Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, October 28, 1995 TAG: 9510300052
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-6 CURRENT EDITION: NEW RIVER
SOURCE: BRIAN KELLEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
First-time candidate Biggs has been pounding the pavement all fall, introducing herself to the voters in District F, the compact, tightly populated segment of northwest Blacksburg and Montgomery County, including the Hethwood and Laurel Ridge subdivisions.
Not that anyone's compelling her to brave the elements - not to mention the occasional large dog - to get out the vote. After all, Biggs, a Democrat, is running without opposition.
Republicans guaranteed Biggs a free ride months ago when they couldn't come up with a candidate to replace Larry Linkous, the current District F supervisor who is running for the House of Delegates. He will leave the board in December.
Still, Biggs said she's been talking up her message of support for school funding, for planning for future growth, for protecting the county's natural resources and for promoting intergovernmental cooperation.
She said she's also listening, and primarily hearing concerns about the county's school system.
That's only natural because District F is home to so many Virginia Tech-affiliated educators, and because Biggs, 44, has been a Montgomery County second-grade teacher for 17 years. But she insists she will not be a one-dimensional supervisor.
"I know there was some concern about a teacher running for the Board of Supervisors, they're just going to walk in with a big 'E' all over them and raise taxes for education," Biggs said at an Oct. 12 campaign forum.
But Biggs said she's coming to her new job with an open mind and she's willing to "research all issues, and try to the best of my ability to find out all of the solutions when I'm trying to reach some sort of decision."
She's also coming with years of experience in local government, albeit from the spectators' side of the Board of Supervisors' meeting room. She's watched the board and its lengthy budget process for 15 years as an observer for the Montgomery County Education Association and the Council of PTAs. She's also a regular observer of the county School Board and is well aware of the budget-time dynamics between the two boards. She's said she didn't see a drawback or conflict of interest in having a teacher vote on appropriating money to the school system. That's because, she said, the supervisors make the appropriation in one block and do not vote directly on school salaries or other school policy issues.
Biggs said one of her strengths is to work within a group to build a consensus when faced with opposing views, rather than simply staking out a position and defending it. She plans to represent District F voters' views on education and land-use planning, but "I also realize that to get anything done you need to be able to work with a group of people."
Biggs grew up in north Springfield in Fairfax County, but has family roots in Blacksburg. Her mother, Rosalie Miller, grew up in Blacksburg and Biggs often visited the town as a child to see her maternal grandparents, Amy and Ben Miller. She went to college at Virginia Tech, and after two years of teaching kindergarten in Pittsylvania County, she returned in 1975 for graduate school and then to teach in Montgomery County.
Aside from being the only working educator on the board (Supervisor Jim Moore is a retired Tech professor), Biggs will be the first woman to serve on the board in four years. She'll also bring another unique perspective. On a board whose members often joke about dogs, fancy dog-catcher trucks and other canine quandaries, Biggs comes with a different agenda: she's a cat lover.
Name: Mary W. Biggs
Age: 44
Occupation: Elementary teacher Montgomery County public schools, in 18th year at Harding Avenue Elementary School
Education : Bachelor's and master's degrees from Virginia Tech in management, housing and family development; working on a graduate degree in educational leadership from Radford University since 1993
Family: James M. York, husband
Community Involvement: Montgomery County Education Association - political action committee chairwoman, 1982-spring 1995, vice president 1994-95, president 1982-83; Montgomery County Council of PTAs Legislative Chair, 1991-93; Democratic Party - Montgomery County Democratic Committee, 1981-present; 9th District Democratic Committee and state Central Democratic Committee, 1989-present.
Why are you running for office? "So I can represent the concerns of the citizens of District F and seek their involvement in planning for Montgomery County's future."
What is the most important issue facing Montgomery County? "As I have campaigned in District F, citizens have expressed concerns about two key issues facing our county: planning for future population growth and development within our county; and funding our public schools adequately."
And why? "We need to plan for future population growth and the impact this growth will have on our county's services, facilities, roads and land. We also need to consider how we will fund the increased demands this growth will bring to Montgomery County. A good example of this is the current need for planning for and funding new schools in our county.
"Adequately funding public education not only enables us to prepare our young people for future job opportunities, but also aides us in attracting businesses and industries to Montgomery County, thus increasing our economic tax base."
Keywords:
POLITICS PROFILE
by CNB