A year ago, they joined the Hanover County Board of Supervisors, representing the Ashland and Mechanicsville districts.

With 2008 “under their belts,” G. Ed Via III and Deborah B. Coats agree that their priority in the office is talking with and being aware of the citizens’ concerns.

Via has directed his energies toward better communication between the Town of Ashland, the only incorporated municipality in the county, and county government. He considers himself a liaison between the two.

He served on the county Parks and Recreation Board and the county Planning Commission. When Tim Ernst decided not to seek re-election, Via pursued the seat. During his campaign, he said he wanted “to continue a liaison committee between the town and county so we could keep the relationships as good as we could. And one of the other things I really wanted to do was to respond to citizens’ concerns whenever they had them.”

Working with town government is important to Via, who noted that the police chief, Doug Goodman, formerly worked for Sheriff V. Stuart Cook, which created a good relationship between the law enforcement agencies.

“Trying to be a good steward of the taxpayers’ money” tops Via’s list of accomplishments. He also takes pride “that we were able to name some of these bridges after our fallen soldiers so that people going up and down Interstate 95 can see how much they mean to us.”

With the role the supervisors play in the operation of the county school system, Via said he visited every school and met the principals when he took office.

Via said the biggest challenge this year “is going to be the worsening economy, more people being unemployed, trying to work on a budget for 2010 and at the same time continuing to work for the citizens during these really tough economic times. In order to get through this, we’re going to have to really work together – neighborhoods, families.”

He praises the efforts of the sheriff, Fire Chief Fred Crosby, Superintendent Stewart D. Roberson and County Administrator Cecil R. “Rhu” Harris Jr. “We have a good staff, a good administrator in Rhu Harris and that goes a long way toward making Hanover what it is.”

Via did say he gets “more people thanking me for things than I do complaints.” He attributes that to “just looking out and being aware of citizens’ concerns.”

Coats describes her first year on the board as “wonderful” and that serving has been “a great experience.”

She said she has “enjoyed getting to know the staff and meeting citizens from all over the county. During the first year I’ve made an effort to learn as much as I can about how our county government operates and find ways to make it operate more effectively and efficiently.” She also said “This is especially import now that the economy has forced everyone to take a hard look at where spending can be reduced.”

The Virginia Association of Counties’ Supervisor Certification Program, Coats said, “has given me an opportunity to learn more about county government. It’s also been a great chance to meet other county supervisors from around the state to share ideas and learn how other counties have met the challenges of balancing their budgets while still maintaining a high level of service to the citizens.” She will graduate from the program in the fall.

With a year “to learn and understand things better,” Coats continued, “I’d like to concentrate more on reaching out to the citizens by attending more public meetings, holding quarterly citizen forums and creating an informational Web site.”

She says her style is “generally is to listen, absorb, focus and work civilly to try to accomplish things for the citizens of my district and Hanover County.” She points out, however, that “the debate over the retreat shows I can and will speak up when necessary.”

Coats, who unseated longtime supervisor Jack Ward, quoted from her campaign: “I believe in getting things done and representing the citizens of Hanover County. You won’t see me grandstanding or posing for a lot of photo ops [opportunities], because I’m here to serve in any way I can and will continue to work hard to live up to the expectations of the citizens.”