Education is one of my top priorities. We must work to give our children and grandchildren an opportunity to live and work in Louisa County.

Our Board of Supervisors is investing in "flip phone" technology while we live in the "smart phone" era. 
Broadband is a vital infrastructure for Louisa to expand our economic base. It's critical that we get this right. 
I will work to continue providing solutions that build a bridge to the future- not a road to nowhere.

Finally, someone is using commonsense

by James D. Ogg (published in The Central Virginian)

To the Editor:

The paid political advertisement that appeared in the August 10 issue of The Central Virginian and offered by Duane Adams, candidate for the Louisa County Board of Supervisors' Mineral District seat, is like a breath of duly needed fresh air for the county!

After all of the hooey surrounding our county's erstwhile broadband authority and their ill-developed plan for a $1.1 million waste of taxpayer's funds for a broadband initiative by installing 10 towers around the county, there is finally one person who has stepped up and said there is a better way.

Mr. Adams seems to have done a lot more research than has this committee, which has hired a consulting firm, only to have the FAA say that the tower at the high school is too tall due to its proximity to the airport! Then we heard of some bad estimates of construction costs per tower. Instead of $100,000 per tower, some are coming in closer to $200,000. Does this sound like folks who know anything about what they are doing?

To make matter worse, as Mr. Adams notes, they seem to be planning a line-of-sight technology distribution plan similar to a cellular network. That's what we currently have today with various companies, and believe me they are awful. As soon as the business day begins, their speeds drop off and they slow down drastically. That is not what we define as a robust network.

Mr. Adams has hit the nail on the head, i.e., fiber-based delivery networks, whose scalability is robust enough and can be almost infinite, given the advancement in electronics and laser technology.

Partnering with other carriers such as Central Virginia Electric and Rappahannock Electric Co-ops makes all the sense in the world. The county could cooperate in many ways to let a rollout of service proceed. Forming alliances with adjoining counties can oly enhance the scope and overall business legitimacy of this enterprise.

I have to tip my hat to Mr. Adams for his foresight, research and outlook for truly high speed internet access for Louisa County!

A Commonsense Plan of Action by Duane Adams

Well before the end of the last century, no one in Virginia would start a business in a community that didn’t have electricity. Frankly, very few of us would ever want to live, work, raise a family or retire without it. 

Broadband internet access has become so crucial for business and education. But, is your internet service any better today than it was 4 years ago? I've talked to industry experts who all tell me our Board is taking us down the wrong path. There are better solutions which will bring higher quality internet to Louisa County without spending millions of tax dollars. I will be rolling out my plan over the next several weeks.

I had the great opportunity to speak at the Louisa County Ag Fair in support of the FFA and 4H and to discuss my priorities for positive change. 

I'm looking forward to seeing you at the 2017 Louisa County Agricultural Fair!

As a former FFA State President, I know the value that agriculture brings to communities like Louisa. As your Supervisor, I will work to make sure our county is friendly to agribusiness and preserve our rural identity.

For Immediate Release

July 18, 2017

Contact: Duane Adams

[email protected]

Duane Adams Outlines Priorities for Board Seat

-Board of Supervisors Mineral District Candidate Priorities-

LOUISA – Today, Duane Adams, Republican candidate for the Mineral District Board of Supervisors released his priorities for the Louisa County Board of Supervisors. These priorities seek to address important issues affecting the Louisa community including economic development, education, public safety, fiscal responsibility, and government transparency. 

“It is essential that Louisa County develop a growth plan to prepare us for projected population increases while maintaining the rural identity that so many of us love,” Adams said. “Our current path of ever increasing taxes is not sustainable. Smart economic development will provide the necessary revenue to meet the needs of our citizens with the added benefit of providing stable employment opportunities.” 

Candidate Duane Adams’s priorities include the following issues: 

Economic Development - Positioned between Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Charlottesville, Louisa is uniquely positioned for growth and development. Too many young people leave Louisa County due to lack of stable job opportunities. 

• Generate the funding necessary for core functions of county government without raising taxes by encouraging smart economic growth.
• Remove barriers to entry for business exploring the Louisa marketplace.
• Provide future-proof hard wired broadband which is critical to attract investment and to serve our citizens.

Education – Our school system has the responsibility to prepare our high school graduates with the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to immediately compete in the workforce or succeed as they move forward to higher education opportunities. 

• Return curriculum decision to local school boards and superintendents.
• Provide teachers with the necessary funding, flexibility, and opportunities to educate our students rather than teach to the next mandated standardized test.

Public Safety – As a rural county, we depend on properly staffed Sheriff, Fire, and EMS services. This is critical not only from the standpoint of our citizens, but the safety of our first responders.

• Provide funding to expand paid staff.
• Partner with our school systems, civic organizations, churches, and community to aggressively seek volunteers for our fire and EMS services.
• Develop the necessary planning and training to take on the horrifying opioid epidemic sweeping our state.

Fiscal Responsibility – It is the Board’s duty to safeguard Louisa’s tax dollar by focusing the county’s budget on the core responsibilities of government.

• Craft budgets which fund necessities before luxuries

“Tax dollars do not belong to the county government, they belong to the citizens of Louisa County. I will question every dollar the county spends,” said Duane.

Government Transparency - Government exists to serve the people, not the other way around. By encouraging citizen involvement in the process, the end result will be a more responsive and responsible government. 

• Rotate Board of Supervisor meetings throughout the county four times a year. Bring the government to the people.
• Move Board of Supervisor Public Session start times from 6 P.M. to 7 P.M. to accommodate the work schedule of our citizens.
• Hold regularly scheduled town hall meetings to allow the citizens to directly address their issues and concerns to the elected officials.

Duane Adams, 16 year resident of Louisa County, is the Republican nominee for the Mineral District Board of Supervisors seat. Duane is married to Susan Adams and has two sons Dakota and Tyler, both graduates of Louisa County High School, and one granddaughter, Raylin. Duane has worked in the insurance industry for 36 years and operates a local lawn care company.

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One of my priorities for the Mineral District would be to encourage an Urgent Care facility to locate within our district. This long overdue facility would serve both our full time residents and the many visitors to the Lake Anna area.

A great alliance to move this project forward would be the Louisa County Department of Economic Development, the Lake Anna Business Partnership and Louisa County Chamber of Commerce

Last Wednesday night the Louisa Board of Supervisors cost you $8,000. I will question every dollar the county spends.