Engage Louisa is a nonpartisan newsletter that keeps folks informed about Louisa County government. We believe our community is stronger and our government serves us better when we increase transparency, accessibility, and engagement.
For the latest information on county meetings, including public meetings of boards, commissions, authorities, work groups, and internal county committees, click here.
Monday, July 6
Louisa County Board of Supervisors, Public Meeting Room, Louisa County Office Building, 1 Woolfolk Ave., Louisa, 6 pm. The board will convene in closed session at 5 pm. (agenda packet, livestream)
Wednesday, July 8
Louisa County Water Authority, 23 Loudin Lane, Louisa, 6 pm.
Thursday, July 9
Louisa County Planning Commission, long-range planning work session, Public Meeting Room, Louisa County Office Building, 1 Woolfolk Ave., Louisa, 5 pm. (agenda packet, livestream)
Louisa County Planning Commission, Public Meeting Room, Louisa County Office Building, 1 Woolfolk Ave., Louisa, 7 pm. (agenda packet, livestream)
Friday, July 10
Tourism Advisory Committee, Louisa County Office Building, 1 Woolfolk Ave., Louisa, 2 pm.
Other meetings/events
Monday, July 6
Mineral Town Council, special meeting, Mineral Town Hall, 312 Mineral Ave., Mineral, 6:30 pm.
“Unlike traditional funding methods that rely primarily on property taxes, this approach broadens the funding base by allowing residents, visitors, commuters, and others making taxable purchases within the County to contribute toward eligible school capital projects.”
-Deputy County Administrator Chris Coon in a memo to the board of supervisors, discussing a potential one percent hike in the sales and use tax to fund school construction. The levy would require approval from voters, and the board on Monday night will consider whether to place a referendum on the ballot this November. Read more in the article below.
Engage Louisa is excited to welcome our summer correspondent, Roxie Pearl Beebe-Center. A Louisa County resident, Roxie is a rising fourth-year student at the University of Glasgow where she’s pursuing a double major in English Literature and Theology. Check out Roxie’s coverage of the upcoming Republican and Democratic primaries in the 5th Congressional District below. Thank you, Roxie, for sharing your talents with us this summer!
The Louisa County Board of Supervisors is eyeing a new tool to fund construction of the county’s fifth elementary school.
The board on Monday night will consider asking voters to weigh in on whether the county should add a penny to the 5.3-cent sales and use tax, which would be earmarked for school construction.
In a last-minute state budget deal approved in late June, lawmakers in Richmond gave localities the power to raise the sales tax by up to one percent to fund school capital projects so long as voters in the county or city where the tax would be levied approve the change in a ballot referendum.
Local governments for years have advocated for additional ways to raise revenue for costly school construction beyond real estate and personal property taxes, which provide the lion’s share of local funding. But, until last month, the General Assembly had only extended that power to nine localities, mostly in Southside Virginia.
Supervisors will consider advancing a resolution on Monday that authorizes the county to petition Louisa County Circuit Court to order a referendum for the November 3 General Election. Per state law, the court must green-light the ballot question at least 81 days ahead of Election Day. This year, that’s August 14.
School officials say the new school is necessary due to climbing enrollment with three of the county’s four elementary schools at or near capacity. The school board hasn’t said where it plans to build the facility, but a consulting firm in May recommended siting it in the center of the county, specifically on a 91-acre plot adjacent to the high school/middle school campus.
Supervisors included $3 million to begin planning for the school in last year’s Capital Improvement Plan and tentatively allotted $52 million for construction in the next fiscal year. The proposed resolution says money from the tax—should voters approve it—would be used for “eligible school capital projects, including the financing, design, construction, furnishing, and equipping of a new elementary school serving Louisa County Public Schools.”
In a memo to the board, Deputy County Administrator Chris Coon described the potential levy as a way to diversify funding sources for large capital projects and reduce the tax burden on property owners. He also emphasized that it would “preserve property tax capacity.”
“Every dollar generated through a dedicated sales tax is a dollar that does not need to be generated through another local revenue source,” Coon wrote.
The tax would be tacked on to the sale of most goods and some services, from the purchase of refrigerators and cleaning supplies to boat rentals and stays at overnight lodging. Per state law, it wouldn’t apply to “food for human consumption” or “essential personal hygiene products” like diapers and feminine products. “Food for human consumption” refers to most food purchased at a grocery or convenience store but excludes alcohol, tobacco and hot foods for immediate consumption.
