Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, October 25, 1995 TAG: 9510250103
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: BRIAN KELLEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
First-term incumbent Nick Rush, 27, is being challenged by a newcomer to elected politics, School Board member Robert Goncz, 49, for the seat representing much of Christiansburg, the Peppers Ferry Road area and the Ellett Valley.
Where Republican Rush is affable, outgoing and a natural political animal, Democrat Goncz is more reserved, serious and earnest. Where Goncz is an industrial executive for Eastern Repair & Fabrication Inc. whose speciality is materials management, Rush is a Federal Express delivery driver who moonlights as a sports entrepreneur.
Where Rush is apt to sum up his gut reaction to a policy or proposal in a concise, quotable sentence, Goncz will explain - in much detail - his thinking before coming to a decision.
Where Goncz has spent nine years on the appointed board that crafts Montgomery school budgets, since 1992 Rush has been on the elected body that imposes taxes to pay for them, usually not to the satisfaction of school supporters.
And where Goncz talks about the need for long-range strategic planning now for the county's growth in the future, Rush is more apt to focus on property-owners' rights to develop their land without government dictates, and on keeping regulation to a minimum so as not to drive up housing costs. "I always keep an eye out for the working man in this community," he said at a recent campaign forum.
As District B goes in this election, so goes the board's majority, at least for the next two years.
If voters re-elect Rush, the character of the four-member board majority remains largely unchanged: fiscally conservative, skeptical of land-use planning and apt to endorse almost anything perceived as a boon to economic growth, including controversial highway projects such as Interstate 73.
If Goncz wins, then a new majority could hold sway, assuming Supervisor Joe Gorman retains his District G seat in Blacksburg over political novice Curtis Cox. The new foursome would include Supervisor Jim Moore of Blacksburg and unopposed newcomer Mary Biggs, a teacher running in Blacksburg-area District F.
They are the type of stakes that could easily lead to negative campaigning and political grandstanding. Instead, it has been low key, something that often works to an incumbent's advantage. Rush didn't start seriously campaigning until Labor Day as he spent the summer getting a new minor-league football team, the Roanoke Rush, off the ground. (He owns the team with partners.) If he's running scared, it certainly isn't showing.
Rush's campaign themes include support for economic development and for schoolteachers and parents and for efficiency and responsiveness in county government. He said the Board of Supervisors has made more progress over the past four years than previously by working together. Rush said the board's cooperative attitude and record of accomplishment - a new industrial park under way, a 22 percent funding increase for schools since '92 with only one tax increase, two new schools built, a new regional framework to deal with garbage - may be one reason the four supervisors' elections seem to have attracted little public attention.
Voters elected Rush to the board in 1991 in what amounted to a stunning political upset. Just five years out of high school and two out of the Army's 82nd Airborne Division, Rush defeated Ann Hess, one of two board incumbents to lose that year. The Christiansburg native quickly became a key player, leading the unsuccessful effort to reverse earlier stands and oppose the "smart" highway, which passes through his district. He stood his ground against longtime board members on occasion, but generally fit right in with the conservative majority. He became known for asking simple but important questions during board meetings - ones that helped the public understand an issue as much as they did him.
Two years ago, he put his political organizing skills to work again and defeated Blacksburg businessman Pat Cupp to win the Republican nomination in the 12th District House of Delegates race. Though some party members said Rush hadn't been in office long enough to seek a new position, Rush forged ahead, running a grass-roots campaign against Blacksburg veterinarian Jim Shuler. Shuler won easily, crushing Rush in Blacksburg-area precincts.
Since then, Rush has become more and more of an outspoken advocate for conservative philosophy on the board. For instance, he led the charge early last year against an effort to require the developer of a major new subdivision off Mud Pike outside Christiansburg to tie into the town's sewage system. He also voted for a controversial rezoning early this year that will allow for the construction of a new gas station across from Pandapas Pond recreation area. But he also took the unusual step of apologizing for one vote: his support for I-73. Rush told a packed board room last year that he had voted without sufficient information. Nevertheless, the board's endorsement of the highway's passing through Montgomery County still stands. And Rush did vote for the board's only major tax increase during his tenure: last year's 21/2-cent increase in the real estate tax and 15-cent jump in the personal property tax.
