The Henrico County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to elect Brookland District Supervisor Daniel J. Schmitt as its chair for the upcoming year. The relatively new Fairfield District Supervisor Roscoe Cooper III will serve as the board’s vice chair.
Schmitt was nominated by the outgoing chair, Tyrone Nelson who presides over the Varina District.
Schmitt is in his second term having first been elected to the board in November 2018. He also served as vice chair this past year.
Henrico Board of Supervisors from left to right: Daniel J. Schmitt, Brookland; Tyrone E. Nelson, Varina; Misty Roundtree of Three Chopt – elected as Misty Whitehead; Jody K. Rogish, Tuckahoe; and Roscoe D. Cooper III, Fairfield. Schmitt was unanimously elected as chair for the upcoming year.
“I’m humbled and I’m honored to have been elected chair of this Board of Supervisors for 2025. To my colleagues thank you for trusting me to lead this board and our county forward in our pursuit of what I know to be our shared priorities,” Schmitt said. “It is my intention to continuously build upon that trust in the days, weeks and months ahead.”
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He said that priorities for the board in 2025 would be “strikingly familiar” to anyone regularly watching the board.
Schmitt said the board would focus on disciplined management and fiscal prudence; prioritize education through funding, actions and presence within the schools; reinvest in sidewalks, pedestrian infrastructure and public utility systems; support public safety departments in protection of neighborhoods and businesses; and enhance quality of life through improvements to parks and recreation programing.
Schmitt also praised Nelson as an important leader for the county over the past year, saying that he was the “ideal person at the ideal time” to serve in that capacity.
In his outgoing remarks, Nelson said one of the board’s biggest accomplishments over the past year was using revenue from data centers to create the $60 million affordable housing trust fund, which aims to build more affordable housing across the county.
“New affordable homes are already coming to both Varina and Tuckahoe districts, and our fund is attracting attention as a model, a local solution to a national problem,” Nelson said.
He also championed the county’s “nonstop” construction on pedestrian safety improvements, expansion of broadband to underserved areas, collaboration on an emergency shelter for extreme weather and expanded transit service, among other projects.
Henrico also made expansions in parks over the past year where it built a championship pickleball complex at Pouncey tract park, opened the sprawling 99-acre Taylor Farm Park in Sandston and purchased over 2,000 acres of rural and historical land for preservation and recreation.
Nelson praised the board for working together cohesively over the past year without considering political parties.
“I respect the fact that we respect each other,” Nelson said. “We have, we are, and we will always look to each other as human beings first, before we judge based on politics.”
Last year was the first time in decades, possibly a century, that Henrico had a board where a majority of the candidates were Democrats. Nelson and three recently elected supervisors Cooper, Misty Roundtree of Three Chopt – elected as Misty Whitehead – and Jody Rogish of Tuckahoe, are all Democrats. Schmitt is the only Republican on the board.
Roundtree referenced the “monumental change” of the board in the last election and that she had spoken with Schmitt about leading the board over the coming year.
“I shared my thoughts on leadership and the dynamic, and we really weren’t that far off with the big picture things,” Rountree said. “I believe my colleagues and I am confident and comfortable after my discussion with (Schmitt).”
Cooper was elected to serve as the vice chair for the upcoming year and made no public remarks. Cooper previously served as the Fairfield District School Board member for 7 years before being elected as a supervisor in 2023.
Updates | Coverage of Richmond water outage from The Times-Dispatch
This is continuing coverage of the water outage in the Richmond region.
Coming off a six-day water crisis, Richmond officials on Saturday morning declared the city’s water supply safe to drink, leaving restaurants, coffee shops, markets and more thrilled to get back to serving the community.
How a meager snowstorm could cripple Richmond's water supply for six calendar days is still being investigated. Here's a timeline of how the events unfolded.
Richmond was engulfed in a water crisis this week that provoked an eerie reminder of lessons learned — or not — from when Hurricane Isabel swept into Virginia in 2003.
This is updated coverage of the water outage across Richmond.
Your turn: How has the water outage had an impact on your life? Tell us your story
How Richmond-area companies are navigating office safety amid boil water advisories
For 8 years, city put off replacement of part that caused water outage
The part is at least two decades old, plant staff said on Friday.
The Richmond water crisis that’s delaying the General Assembly's work has given new urgency to an issue – drinking water and water policy – that’s been simmering for years.
