The five magisterial districts that make up Chesterfield County are each represented by a Board of Supervisors member. And on Tuesday, four supervisors' seats are up for grabs.
Eleven people are vying to serve four-year terms on the board, which is currently made up of two Democrats and three Republicans. Among those, three female candidates aim to diversify the current all-male board.
The candidates have focused on issues ranging from education funding to improving roads — including for pedestrians and cyclists — as well as slowing residential and commercial growth.
The only candidate running uncontested this year is Jim Holland, who at one time was the only Democrat on the board. He's currently the only supervisor who is a person of color and has represented the Dale District since 2008.
Here’s a breakdown of who else is on the ballot in each district and what their priorities are for Chesterfield.
Bermuda District
Jim Ingle
Republican Jim Ingle is the board's current vice chairperson and is finishing up his first four-year term. As supervisor, he’s also served on the board of directors for the Greater Richmond Transit Company.
According to Ingle’s campaign, if re-elected, he’ll focus on getting competitive pay for teachers and more funding for classrooms.
“I will continue to prioritize our students in the classroom, as I have done and will continue to advocate for proper discipline in schools to ensure the best learning environment will be a priority,” Ingle said on his campaign website.
Other focuses include maintaining the county’s current growth of residential and commercial development, and using funds from the county’s capital improvement program to alleviate traffic congestion, according to his website.
Lindsey Dougherty
Democrat Lindsey Dougherty's background includes working for the county’s Budget and Management Department. Dougherty wants Chesterfield to get a better handle on local development, saying it “continuously outpaces our county's investments in infrastructure.”
Dougherty wants to provide residents options in multimodal transportation — like adding protected bike lanes, more sidewalks and expanding GRTC bus routes.
Plus, she wants the county to re-implement a free curbside recycling program, which the county ended earlier this year.
Clover Hill District
Christopher Winslow
The Republican incumbent was first elected to the board in 2015. During his tenure, Christopher Winslow’s worked on the Audit and Finance committee and the Richmond Regional Transportation Planning Organization.
One issue Winslow is focusing on is balancing the county’s residential and commercial growth — while saying he wants to “press the gas pedal on infrastructure,” according to his campaign website.
Winslow also wants to maintain a low real estate tax rate while continuing to invest in landing new businesses.
“We must keep a focus on growing the local economic pie so that rates can be reasonable and sustainable,” he said on his website.
Jessica L. Schneider
The Clover Hill District has two other candidates vying to replace Winslow. One is Democrat Jessica L. Schneider, who directs the Bexley Homeowners Association. That’s where she got a look at how the county handles neighborhood development, according to her campaign page.
Schneider’s prioritizing raising per-student spending and advocates for teachers to get more competitive pay. Her campaign page states she also wants to bring back the Southside Speedway — something many candidates are in favor of. In terms of growth and traffic, she wants to place a temporary hold on approvals for large housing developments to allow for infrastructure to catch up.
Schneider says on her website that she wants more accessibility options for cyclists and pedestrians and wants GRTC to extend farther into the county. She’s also advocating for the county to create a climate action plan, protect green space and expand solar installations on county buildings.
Greg Allen
Greg Allen, who previously worked for the county’s planning department, said on his campaign page that he offers a “clear vision that manages growth” for existing neighborhoods and business areas. One of the independent candidate's priorities is to slow high-density residential growth by only approving new residential development if local schools have the capacity to take on new students.
According to his website, Allen envisions creating community “nodes” or centers along major thoroughfares that are connected to neighborhoods via multi-use trails. These nodes would be hubs for an overall bike and transit system. He also supports bringing back the Southside Speedway but wants it to include additional uses, such as races for cyclists and runners.
Matoaca District
Kevin Carroll
Republican incumbent Kevin Carroll was first elected to the Matoaca District in 2019. His board appointments and assignments include serving as chairperson of the Central Virginia Transportation Authority, as well as serving on the boards for PlanRVA and the Richmond Regional Transportation Planning Organization, according to the county’s website.
On his campaign website, Carroll has touted votes to allow the county to return tax dollars that were not spent, and support bridge repair and roads expansion. He’s also highlighted the work he and other supervisors did to bring in new businesses, such as the Lego manufacturing plant.
W.A. Chip Carbiener
Independent candidate W.A. Chip Carbiener worked as a civil engineer directing facilities for Disney. He is Carroll’s only opponent in this election.
Like other candidates running to unseat incumbents, Carbiener’s platform on his campaign website states he wants the county to pause all new rezoning projects until roads and schools can handle new development. He also states that he wants to prevent county staff from serving as applicants on rezoning cases due to conflicts of interest.
Midlothian District
Mark Miller
Democrat incumbent Mark Miller is finishing up his partial term, having been elected to replace Republican Leslie Haley, who left the post in 2022 to work with Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares.
Miller’s biography on his campaign page states he is a licensed professional counselor and previously worked in the county’s mental health department. Like many candidates, he wants county schools to avoid overcrowding, and to slow down residential and commercial development to ensure services and infrastructure can support new growth.
Jim Williams
Miller’s Republican opponent is Jim Williams, a partner at the Burnett & Williams law firm.
Williams’ campaign site lists four priority points. These include making the community safe; balancing residential and commercial growth while improving pedestrian options; prioritizing education by funding schools and supporting teachers; and keeping the tax rate low to attract small businesses.
Erin Phelan
Independent candidate Erin Phelan wants to make sure the Board of Supervisors is more transparent by making it easier for residents to see how members have voted, according to her campaign website. She also wants the board to end the practice of using county funds to buy and sell land for commercial development.
Phelan also prioritizes “sufficient funding for schools” and making sure infrastructure funding — for transportation and education — is in place before more development is approved.
Phelan's also promoted connecting more pedestrian, bike and shared-use paths, and wants more road safety improvements worked into the planning process for new developments. Plus, she wants the county to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 through incorporating “sustainable building materials, methods, and systems into buildings and other infrastructure,” according to her website.
