Cynthia Neff will officially announce her candidacy for the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors tomorrow. Neff, who ran for the Virginia House of Representatives in 2009 against Rob Bell and was defeated, will campaign as a Democrat for the Rivanna District seat, currently held by Republican Supervisor Ken Boyd.
Boyd, who was elected in 2007 to his second term on the board, was one of several Republicans to run an unsuccessful campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2009 to unseat former Democratic Congressman Tom Perriello. Ultimately, Boyd lost the Republican nomination to current Fifth District Congressman Robert Hurt.
In a note posted on the Albemarle County Democratic Party website, Neff writes that her decision to run for the Board of Supervisors stems from the recent revival of the Western Bypass, which she pits against her own vision for the county’s future.
“Many of you know about the events of this week at the County Board of Supervisors meeting that were both exciting and disappointing. Exciting because so many of our fellow citizens and neighbors came out to show they care about the community’s sustainability and common good. Disappointing when these same citizens were ignored and then late in the evening found themselves witnessing some parliamentary shenanigans to sneak in a vote on the Western Bypass, denying citizens review or input,” she writes.
“I believe we need to improve the leadership on the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors and ensure we are encouraging citizen participation, transparency in government processes and decisions, straight talk, decisiveness and collaboration. At this very critical time in the life of our community, we must ensure that we protect and preserve what we have in this special place while responsibly planning for the future.”
In 2009, Neff, a retired IBM executive, told C-VILLE that her decision to run for the House was prompted by her disappointment with Richmond politics and her ability to tackle significant issues. “I’ve just not seen that kind of focus coming out of Richmond," she said. "I find it entirely too partisan and people aren’t working together, and a lot of the really big problems that are facing Virginia just aren’t even getting addressed."
Neff’s campaign kickoff is scheduled for Tuesday, June 14, from 10am to 1pm at the county office building on McIntire Road.