Lowry for Albemarle

Thank you. I thank you for coming today. I would like to introduce my wife, Nancy; whose support I feel was necessary for me to be here today. Many of you know Nancy. I hope you will see more of my family on the campaign trail.

(Speech continues below. Note: this is a written draft version of the accouncement speech and the content may differ somewhat from the live or recorded versions)

Speaking of my family, my father-in-law was a talented man. While a gifted speaker he was not a politician (and that might be to his credit!). He taught me a speech begins saying what you want to say. The speech then says a little more about what you want to say and then closes by saying what you said. Briefly then that is what I propose to do today.

First I might explain why we are here at the 5th Street COB this morning. I wish to thank the security staff for accommodating this visit. I thank each of you for parking down where visitors are designated. Originally, we thought of announcing at Miller School – named after Samuel Miller - might be best. Aren’t you glad we didn’t ask you to drive all the way to Batesville?!

This building is an excellent addition to Albemarle county properties. It was purchased & financed a half dozen years ago. The purchase price was $5MM less than the assessed value at that time. That is what the bank who sold it might have wanted but didn’t get. The building was purchased using a County of Albemarle bond issued in the name of the Economic Development Authority of Albemarle County & backed by the county. I was chair of the EDA then as I am now. In order to issue these bonds the county needed to be rated. So we went to NYC to the rating authorities. Result? “AAA” We were then and still are now the smallest county in the nation with a triple A rating. Highest letter ratings mean lowest cost of capital. By the way, I give all the credit for this and other financing successes in the county name to Bob Tucker, his administration and to his capable staff.

Here we are today. The question I most often asked is why? Why do you want to run for C BOS? I respond we need good government in Albemarle County. We need better government in Albemarle County. Those are good answers. They are true answers but people still are wondering why? Why would anyone want to run for Supervisor? After all it is a job of many hundred hours a year devotion. The pay for the job is certainly not the reason. I have been preparing in earnest for more than three years just to understand what the position is. I can tell you it is not a simple job. There are many, many things you need to know. Although I have learned much there is still much to learn. So without really answering the question why, let me skip first to how. How can we have better government in Albemarle County? There are many issues facing the county today. Issues like water supply, safety of our citizens, challenges like affordable housing and attracting and keeping valuable county staff.

I have picked from these many issues three major ones to form a platform from which I maintain we can keep Albemarle as one of the best places to live in the nation. These three platform issues are Quality of Life, Education and Transportation.

Our Quality of Life is determined by keeping constant the rural character that we are accustomed to. We do not want urban sprawl. We want open spaces. We want low property taxes. We want growth in growth areas only. Life has been good in Albemarle County and we want to make it better. Education is plank #2.

By far the largest portion of any single item of the annual operating budget for the county is Education. There is a good reason for this. Education is the best single investment we can make - bar none. Educating our children means a better life for all in Albemarle. We have great public schools, great teachers in those schools and a great administration and staff for them. Responsibility for these percolates up to the Supervisors.

Plank # 3 is Transportation. We need a more comfortable transportation system for our citizens to move around the county. It used to be the state government built and maintained our road system. Today we have a state that is barely able to do only maintenance. In Virginia today, we are a state that has gone on holiday. Either we in the counties must be given the ability to look out for ourselves or the state needs to reassume its responsibility to be fiscally responsible. This county needs new lanes, new extensions, new connectors and parallel roads. We need the ability to raise money and then set it aside for capital projects. My pledge is to move this money process forward. My platform then tells how we might have better government in Albemarle.

I have backed into the answer why by first addressing how. If we know how to have better government then we need to be led where we would go. It is the proper means to the end. Leadership in handling the issues facing the county today is where I can help. I have a record of leadership in business, in the community and in volunteer activities. Confidence of my leadership abilities answers why I should run. My intent is to spend the next six months carrying that message to the voters. I want to keep this government moving forward. I like the admiration Albemarle County enjoys from others. I want to make life good in Albemarle County.

I would like to be your Supervisor. I want your vote!

There are many challenges facing government in Albemarle today. Although it is early in the campaign I want eventually to speak in depth to many concerns. Besides platform issues and previously mentioned concerns there are others: Land use, revenue sharing, the Southern Feeder school, jobs, zoning and implementing technology in a user friendly way. More on those later for now I would like to stop to take questions – I‘d like to take a half dozen to a dozen – then I do want to make time for media friends to do any follow up for their purposes. Before that sort of one-on- one I will take your first question……and again thank you! for coming today. I look forward to visiting with all again.