DELIVER TO: Postal Patron Mechanicsville, VA 23111
Vol. 37, No. 27 | Richmond Suburban News | October 13, 2021
STOPS AT EVERY HOME IN TOWN
VOTE! ELECTION 2021
2021 Christmas Mother is ready for the challenge
MEET YOUR 97th District candidates address the issues The 97th District encompasses all of New Kent County and portions of Hanover and King William counties and is currently represented by Del. Scott Wyatt, who has served since 2020. Wyatt is opposed by challenger Stan Scott. By Jim Ridolphi For The Mechanicsville Local Editor’s note: Incumbent Del. Scott Wyatt’s responses are presented below and challenger Stan Scott’s answers will appear in next week’s edition. A few words about why you decided to seek or continue public service. What motivates you to serve and why are you seeking election, re-election to the General Assembly. Wyatt: I have always believed in the importance of public service. We have seen the General Assembly veer drastically to left and abandon the policies that have served Virginia so well. We need a course correction. I am committed to fighting for the conservative, common sense values that make
the Commonwealth a great place to live, work, and raise a family. The assault on law enforcement and Second Amendment rights, and a progressive, far left agenda from the current majority have posed a significant threat to our great Commonwealth. Central Virginia including Hanover is experiencing a lack of broadband access. How can the General Assembly assist localities in solving these issues and how would you address the problem of underserved areas? Wyatt: A large portion of the federal ARPA funding went to broadband expansion. I believe we could have allocated even more of the ARPA funds to broadband expansion in unserved areas. I believe it is incumbent on the General Assembly to con-
Prsrt. Standard U.S. POSTAGE PAID Mechanicsville, VA Permit No.141
Jim Ridolphi/The Local
JEANNIE RUMMEL 2021 Christmas Mother
WYATT
tinue to fund VATI at significant levels. Although transportation funding has increased as regions search for alternative funding for new roads and infrastructure, it’s still the top priority in many areas. How would you increase state funds to address local transportation issues? Wyatt: I am opposed to increasing our gas tax and taxes in general. We must learn to live within our means and prioritize our spending to the core functions of govsee WYATT pg. 9
Rummel said she’s excited to get started By Jim Ridolphi For The Mechanicsville Local
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veryone has an image of their perfect dream job. Sometimes, those dreams come true. Jeannie Rummel had long admired the work performed by previous Christmas Mothers in Hanover County as she followed those efforts in past years. When Doswell Ruritan Franklin Jones informed the Mechanicsville club it was their turn to select this year’s Christmas Mother, Rummel’s husband and Ruritan Joe remembered her interest in the program. “Years ago, when I was following some of the Christmas Mother stories in the newspapers, I told him that I thought it would be just
wonderful to be a Christmas Mother and he remembered that, so he volunteered me to do it,” Rummel said last week at an annual luncheon held each year to announce this year’s designee. Former Christmas Mother Betty Stanley introduced Rummel at an annual event held at the Doswell Community Center last week. Rummel welcomed the good news of her selection and said she is ready to hit the ground running for this year’s efforts. “I was just so excited and I thought it would be the most wonderful thing to help the less fortunate people in Hanover County,” Rummel said. “I’ve always loved Hanover.” She traces that special relationship to 1981, when she became the county’s first recreational program director, a time when the department consisted of only three people. “Without volunteers and that sprit of community support, we wouldn’t have had recreational programs,” she said. “Without the support of the county citizens and their willingness to get their hands dirty and volunteer, we wouldn’t have been successful because when you are a department of three you are vulnerable to budgets and things like that,” she said. Rummel said it’s the same sense of community and compassion that make the Hanover Christmas Mother such a successful program. She served on the committee that began the Ashland Strawberry Faire and has worked on the Ashland Variety Show for years and said her dedication to the community makes it easy to promote the Christmas Mother program see RUMMEL, pg. 4
