Reynolds emphasizes public input, community safety in bid for board

By Taylor Boyd

Ray Reynolds’ desire to make a difference in the Blackberry District is driving his campaign for its seat on the Henry County Board of Supervisors in the November election.

Reynolds, 64, will face incumbent Jim Adams at the polls.

He has lived in the area his entire life and owned his business, Ray Reynolds Construction, for more than 40 years. 

“I know what it’s like when the price of things goes up. I’m working in the community, I see in each part of the community what’s going on, what needs to be done, and what needs to be fixed, what needs to be addressed,” he said.

If elected, Reynolds said he would bring hard work and knowledge of the community to the board.

“People tell me what they want and what they need, and I listen to them. I’m approachable, and people know it. If I don’t have the answer today, people know that usually within 24 hours Reynolds said the declining population is one of the biggest issues facing the county and the Blackberry District.

“They had to redraw the district lines in 2021 because Blackberry lost over 3,000 in population. Our school system lost 7,000 out of the schools,” he said.

To address the issue, Reynolds said the first step is taking care of the community and making it clean so people would want to live there.

“It’s got to be clean and safe — that’s something we don’t have right now. You’ve got to give the sheriff more resources so he can make the community safer, you got to give him more resources so he can clean up trash and all the dilapidated houses, which is what brings drugs to your area,” he said.

If elected, Reynolds said one of the first things he would do is advocate for the sheriff’s office to receive additional funding and resources to address these issues, and work to create a liaison-like position between the Sheriff’s Office and the Planning, Zoning, & Building Inspections office.

“Planning, Zoning, & Building Inspections are the ones who go out and determine if a house needs to be torn down. Then the sheriff is the one that determines if the grass is too high, things of that nature, so you need one person who can work between both offices that’s funded by the county,” he said.

Noting the board has discussed the county’s reserve funds, Reynolds said he doesn’t believe a request from the sheriff’s office for another officer to enforce county ordinances should be turned down.

Henry County is a blue-collar town, Reynolds said, and it needs to focus more on industrial and commercial businesses for economic development. To grow the local workforce, the school division needs more support from the board of supervisors.

“Funding gives you more trades in the schools, not everybody is meant to go to college. I don’t know the percentage, but the greater percentage of people who work with their hands now are specialized in electrical, plumbing, and heating. They make more money than most college graduates,” he said.

In addition, Reynolds said more community involvement is needed to get the local youth interested in recreational activities. The district no longer has a community center, but Reynolds said the county has pickleball courts, soccer fields, and areas for fishing and boating.

“Not everybody has a boat, not everybody has a fishing pole. We need more community involvement to get kids in what we have here,” he said. “I don’t have all the answers to the questions that people will ask me. What I can do is reach out and get help and ask.”

The lack of affordable and quality housing is another detriment to people moving to the area. While there is land that could be developed for housing, Reynolds said there is no water or sewer infrastructure in place.

“The main road coming into Bassett doesn’t have water and sewer. The main road, which is commercial lots … three commercial properties that could be developed on Route 57” don’t have water or sewer, he said.

To develop this infrastructure, Reynolds said the board should play a bigger role in the Public Service Authority (PSA). The county administrator also serves as the General Manager of the PSA, “so that would only make sense. The board of supervisors appoints the PSA board,” he said.

A staunch opponent of solar energy, Reynolds said there is no place for solar farms in residential or agricultural areas. “If you want to do personal solar farms for yourself, that’s one thing, but not to destroy a community like Bassett Country Club.” 

In addition to dropping home values and poisoning groundwater, “solar farms don’t produce the power for this area — it goes out of state. The solar farm at Bassett goes to Maryland,” he said.

Reynolds said unnecessary expenses should be cut. For instance, during the pandemic, he noted that many retreats and training were done via Zoom. “I’m trying to figure out what changed. Why can’t we do it now? Why spend $2,000 to $3,000 to go to a retreat for training when you didn’t spend the money on Zoom calls?”

While he knows that in some cases in-person training is needed, like for law enforcement, Reynolds said whatever can be done virtually should be.

To increase transparency, Reynolds said the board can be more open during meetings and interact more with those in attendance, and interact with the public. 

For example, if an elderly person comes to a meeting and has a question that needs an in-depth explanation, Reynolds said the board should be allowed to respond in a respectful manner.

“The supervisors have been there for so long they’ve got complacent, and it seems to me they don’t respect the voters. The supervisors work for the voter, and I think they have forgotten that,” he said.

To get residents involved in local politics, Reynolds said community meetings should be held every four to six months to allow them to voice what they believe needs to be done to improve the community.

“I don’t think there’s a single street in the Blackberry District that doesn’t have something that needs to be fixed — either a house that needs to be torn down, grass needs to be mowed, abandoned cars that need to be removed,” he said.  

The county should apply for every grant possible to support core services like public safety and law enforcement, and pursue a bigger commitment from the state. “If you enforce the ordinances you have now, you’re going to bring in more revenue,” he said.

Reynolds said the Virginia Department of Transportation’s (VDOT) mowing budget hasn’t been increased in more than 10 years, which adds to the county’s kudzu and overgrown grass problem.

“We need more money allocated to VDOT to take care of mowing grass more than three times a year, and we need money for kudzu because kudzu is destroying people’s property,” he said.

Reynolds also said taxes should have increased gradually over the years instead of all at once, which may happen due to a reassessment. “I don’t want to see taxes increase 40 percent.” 

While the cost of living and tax rates in the county are reasonable, Reynolds said a tax increase is inevitable for “us to have what we want. There are so many things in place for senior citizens and veterans, for people on disability. AEP’s (Appalachian Power) got a program that will lower your electric bill if you’re a veteran or disabled; a lot of people don’t know it. The problem is we have to help educate our district,” he said.

Reynolds has two half-sisters who also live in Henry County. A member of the Kiwanis Club for 15 years, he organized the Jennifer Short Ride for 20 years, which resulted in scholarships for qualifying Bassett High School seniors.

Reynolds enjoys observing trends in housing and local development and playing golf.