We're speaking to residents and business owners about how the water outage in the Richmond area has had an impact on daily lives. Tell us your information and we may contact you for an upcoming story.
Some Richmond area restaurants have started to reopen, while others remained closed, waiting for the boil water advisory to be lifted. The reasons for both are complex.
Companies around the Richmond area have taken different approaches to navigating the turbulent water crisis that’s left water across the area …
Mayor Danny Avula said the failure of an automatic "switch-gear" that would've transferred the city's water treatment plant to its primary backup power source failed during Monday afternoon's blackout.
Due to the ongoing water crisis, VCU men's basketball and Richmond women's basketball played without fans on Wednesday.
In the days since the collapse of Richmond’s public drinking water utility, two separate documents have emerged that appear to indicate infrastructure problems at the city’s water treatment plant were well-known.
Texas Inn and Abi's Books and Brews supply water to locals during Richmond crisis
Richmond's water problems linger, and the repercussions are being felt in the neighboring counties of Hanover and Henrico.
And as was the case in the days of sports during COVID, the dichotomy of athletic entertainment and human suffering was laid bare.
Mayor Danny Avula said Wednesday that Richmond's boil water advisory would likely not be lifted until Friday.
“This is a great example of what RPS does for communities," said school board member Matthew Percival. "It’s not just about the schools, it’s about being the glue in the communities."
Officials stressed that the boil water advisory is a "precaution." Parts of the Henrico system were reopened to the troubled Richmond water utility Wednesday afternoon.
Some joked about not showering as others shrugged and just said stuff happens. Virginia legislators pledged to finish their work on time despite a delay caused by Richmond's water crisis.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin speaks about the Richmond water boil advisory, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025.
VCU Athletics announced on Wednesday afternoon that tonight's men's basketball game against Fordham at the Siegel Center will be played without spectators due to the ongoing water outage in Richmond.
Their tractor-trailers carry 6,200 gallons. But that's only enough to supply VCU Medical Center for one hour.
Samuel B. Parker gives an update on the water boil advisory in Richmond.
House Speaker Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, expects a "boring session" of the General Assembly to begin on Wednesday, but that may be wishful thinking.
County Manager John Vithoulkas: "I want to personally apologize, because I am the county manager, and the mantra is that accountability stops with leadership."
County Manager John Budesky said all addresses east of Interstate 95 should conserve water if it is available to them. A boil water advisory is in effect for those residences.
Lawmakers will meet briefly on Wednesday, the first day of the 46-day General Assembly session, then will adjourn until Monday morning, when Gov. Glenn Youngkin will deliver his State of the Commonwealth address.
Here's what residents should do next after a weather-related power failure resulted in the water level in the Richmond reservoir system to run low on Monday, triggered a boil water alert.
Richmond Sheriff's Deputies deliver water to Midtown Green, one of the city's water distribution sites, on Jan. 7, 2025.
The city of Richmond is partnering with the sheriff's office and the American Red Cross to distribute bottled water in "high priority areas — including homeless services providers, public housing, and residences that house older adults."
Mayor Danny Avula on Tuesday morning discusses the efforts of crews to repair Richmond’s water treatment plant.
The cascading series of events began early Monday morning, when a power outage brought on by snow and ice caused Richmond’s water treatment plant to flood, taking the system offline.
Officials on Monday afternoon issued a boil advisory and "strongly encourage(d)" Richmond residents to "limit water usage" after a power outage impacted the city's water utilities, leading to widespread outages.
Officials have announced bill and tax payment deadline extensions for residents and business owners in the wake of the city's six-day water crisis.
As restaurants in the Richmond area reopened through the weekend and into this week, owners are tallying up what they lost last week due to the shutdown.
Framed by sharp criticism of Richmond for last week’s water crisis, Senate Republicans want to require a director of water utilities to have a professional qualification, most likely an engineering degree.
A pump at Richmond's James River water treatment plant stopped working overnight, the city said Tuesday, a week after a six-day water outage c…
"There probably are other skills that have emerged as what we need in terms of oversight at the water treatment plant," the mayor said.
Hanover wanted to become less reliant on other localities to meet its water demands. One of its plans was ultimately deemed to expensive, while another was fought off by county residents.
Records show officials in 2017 declined two bids from contractors who offered to upgrade the water treatment plant’s switchgear — the component that failed during a power outage on Jan. 6.
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