“Unlike traditional funding methods that rely primarily on property taxes, this approach broadens the funding base by allowing residents, visitors, commuters, and others making taxable purchases within the County to contribute toward eligible school capital projects,” Coon wrote.
It’s unclear how much money the additional tax would generate for the school annually. The county currently receives one percent of the sales and use tax with the rest going to state coffers. In Fiscal Year 2027, the county’s share is expected to top $7.9 million, inclusive of the tax on groceries, which would generally be excluded.
It’s also unclear when the tax would sunset. State law requires the referendum to include a specific expiration date. If a locality intends to finance a capital project via bonds or loans, the date must coincide with the final payoff date. Otherwise, the governing body is authorized to choose a sunset date that isn’t more than 20 years beyond the effective date.
County officials have said they’d prefer to pay for the school in cash, as opposed to issuing 30-year school bonds, which can’t be paid off early. They’ve said paying cash is an option, thanks to anticipated revenue from data center development.
Draft ballot language included in the resolution reads: “Shall Louisa County be authorized to levy an additional one percent (1%) local sales and use tax for school capital projects, including the construction of a new elementary school serving Louisa County Public Schools, with the tax to expire on ________________, 2046?”
Coon said in his memo that the expiration date is a “placeholder for Board discussion and direction.”
If the referendum ultimately lands on November’s ballot and a majority of voters support it, the board would then pass an ordinance enacting the tax and set its effective date. Per state law, the levy must take effect on the first day of a month at least 120 days after its enacted.
Board to consider green-lighting $1.355 million budget supplement, mostly for raises for county, school employees
In other state budget-related action, the board on Monday night will consider green-lighting a $1.355 million budget supplement, mostly to cover the cost of raises for county and school employees.
The biennial state budget passed in late June includes a four percent pay hike for school employees and a three and a half percent raise for state-supported county employees for the current fiscal year—a slightly higher pay bump than the three percent allotted in the county’s budget.
The board’s Finance Committee, which includes Mineral District Supervisor Duane Adams and Jackson District Supervisor Toni Williams, recommends matching the state’s raise, which would require the extra money.
The state covers a portion of the salaries for some school and county employees and, in turn, would cover part of their raises. The county is on the hook for the entire pay hike for employees whose salaries aren’t subsidized by the state.
Of the $1,355,480 supplement, $714,000 would go to school staff with the remainder allotted for county employees. Roughly $587,000 would come from state funding with the rest coming from county coffers. To cover its share, the board would tap $492,000 left over from the FY26 budget and pull $276,000 from long-term capital reserves.
Aside from budget-related matters, the board will consider a relatively crowded agenda on Monday night, including five public hearings.
Board to hold public hearing on CUP requirements for humanitarian shelters
After a lengthy delay, the board of supervisors on Monday night will hold a public hearing on whether to require churches and other entities, regardless of their zoning, to obtain a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) to provide overnight shelter to unhoused community members or others temporarily in need of a place to stay.
The proposed code amendments would require applicants to meet a range of regulations to open their doors as overnight shelters, from detailing intake processes to documenting how they’ll address “adverse impacts” on neighbors.
The public hearing comes nearly a year after the planning commission recommended imposing the restrictions over strong resistance from representatives of the Louisa Homeless Coalition (LHC), who argued the rules should exempt churches, and objections from the Rutherford Institute, a right-leaning organization that advocates for religious liberty.
In a letter to the commission, two attorneys from the Charlottesville-based legal advocacy group, which litigates cases involving constitutional rights and civil liberties, said the proposal risks violating churches’ constitutional protections and state and federal law. They contended there’s no compelling government interest in requiring churches to obtain a CUP to operate a shelter, and local government should get out of the way and allow congregants to minister to “the least of these.”
Louisa’s county attorney, Patricia Smith, said prior to the commission’s hearing that she “didn’t find any legal issues” with the proposed amendments.
Commissioners for months had grappled with how to define “homeless shelter” in county code and what restrictions to place on the use. The discussion was sparked after advocates with LHC asked county officials to loosen a provision in its current code that requires a CUP to operate a homeless shelter in some zoning designations, including A-2 zoning, which is home to most of the county’s churches. Code currently calls a homeless shelter an “emergency shelter.”
LHC pushed for the change in hopes of launching a program modeled after People and Congregations Engaged in Ministry (PACEM) in Charlottesville, where a rotating group of churches offer overnight shelter to unhoused community members during the coldest months of the year.
LHC ran a pilot program two winters ago, but volunteers said their efforts were hampered by the county’s CUP requirement. They requested that the county carve out churches from the permit requirement—at least during harsh weather. Some residents argued at public meetings that churches are willing to provide a service that the county won’t provide, and local government should allow congregants to act on their faith without intrusion.
