By Taylor Boyd
Joe Bryant is seeking his fourth term as the Collinsville District representative on the Henry County Board of Supervisors in the November election.
He will face Chris Lawless in the race.
Bryant, 69 and vice-chairman, said he is running for reelection because he believes there are still ongoing projects he wants to help complete.
“There are some projects that we’re working on now in the county that haven’t come to a head yet that I’ve been on since the ground level, and I would like to see those accomplished in my time as a supervisor,” he said.
Bryant said he enjoys serving his community and ensuring county business is handled properly.
“As I’ve always said, I can’t do this by myself. I’ve got five other supervisors who work real close with me to make sure we get the business of the county taken care of,” he said.
If reelected, Bryant said he will bring 16 years of board experience and strong communication skills to the table.
“I’m highly motivated when I work for this county. Honestly, I’ve got the best interest of the county at heart — but most of all, my district. When I go home at night, I can feel good that I’ve helped people. It makes me feel good to know that I’ve helped people out,” he said.
When Bryant was first elected in 2010, the county’s unemployment rate was around 16 percent. Today, it’s about 4 percent.
“We’re looking into the future. We’re more diverse now than we’ve ever been as far as business goes. We’ve got multiple different kinds of industries here compared to back then when we basically had all our eggs in one basket,” he said.
Since joining the board, Bryant said several industries, including Crown Products, Press Glass, Eastman, and the recently announced Nathan Trotter, have brought new jobs to Henry County.
Like many localities in Virginia, Bryant said, attracting and retaining businesses remains one of the county’s biggest challenges.
“Jobs are one of the biggest things I look at — getting new people to move here and bringing in the right types of businesses where people are able to work,” he said. “So far, we’ve had a good turnout from our population.”
Bryant said the county has done a good job diversifying its industries to fit residents’ skillsets but added that both the county and state could strengthen incentive programs to attract employers.
“It’s a county group effort, period. It’s all our responsibility to help recruit for this area,” he said.
One hindrance, he said, is the high grass and trash along roadways.
At the September ribbon cutting for Nathan Trotter’s announcement, Bryant said Gov. Glenn Youngkin drove down King’s Mountain Road. “Of course, they didn’t say anything about it, but the grass was about a foot and a half tall. Is that any way you want to introduce a governor to Henry County?”
Bryant said the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) must be encouraged to do its part in maintaining roadsides.
“This area needs to be clean,” and people who throw trash out the window need to understand what they’re doing to this community and at what cost, he said.
Bryant said the county’s school division also plays an important role in the community. He supports efforts to expand trade and technical education programs.
“I’m impressed with the school system because they’re doing a great job bringing back what I used to call ‘day trades’” — like brick masonry, plumbing, heating, and auto mechanics, he said.
While he supports the programs, Bryant said it’s ultimately the school board’s job to decide how to implement them.
Bryant said he worked about 12 years to get the Villa Heights housing project underway, which will include about 14 to 16 reasonably priced homes. He also spent roughly eight years helping facilitate the sale of the Halifax Apartments to a new owner.
To provide recreation opportunities, Bryant said he’s supported development of the Dike & Willie Trail, Philpott Marina, and other projects. On infrastructure, Bryant said the board works with — but does not direct — the Henry County Public Service Authority (PSA).
“When they’re doing sewer projects and stuff like that, we’re in on it, but the PSA is its own entity,” he said, adding that the board offers input on potential projects. For example, he’s worked with the PSA on a waterline in Collinsville and is pushing for an additional sewage line.
Regarding renewable energy, Bryant said he supports solar and wind facilities only when placed in appropriate locations.
“Solar- it takes an area and they level it out. They take all the trees off of it, everything, and it’ll be that way for about 30-35 years,” he said.
While he believes there’s nothing wrong with them if they’ve been placed in the right area, Bryant believes the solar facility that was recently built in the Bassett Forks area is “the worst thing in the world to put a solar farm right there where it used to be a beautiful golf course. To me, it’s horrible.”
A longtime volunteer EMT and Fieldale-Collinsville Volunteer Rescue Squad board member, Bryant said volunteerism has become more difficult over the years.
“Back in my days, when a call went off, you could leave your business and go straight on the call. Now, a lot of businesses won’t let you leave,” he said.
Bryant said young people need to understand that helping others is part of life.
“We as human beings have an obligation to take care of those in need, and part of that is volunteering,” he said, and the county supports its volunteer agencies through annual funding and by providing additional assistance when needed.
“This year alone, we were able to help Fieldale-Collinsville buy a new $800,000 tanker, and the county invested over $600,000 in it,” he said.
Transparency, he said, means keeping county business open to the public.
“We don’t hide anything in the county,” he said. While there are things, like industries, that must be kept close to the vest, the county is transparent in every area it can be.
Bryant said his contact information is publicly available and he encourages residents to share their concerns.
“Part of my job as a supervisor is to get information from the public. If I don’t hear from them, I don’t know their concerns,” he said.
While he welcomes public input, Bryant said he’s not a big fan of town hall meetings since past ones have had low attendance.
With the real estate reassessment scheduled for next year, Bryant said the board will closely review the results to minimize any tax increases.
“I keep telling people: anytime I do anything with taxes, it affects me too. I pay them just like you pay them. I don’t get a discount because I work for the county,” he said.
Bryant said the board’s budget is already lean, and while the county has about $45 million in its unassigned fund balance, those funds should be reserved for emergencies.
“We don’t want to spend a lot of it because with a balance like that, our bond ratings are the lowest you can get. With the money that we borrow on our bonds, it’s cheaper than the interest we make off of it,” he said, adding that the county is financially stable.
“The county’s actually in good shape — a whole lot better shape than people think,” he said.
Bryant has worked at Bryant Radio Supply Inc., his family’s business, since 1972 and now owns it. He is married with two children and four grandchildren. In his free time, he enjoys fishing, watching sports, and golfing.
