A new day has dawned in Hanover County with a change in the makeup of the Board of Supervisors.

The new board makes its debut at 2 p.m. today. Joining incumbents Aubrey M. “Bucky” Stanley, Beaverdam District; Elton J. Wade Sr., Cold Harbor; and G. Ed Via III, Ashland; are W. Canova Peterson IV, Mechanicsville; Sean M. Davis, Henry; Angela C. Kelly-Wiecek, Chickahominy; and Wayne T. Hazzard, South Anna.

Will the “face” of the board change? How will the members organize their leadership positions? Will there be a split among the ranks? Will we see a more fiscally conservative operation? Oh, the list goes on and on.

The bottom line to this board is the voters of Hanover County spoke in November. Apparently they wanted change — and that’s what we have gotten.

This could be a very interesting time for our county, especially as these leaders — new and old — prepare for budget season. And, with the economic woes our nation continues to endure, there may be some belt-tightening coming up.

We are fortunate to reside in a thriving, progressive and growing county. Hopefully our new board will be able to guide us through these troubling national times.

Etc.

+ Ahh, election time. It would appear that political parties are in full swing for this year’s elections. On the local front, we have Mechanicsville residents Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling and Del. Chris Peace, R-97, playing key roles in the presidential campaign of Mitt Romney. County Democrats will be meeting at 10 a.m. Saturday at Ashland Coffee & Tea to talk about a candidate to challenge U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor, R-7. Whatever your political preference, 2012 is gearing up to be quite interesting.