But the commission mostly shrugged off those arguments, instead recommending code amendments that tightly regulate overnight shelters regardless of who’s pursuing the use.
The proposed amendments, which the board is slated to consider on Monday, would remove the definition of “emergency shelter” from code, replace it with a definition for “humanitarian shelter,” which county staff says is more inclusive, and permit the use with a CUP across the county.
The draft ordinance defines humanitarian shelter, in part, as “a facility that provides temporary shelter and basic services to individuals or families without requiring leases or occupancy agreements.”
To obtain and retain a CUP, churches and other entities would be required to have an authorized representative on site whenever the shelter is operating; provide written documents detailing intake and screening policies and procedures; provide information about any partnerships with providers of supportive services like mental health care and substance abuse services; provide a narrative explaining how they’d avoid “adverse impacts on surrounding properties and uses;” and provide a point of contact to respond to community concerns, among other requirements.
The proposal would generally allow a humanitarian shelter only as an accessory or ancillary use but wouldn’t explicitly prohibit standalone shelters. The draft states that standalone facilities “may raise additional considerations and should be discussed with staff during the application process.”
The proposed ordinance includes one significant change from the draft recommended by the planning commission: it would allow churches and non-profits to provide overnight shelter, sans a CUP, during a state or locally declared state of emergency. States of emergency are typically called due to the threat of severe weather or in the aftermath of a severe storm or catastrophic event.
Board to consider MOUs for turf field use, other Parks and Rec rental fees
After pushback from two prominent youth sports leagues, who argued proposed fees to use a pair of new turf fields behind Louisa County Middle School would make them inaccessible, supervisors on Monday night will consider approving Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) that would instead govern the leagues’ use of the facilities.
County staff in early April recommended that the county charge $30 an hour, with a minimum two-hour reservation, for use of each field and another $10 to use the lights. The fees would’ve applied to any entity not directly affiliated with Louisa County Parks and Recreation (LCPR) or Louisa County Public Schools (LCPS). In keeping with current county policy, staff said that qualifying community-based organizations would get a 50 percent discount.
Staff said the fees were necessary to protect the taxpayer-funded assets, contributing to the cost of their upkeep and supervision. The board of supervisors spent more than $6.6 million on the fields, a project that spiraled about $2.8 million over budget.
But representatives of the Louisa Youth Athletic Association (LYAA), the county’s lone tackle youth football league, and the Louisa Area Soccer Association (LASA), argued that, even with the discount, the fees would cost them thousands of dollars more than the $5 to $10 a day they currently pay to use the county’s grass fields.
Covering those costs, representatives of the leagues said, would require substantial hikes in their registration fees. Both leagues said they try to keep registration fees low to ensure kids can participate.
In response to those concerns, supervisors directed staff to negotiate MOUs with the leagues that reduced the fees while establishing guardrails for the fields’ use.
The proposed MOUs up for consideration on Monday would require LYAA and LASA to pay $625 per season for use of both turf and grass fields and set access limits for practices and game days. Both leagues would incur per-use charges if they requested additional time on the fields. LYAA plays football in the fall while LASA has a spring and fall soccer season. (LASA MOU, LYAA MOU)
Both leagues would have the option to reduce their fees through partnerships with LCPR for clinics, tournaments or other community events.
The draft agreements also require the leagues to carry $1 million in commercial liability insurance per occurrence and $2 million in aggregate.
Beyond the MOUs, the board will consider adopting a broader package of rules, procedures, policies and fees for LCPR and LCPS-owned facilities available for public use through the Parks and Rec Department. The package includes proposed rental fees for the facilities, rules and regulations governing their use and reservation applications. The fee schedules establish charges for residents and non-residents with the latter paying double for most fields. (policies and fee schedules)
While the MOUs significantly reduce the cost to use the turf fields for LYAA and LASA, the proposed fee schedule hikes the charges for community members not affiliated with either league. Under the proposal, residents reserving one of the fields for an hour would be on the hook for $75 to $85 plus $10 if they use lights. Staff initially proposed a $30 per hour rental fee with a minimum two-hour reservation.
Fees to access other facilities would mostly remain flat for folks who live in the county, including $5 to $10 daily charges for grass fields; $50 to rent the Betty Queen Center (BQC) Great Room with a three hour minimum; and $40 to use the pavilions at the Louisa Town Park, Buckner-Bumpass Park and BQC for three hours. The fee for the BQC meeting room, however, would jump from $20 to $50 an hour.
