Government

For 28 years, U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher divided his time between the mountains of Southwest Virginia and the ornate buildings on Capitol Hill.
By all accounts, the long-serving congressman’s roots and life in the 9th District thoroughly influenced his work in Washington — and vice versa.
Boucher was known on Capitol Hill for his work on the cutting edge of technology and telecommunications, and he consistently tried to use that knowledge to build a 21st century economy in Southwest Virginia.

A national wave of anti-incumbent voter anger in November helped to sweep Rep. Rick Boucher out of office after 28 years in the House of Representatives.
Yet his exemplary career argues strongly for the advantages of incumbency to his Virginia district and to the nation.
Boucher’s intelligence, vision and passion for public service have been a powerful weapon for the people of the 9th Congressional District against the barriers their beloved Appalachian Mountains present to economic development.

Thirty-one years is a long time to be employed by any one organization, and Grayson County made a point to recognize a retiring employee with that tenure during its regular meeting Dec. 8.
Gena Hackler, who has served as the county’s assessor since 1997, has taken advantage of the county’s deferred retirement plan and was honored earlier this month by the board of supervisors.

I would like to thank all our local government entities, including the Virginia/North Carolina Water Authority, for taking time to hear discussion on the fluoridation issue.
I would like to point out that there was never any intention to cast aspersions at the honesty of any of our local officials, nor was there any question of their loyalty to their citizens and their duties of office.
We deeply appreciate the work you do and realize that in cases like this, it probably feels like a thankless job.