Connors to run again

Date published: 6/8/2007

By DAN TELVOCK

Spotsylvania County Supervisor Hap Connors says he's a smart-growth supervisor with his "eyes and heart" on the future.

He announced this week he will seek re-election to a second term on the Board of Supervisors.

The Chancellor District supervisor cited several accomplishments, including helping manage residential growth while increasing commercial growth, working with HCA officials to secure a new county hospital and preserving historic sites.

Connors supported the 1,500-home New Post development that supervisors voted down last year. He said it was a smart-growth project. He also is an advocate of the county joining Virginia Railway Express.

He co-founded the Coalition to Save the Chancellorsville battlefield, one of several organizations that worked to protect Mullins Farm off State Route 3 from a 2,500-home development with 2 million square feet of commercial space. Connors was chairman of the Board of Supervisors when it unanimously voted to preserve 200 acres of the Chancellorsville battlefield along Route 3 in exchange for higher density in the back of the property.

"I don't think progress and preservation have to be mutually exclusive," he said. "I think we can do both. And I have proven you can do both."

An early advocate of the 2005 bond referendum that included dozens of secondary road improvements, Connors often criticizes the state government for ignoring its transportation responsibilities. He's now supporting a public-private partnership to improve nine of those secondary roads.

"It's clear that state leaders intend to keep pushing transportation responsibilities to the local governments," Connors said. "Instead of complaining about that so called new paradigm, I was one of the early advocates to start tackling the problem."

Local Realtor Tom Dorsey announced yesterday that he plans to challenge Connors.

JOB: Vice president, government and public affairs, Center for Innovative Technology AGE: 47 RESIDENCE: Estates of Chancellorsville subdivision FAMILY: Wife, Sue; three daughters who attend county schools PLATFORM: Find more transportation solutions; support smart-growth; set up green government council; support heritage tourism.

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Date published: 6/8/2007