THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 26, 1994 TAG: 9410250080
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LINDA McNATT, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ISLE OF WIGHT LENGTH: Long : 135 lines
Voters in the Windsor District will be the only county residents participating in a local political race on Nov. 8.
Two candidates are seeking to replace Steve Edwards on the county's Board of Supervisors. Edwards moved outside the district and resigned from the board last summer.
J.R. ``Jim'' Hager, a Zuni dentist and a former School Board chairman, was appointed to replace Edwards until the special election could be held and Hager decided to run for election to the seat. His opponent is Lud Lorenzo ``Ren'' Spivey, who has been a member of the Windsor Town Council and the town Planning Commission, and a member of the Isle of Wight County Planning Commission since July 1992.
``There is a tremendous amount of activity going on right now, a log of big issues,'' Hager said. ``It's going to take a lot of study, a lot of time. But I feel like this is something I started by accepting the appointment, and it's something I'd like to finish.''
If elected, the 64-year-old West Virginia native would serve through December 1995. The Windsor District seat would have been up for re-election in November of that year had Edwards not resigned.
Since moving to Isle of Wight to open his practice after he got out of the Navy in 1961, Hager has filled a number of public service slots. The longest tenure came with the School Board. Heserved for 12 years, from July 1975 through June 1987. He was chairman from July '76 through June '84.
And Hager is proud of his service record.
``I missed only one meeting in 12 years while I was on the board,'' he said. ``I've always felt that I had an obligation to represent the people of Windsor, all the people.''
And that remark is indicative of Hager's campaign slogan: ``I will represent all the people all the time!''
In addition to his School Board service, Hager has been a member of the Western Tidewater Mental Health Center, chairman of the board for two years. He was instrumental in getting the board started and services off the ground.
In addition, he was chairman of the Southeastern Cooperative Educational Programs for four years and served on the board for eight years.
Hager was the School Board's representative to the WHRO public TV board for four years, and he is active in his church and community.
Hager said he has been talking to his constituents on the telephone and sending correspondence to voters about his concerns.
``This is a very important time for Isle of Wight County,'' Hager said. ``We are where Virginia Beach, Henrico County and the Peninsula was 25 years ago. That's why I think long-range planning is critical.
``Here in the Windsor District, we are sitting on a four-lane highway and a major railroad. I can almost throw a rock from my front porch to where the sewer line is coming in. There's the industrial park, the coal storage facility, the cotton gin. There is so much going on.''
Hager is married to his wife of 38 years, Catherine ``Katie'' Hager, a Chuckatuck native. The couple has three children and one granddaughter.
SPIVEY, 47, IS AN ISLE OF WIGHT native. He grew up on a farm in Carrsville. And although he has been employed for most of his life as a social worker and parole officer, Spivey said he has always felt that agriculture is a part of his life.
``I have termed myself the `Farmers First' candidate,'' Spivey said. ``I grew up on a farm, and I feel it's time to put the plow to politics. According to statistics, there are about 190 peanut producing farms in the county, which sounds like a minor number.
``Some people have asked why I'm backing the farmers. But when you think about the businesses in this county that farming supports, it is critical that the farmers' interest be protected.''
Every minute in the United States, four acres of productive farmland is lost beneath malls, subdivisions, apartment complexes and parking lots, Spivey said. Within the next year, two million acres of farm land is expected to vanish.
Spivey said he appreciates the agricultural lifestyle in his county, and he'd like to have an opportunity to try to help preserve it.
``My dad was a farmer, his dad before him, and my grandfather on my mother's side,'' Spivey said.
``My first job was measuring land for the Agriculture Stabilization Commission. I was in my late teens. I've chopped peanuts, plowed peanuts, picked peanuts and cultivated. Farming is close to my heart, and I feel inclined to make it a priority.''
Spivey left the family farm after he graduated from Windsor High School and attended Ferrum Junior College. He later graduated from the College of William and Mary with a bachelor's degree in sociology.
Spivey received his master's degree in public administration from Golden Gate University in 1978 and a master of divinity degree from the Southeastern Theological Seminary in 1983. He occasionally preaches at area churches and has never ``ruled out'' entering the ministry as a career, he said.
``Right now, however, I feel satisfied with what I'm trying to do,'' Spivey said.
Spivey is an adult probation and parole officer in the fifth judicial district, and he compares that occupation, in a way, to the ministry.
``It certainly has the potential to help people,'' he said. ``And I certainly get an education every day.''
As the election approaches, Spivey said he has been knocking on doors and making phone calls to voters to advise them of the issues he would like to focus on if he's elected.
``I am for economic efficiency in government, for streamlining of bureaucracy,'' Spivey said. ``We need to make things simple enough so a person who wants to build a house can go in and get the permits he needs without taking a course about how to weave his way through the paperwork.''
Spivey also supports more evenly locating recreational facilities throughout the county, more and better communications between various county agencies, responsible spending and he would like to see more priority given to hiring more residents for locally advertised jobs.
He is a charter member of the Franklin-Southampton Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police and past president of the Walters Ruritan Club. He is a past master of the Purdie Masonic Lodge, past high priest of the Mt. Nebo Royal Arch Chapter.
He is a licensed real estate agent, and a certified inter-faith witness of the Southern Baptist convention.
In addition, he is Sunday school director and a former deacon at Colosse Baptist Church.
``I feel well qualified to represent the people of Windsor from the standpoint of my education, my recent public service and my continuity,'' Spivey said.
Spivey is married to Sandra Spivey, a librarian at Booker T. Washington Elementary School in Suffolk. The couple has two children.
Spivey said he would be glad to talk with any voters who wish to call him.
``If you call, I will respond,'' he said. ``I don't throw my telephone messages away until I've answered them.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photos
Lud Lorenzo ``Ren'' Spivey
``Farmers First'' candidate
J.R. ``Jim'' Hager
Appointed to Board of Supervisors
KEYWORDS: CANDIDATE ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
by CNB