Dem Says He Would Improve Underperforming Schools

By Uriah Kiser

Stafford County, Va. — Political newcomer John “Jac” Starkey told fellow Democrats he will, if elected, make Stafford’s government more responsive to residents and make the county’s public schools work harder for children.

Starkey, 60, is vying for the Garrisonville District Supervisor seat vacated earlier this year by Delegate Mark Dudenhefer, R-Stafford, Woodbridge. Starkey will face interim Garrisonville Supervisor Ty Schieber during a special election April 3.

Schieber served on the county School Board for two years before being appointed to the Board of Supervisors in January.

Starkey told supporters he would “restore Stafford’s schools to their former glory” and work to bring county and school officials together.

“I think my role would be to bring the School Board and the Board of Supervisors and closer together so the board of supervisors can intelligently look at that budget, understand the issue, and not just do salami slices like ‘no, we’re not going give the janitor a $2 raise, nope, teachers won’t get a cost of living raise this year…,” said Starkey.

According to the Virginia’s Department of Education, nearly 38 percent of Stafford County Public Schools passed the Adequate Yearly Progress goals as mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act. Starkey said this figure needs improvement.

On transportation, the candidate said he would lean heavier on home builders to pay to improve the county’s road network, as new homes are slated to be built in Garrisonville.

Starkey says improving the interchange at Va. 630 and Interstate 95 is vital for the county’s continued growth. Rockhill District Supervisor Cord Sterling, who also serves on the Commonwealth Transportation Board, secured $25 million in funding for the project, and said Saturday that design and right-of-way land acquisition for the project is underway with construction to begin afterward.

Additionally, the developer of one planned neighborhood, Embrey Mill, will pay for Mine Road to be widened to four lanes, added Sterling.

Starkey was asked by Stafford Democratic Committee President Alane Callander to seek office after former Garrisonville Supervisor Gary Pash – a Democrat who preceded Dudenhefer – declined to run because of schedule conflicts.

Originally from New Jersey and a retired Air Force Colonel, Starkey lives with his wife of 41 years, and his adult daughter and granddaughter on Brush Everard Court in Austin Ridge – the site of the infamous landslide that captured headlines last fall.

As the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee rained down in September, a landslide formed behind two homes on the street, sending neighbors and county officials scrambling for answers at a community meeting held after the landslide formed.

“For 45 minutes we listed to expert after expert, one after another tell us why the problem wasn’t their fault. The people at the county were long on excuses and short on answers, and we got to change that,” said Starkey.

The Board of Supervisors voted in October to use $62,000 in bond money from the developer of Austin Ridge neighborhood, allocating it for assisting landslide victims.