ferry by the summer of next year. Holt said he fears that, with no toll, the ferry will become busier and busier with tourists and others seeking to enjoy the slower pace rural counties like Surry can still provide.
``We've already got a busy intersection there,'' Holt said. ``One of the first things the council's got to look at is what we need to do to try to improve the intersection.''
Officials throughout the county have been working for years to try to convince the Virginia Department of Transportation to widen and improve Route 10, the road that connects Surry County to Isle of Wight and the rest of Hampton Roads from the south. The highway department won't commit to a four-lane road, but it has committed to improving the road, which has been called one of the most dangerous roadways in the eastern part of the state.
The Highway Department's cooperation also would be needed to improve the intersection of 10, also known as Colonial Trail, and John Rolfe.
And, as transportation routes like the highway and the ferry service improve, those improvements are likely to attract more and more residents into the county. As the county increasingly becomes easier and more convenient to get to, it will also become an easier and more convenient place in which to live.
Working with the county Board of Supervisors and state officials, town councils in each of the county's three incorporated towns may soon be dealing with more than they ever counted on.
The following are the races in Surry:
Surry Mayor: Incumbent John H. Holt, 53, of Rolfe Highway, is a supervisor at S. Wallace Edwards and Sons Inc. Holt has no opposition in the race.
Surry Town Council: (five incumbents for five seats)
B. Stanley Clarke Jr., 55, is a civil service worker at Fort Eustis.
Will M. Gwaltney Jr., 63, is retired from Newport News Shipbuilding.
Mertha U. Hux, 84, is a retired farmer and insurance agent.
Ronald A. Gwaltney, 48, is a civil service worker at Newport News Shipbuilding.
Charles Felts, 72, owns an automotive repair shop in Smithfield.
Claremont Mayor: Incumbent Vernon ``Dewain'' Narron is running unopposed. Narron, 35, is a chemical operator for Allied Signal in Hopewell.
Claremont Town Council: (six candidates for six seats)
Matthew W. Fitch, 25, incumbent, was appointed to council in September 1995 to fill an unexpired term. Fitch works for Stone Container and Operations.
Christin E. Parks, 75, an incumbent, is a retired ballet teacher.
Charles T. Biittner, 50, is a former mayor and council member. He works for GTE.
Sue W. Gilbert, 49, is a former mayor and council member. Gilbert works for the U.S. Post Office.
Michael D. Harrison, 46, is a former council member who has not served since 1974. Harrison is a coordinator for Binford Law Office in Prince George County.
Sharon L. Ireland, 50, is a political newcomer and a homemaker.
Dendron Mayor: Incumbent Benny W. Muncy is running unopposed. Muncy, 69, is the semi-retired owner of Ben's Garage.
Dendron Town Council: (six candidates for six seats)
Clifton Barfield, 44, is an incumbent who works for the Virginia Department of Transportation.
Wallace E. Faison Jr., 42, an incumbent, is a farmer.
Juanita T. Mason, 40, incumbent, works for Colonial Williamsburg.
Willie Lee Turner Sr., 42, incumbent, works for Newport News Shipbuilding.
Yvonne B. Pierce, 51, incumbent, works for the Surry County School Board.
E.R. ``Robbie'' Jacob Jr., 43, is a political newcomer. Jacob works for the Virginia Department of Transportation on the Surry Ferry.
KEYWORDS: ELECTION SURRY COUNTY TOWN COUNCIL RACES CANDIDATE by CNB