Jackie Ingram, 77, of North has announced her candidacy for a seat on the Mathews County Board of Supervisors in the Nov. 7 election. One of three incumbent supervisors, Ingram, who is running as an independent, has served on the board for the past four years.

Ingram said she would like to continue her service and address some of the ongoing issues facing the board, including the tax situation. The board should pay more attention “sooner than later” to why there have been changes in the value of property, she said. Ingram voted to change the reassessment schedule to every two years instead of seven to help remedy the problem, but she said more needs to be done. After the next reassessment, she said, the board needs to examine the results to determine whether the overall numbers come down.

The board also needs to take a good look at the needs of the schools, said Ingram.

“We’re losing experienced educators,” she said. “We need to be positive we are doing the right thing as far as funding the schools.”

Ingram said decisions about funding should be based on real needs and numbers, and not just on “a desire to make a budget.”

“They come to us with their needs and tell us,” she said. “We need to listen and work it so their needs get met.”

Ingram said the needs of the sheriff’s office, fire and rescue should be a priority, as well. She said the board needs to look ahead and make sure that the equipment that’s being purchased today will meet the needs of tomorrow as the transition to energy-saving vehicles takes place across the nation.

A Richmond native, Ingram began working part-time at the age of 16 for C&P Telephone Company. After she graduated from Highlands High School in Henrico, she transitioned to full-time employment and stayed with the company as it became Bell Atlantic and then Verizon. She became a clerk, but decided she wanted to be a frame attendant and then had to fight her way into the male-dominated position. She moved up to central office technician, climbing ladders, running wires, and pulling cable, and was eventually made supervisor.

Toward the end of her career, Ingram attended Strayer University to earn a degree in business administration, but she got married and didn’t complete her degree. She needed four credits to graduate.

Ingram retired in 2003 after 42 years and went into real estate. A year later, she moved to Mathews and got her broker’s license. She has been with Long and Foster in White Marsh since 2008.

As a member of the board of supervisors, Ingram has served as the liaison to the Mathews Memorial Library Board of Trustees and the Main Street Committee, and she was recently assigned to the newly-formed Mathews Parks and Rec Committee.

Ingram is married to longtime Mathews resident Tom Ingram, a former member of the Mathews Planning Commission. She is a member of Christ Episcopal Church in Mathews and of Chesapeake Bay Writers.