T.C. “Tom” Bowen III, 71, of Mathews, has announced his candidacy for a seat on the Mathews County Board of Supervisors in the Nov. 7 election. He is running as an independent.

Bowen said Mathews is facing a declining population and that the future success of the county depends on the schools, since young families seeking to move into the county will want to know the schools are acceptable. He said one of his goals is to help create a stronger school system by developing a good working relationship with the Mathews County School Board.

He said he also wants to work on developing a positive business climate by reaching out to business owners and finding out what they believe the county needs, rather than “throw up a problem and not be helpful solving it.”

“We have a lot of smart business owners,” he said. “We need to capture their ideas and find ways to work with them … Supervisors need to be problem solvers.”

Bowen said he’s been concerned about the removal from various lo...