Lately, he's criticized a plan to build a new, consolidated elementary school to serve the Riner area as too large and too far away from the traditional neighborhood school approach.
Goncz announced his bid the week before the June Democratic mass meeting, then started his campaign with a series of coffees to meet people in the district. He declines to criticize Rush's record, instead focusing on what he offers: "My background is in business and training, planning in a strategic sense. I bring that to the table."
Goncz sees most major issues - school spending, building new schools, taxes, development - fitting into a larger framework. "Management of long-term growth and change is an important issue. Unfortunately it may be low-profile," Goncz said. "I could go out and become a screaming moderate, but if I did that, it wouldn't be me."
Goncz grew up in farm country in Ohio. He and his wife, Ann, came to Montgomery County in 1976 when he went to work for Federal Mogul Corp. Eleven years later he left to form his own company, Commonwealth Management Systems, which later became part of Peridot Inc., a Roanoke company specializing in strategic corporate development (he remains on its board). Goncz joined Eastern Repair, one of his major clients, as vice president and general manager in 1990.
Eastern specializes in repairing and rebuilding precision machinery from all sorts of industries. "This is basic industry," Goncz explained. "It's all about creating wealth as opposed to recirculating it."
Goncz said he's learned much as a School Board member, including that decision-making is most effective when it is collaborative rather than authoritarian. He'll often use the phrase, "So this is what I understand you to say ..." during board discussions to try to build a collaborative dialogue.
He said he's particularly proud of the FOCUS 2006 long-range school improvement plan developed two years ago, along with the facilities-use study, which the board endorsed this year, that calls for new schools. He'd like to use a similar approach on the Board of Supervisors: develop themes from citizen involvement, coalesce them into a vision and use that plan to guide the county on major issues.
"What I want to see is, ideally, every citizen in this county knows and understands and sees their place in the vision of the county," Goncz said.
Goncz acknowledges such talk isn't exactly politically riveting stuff.
"All I can sell is my sincerity," he said. "The biggest question there is how well I get the word out."
MONTGOMERY COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, DISTRICT B
Name: Robert C. "Bob" Goncz
Age: 49
Occupation: Vice President/general manager of Eastern Repair & Fabrication Inc. Also, vice president on board of directors of Peridot Inc.
Education : Bachelors in business administration, Youngstown State University; post-graduate management courses; certified in production and inventory management.
Family: Ann Goncz, wife; daughters Renee, 19, a Virginia Tech sophomore, and Michele, 16, a junior at Christiansburg High School.
Community Involvement: Past member of Jaycees, past member and chapter president of American Production and Inventory Control Society, member of St. Paul's Methodist Church, member and past chairman of Montgomery County School Board, member of curriculum committee at Virginia Western Community College.
Why are you running for office?: First, because a group of citizens asked me to consider seeking the office. Secondly, I want to see a community that has a set of strategic goals and plans that guide the decisions we make today.
What is the most important issue facing Montgomery County?: Since change is inevitable (the alternative is obsolescence) our biggest challenge will be to position our resources to meet tomorrow's needs. Any good business venture begins with a corporate vision. In a community this must be a collaborative process involving the various governmental agencies and bodies as well as a cross section of citizens. With a clear vision of the future we desire, then today's expenditures become investments which have meaning and purpose.
And why?: The reason I believe this is imperative is because the alternative is to continue to chase after problems rather than anticipating them. An example is the growth in Riner that occurs, then we look for the infrastructure (such as an elementary school) to support the growth.
Name: Larry N. "Nick" Rush
Age: 27
Occupation: Federal Express delivery man
Education: Graduated from Christiansburg High School, 1986; attended New River Community College.
Family: Amy Rush, wife; sons Cody, 7, and Forrest, 3.
Community Involvement: Member of Montgomery County Board of Supervisors, county Public Service Authority board, county Parks and Recreation Commission, former member of New River Community Action board, member of Christiansburg Primary School PTA, T-ball coach. Member of Christiansburg Church of the Brethren. U.S. Army veteran.
Why are you running for office?: "I was born and raised in Montgomery County and I want to see it grow and prosper for my kids."
What is the most important issue facing Montgomery County?: "Providing jobs and educational opportunities for a growing population today and into the future."
Keywords:
POLITICS PROFILES
by CNB