Moving to Fluvanna
So Ben Tribbett gives me a call the other day. "Okay man, so what's the real story?"
Missy and I have found a 10 acre, 4500 square foot home just outside of Kent's Store in Fluvanna County, Virginia. It's about 20 minutes outside of Charlottesville, about an hour from Richmond, and one hour from Fredericksburg.
It's going to take a bit of work to fix up, but in the end it's in rural Virginia, on my own land, and a great place to raise kids.
This was a decision made after much prayer and conversation; something Missy and I held pretty close to our sleeves for a long while. The nice thing is that Fluvanna County looks like home. Almost like Spotsylvania County looked 15 years ago, and facing the same problems concerning growth.
In the meantime, it also means that despite being unopposed for Spotsylvania GOP chairman this year, I will be turning the leadership role over to Robert Stuber.
Politically, it's a tough thing for me to separate myself from the place where I was born, where I grew up, and where I have so many friends and supporters. One typically doesn't find twenty-eight year old chairmen running amok, but my community trusted me with precisely that position.
I'm confident that the party I found two years ago is a stronger party today. Two regional headquarters for Bush and Kilgore, more money raised than anyone else can remember out of Spotsylvania, fundraisers back on track, rifts between old party members have healed, membership is up, and for the first time in our history we're on the verge of holding a Republican majority on the Spotsylvania Board of Supervisors.
Of course, I'll still have my hand in Republican politics. Instead of Rep. Jo Ann Davis, I'll have Rep. Virgil Goode. Instead of Edd Houck, I'll have Frank Ruff as a State Senator. Instead of Bobby Orrock - a gentleman I still consider a mentor and a friend - I have Watkins Abbitt as a Delegate. For supervisor, I'll have to trade a long time friend in Chris Yakabouski for Melvin Moss (former aide to Maryland Senator Sarbanes I understand).
The good news is that Fluvanna isn't alien territory -- in fact, Fluvanna was part of the 17th State Senate District, and it just so happens that our 1999 Republican nominee (Mel Sheridan) is about a mile down the road. So I have friends and allies nearby, and I was received very warmly by the Fluvanna County Republican Committee last night.
In the end, I have my 10 acres in the country; a lifelong goal. My children will get to grow up as I did. There are good schools nearby, Fluvanna has a great history (both wars, Revolutionary and Civil) and even better, Kent's Store was the first gold mine in Virginia during the 1830's, and there's a creek on the property...
Thanks all. Now to make phone calls!
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Megan 
8 Comments:
Congratulations, I know this must have been a tough decision but I think you made a good one. The Spotsy GOP is much, much stronger as a result of your leadership. You made a good decision for your family and that must always be priority 1. Now, that you mention it, I'll be making my own relocation statement soon over on Virtucon.
I sold that place in 96, moving to a cookie-cutter house in a neighborhood (at least I got a 1/3 acre lot).
They put the 4-lane 234 through my back acre, so I wasn't giving up much.
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