Billy Cook, 60, of Mathews, has announced his candidacy for a seat on the Mathews Board of Supervisors in the Nov. 7 election. He is running as a Republican.
Cook said the first thing he would like to accomplish if elected is to “bring the temperature down in the room” and bring professionalism and respect to the board. “There’s too much drama,” he said.
He also wants to ensure transparency by holding regular roundtable discussions with his constituents at a public location in order to give residents updates and answer their questions.
“I’m not a Facebook warrior,” he said. “I won’t go on there to answer questions, but I will sit down with the citizens.”
Cook said the board of supervisors needs to work with the school board to come up with solutions “so our kids can read and write and do arithmetic when they graduate.” He said he feels the schools are top heavy and that more emphasis needs to be placed on teaching, with teachers receiving competitive pay. With just 56 students graduating this past spring, “some tough decisions have to be made,” he said, adding, “if the school board comes up with good, solid solutions, I’d be willing to vote to fund them.”
The county needs a maintenance program to handle both county and school infrastructure, said Cook, with a maintenance director position for the school system similar to the one the county has.
Fire and rescue services need to be taken care of, said Cook, with the vehicle funding as a line item in the annual budget and a portion of the cost of a fire truck set aside each year so a new one can be funded every five years.
The value of both personal property and real estate has increased, said Cook, leading to an increase in taxes on both. The tax rate should be lowered on either personal property or real estate next year, he said, and the county’s money needs to be spent wisely.
“We need to take some of this burden off our taxpayers,” he said.
Other issues Cook would like to address are seeking additional VDOT funding for cleaning outfall ditches, seeking grant funding for improving Haven Beach, which “should be our diamond—our ruby—our tourist destination,” and increasing the income eligibility level for tax relief for the elderly so more people can qualify.
A Mathews native and 1981 graduate of Mathews High School, Cook has been in business in the county since 1988 with his wife, Sue, owning and operating Cook’s Heating and Cooling, Extreme Car Wash, and Hyco Builders.
Cook has in the past served as master of Oriental Lodge No. 20, AF&AM, president of the Mathews County Little League, and head coach for Mathews High School JV baseball. He is a past member of the PTA and the Mathews Chamber of Commerce. He currently serves as chairman of the Mathews County Planning Commission. He and his wife have four children—Chelsie, Collin, James and Isaac—and three grandchildren.
A total of nine candidates are vying for three at-large seats on the board of supervisors. Incumbents Paul Wesley Hudgins and Jacqueline T. “Jackie” Ingram (both independents) are running against Republicans Cook, Randall A. “Randy” Dobson and Patricia B. “Tricia” Stall, and independents T.C. “Tom” Bowen III, Albert D. Clark, Timothy P. Doss and Janice Hudgins Phillips. Bowen, Doss and Phillips have been endorsed by the Mathews Citizens for the Common Good.