Gantt and the VACO

Dear Editor,

A recent Farmville Herald front page article was titled “Gantt Running PE’s Leigh District.” This article listed that Mr. Gantt had completed the training to become a certified county supervisor through the Virginia Association of Counties (VACO).

The Virginia Association of Counties is an organization that seems to be more interested in looking out for county officials than the folks that are paying taxes to pay for county services. For example VACO lobbied against a bill in the Virginia General Assembly that would make it illegal for counties to pass ordinances prohibiting farmers from selling goods on a farm that was produced on that farm. VACO also lobbied against a bill in the Virginia General Assembly that would require tax assessors to contact land owners before coming on their property to perform assessments.

VACO has consistently worked and lobbied against individual property rights for citizens in the state of Virginia.

Perhaps the VACO training that Mr. Gantt received is the reason Mr. Gantt voted to transfer Virginia Fire Programs funds dedicated for county volunteer fire departments to the Piedmont Jail. This may also be the reason Mr. Gantt has voted to spend millions of taxpayer dollars on the “Road To Nowhere”.

Mr. Gantt initiated a motion at a recent Board of Supervisor’s meeting to set the rate to tax aircraft in Prince Edward County at $0.50 per hundred dollars of assessed value. The rate for automobiles and boats and Recreational Vehicles in the county is $4.50 per hundred dollars of assessed value. Apparently Mr. Gantt feels that other citizens in the county should subsidize aircraft owners. Mr. Gantt has stated that he owns an airplane.

Mr. Gantt states in this article that he is proud of his voting record. My opinion is that the citizens of Leigh District and Prince Edward County can do better.

Sam Campbell, Pamplin