The fee schedule also includes a $250 per day fee for use of the Louisa Fairgrounds. The county in December inked a MOU with the Louisa Volunteer Fire Department, which owns the fairgrounds, enabling it to control the facility for the next 10 years free of charge.
The county would require $1 million in commercial liability insurance per occurrence and $2 million in aggregate for community-based sports organization. Currently, it requires $300,000 in liability insurance to access sports facilities.
The county presently offers a 50 percent discount on rentals, excluding pavilions, for county employees and community-based groups that meet two of three criteria: they’re a 501 3(c) nonprofit; they serve the youth or elderly; and/or they’re free and open to the public. The proposed facility use package doesn’t appear to include that policy.
Supes to consider adding 520 acres to AFDs
Louisa County’s Agricultural and Forestal Districts continue to grow.
Already this year, supervisors have voted to expand the county’s AFDs by about 4,900 acres. On Monday night, they’ll consider tacking on another 520 to four of the 14 districts. Those districts include the Cuckoo AFD in southeastern Louisa; the Green Springs AFD in western Louisa; and the Gold Mine Creek and Ellisville AFDs in the northwestern part of the county.
AFDs are a conservation tool that allow landowners to voluntarily prohibit development on their property for 10-year periods. In return, participating parcels are assured enrollment in the Use Value Taxation program, colloquially referred to as “land use.” The program places a special assessment on land used for agriculture, horticulture or forestry based on its “use value,” instead of its fair market value, translating into substantially lower tax bills.
In addition, AFDs place limits on local governments’ ability to enact ordinances that “would unreasonably restrict or regulate farm structures or farming and forestry practices,” per state code.
Since joining county staff last September, Agricultural Development and Land Conservation Coordinator Maggie Brakeville has prioritized growing the districts. Brakeville was hired to identify ways to preserve working rural lands as the county experiences significant residential and industrial growth.
The county is on track to break the record for the most acres added to AFDs in a single year. That standard was set in 1998 when the districts grew by 9,693 acres. Assuming Monday’s additions are approved, the board will have green-lit nearly 5,400 acres worth of additions this year with another roughly 4,400 moving through the public approval process, good for a total of 9,778.75 acres. If all the additions move forward, the land enrolled in AFDs countywide will top 41,000 acres.
The Louisa County Planning Commission on Thursday will hold a pair of meetings. At 5 pm, commissioners will hold a work session where they’ll continue a discussion of proposed growth management and rural preservation tools and address how “campground” should be defined in county code. At the regular 7 pm meeting, the commission will hold four public hearings with 3 focused on expanding Agricultural and Forestal Districts and one on a rezoning that would clear the way for the creation of a family subdivision.
Commission to discuss growth management, rural preservation tools at work session
At its pre-meeting work session, the planning commission will continue a months-long discussion of potential changes to county code aimed at slowing residential growth and protecting working rural land, delving into the details of a pair of proposed rural preservation programs.
The board of supervisors earlier this year tasked commissioners with identifying ways to curb new home construction, especially outside of the county’s designated growth areas, and to preserve farmland in the face of steady population growth.
According to the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service, the county currently ranks as the fourth fastest growing locality in the state, based on percentage of population growth. Since the 2020 census, it’s grown more than 12 percent, adding about 1,000 residents a year.
Those stats have alarmed board members who argue that the influx of newcomers—and new home construction—is threatening the community’s rural character, usurping farmland and growing the budget, thanks to the escalating demand for services.
As evidence, Deputy County Administrator Chris Coon has said that the county’s adding about 430 homes per year with just over half being built outside of growth areas. Coon has also highlighted climbing school enrollment, especially at the elementary school level, where three of four schools or at or near capacity. The board is planning to start construction of a fifth elementary school in the next three years with an estimated price tag of at least $55 million.
Led by a two-man work group, comprised of Cuckoo District Commissioner George Goodwin and Mountain Road District Commissioner Todd Hicks, the planning commission has been crafting what it describes as a “holistic” growth management and rural preservation plan that combines significant changes to the zoning code aimed at slowing growth with tools and incentives designed to channel the growth that does occur away from rural parcels to areas where there’s infrastructure to support it.
Staff has identified breaking up large tracts of land into smaller pieces as a key indicator of future residential development and emphasized that it fragments farmland, making it more difficult to maintain large agricultural operations. In turn, the work group has proposed limiting property owners’ ability to divide land by increasing the minimum lot size for new parcels in agricultural zoning (A-1 and A-2) outside of growth areas from 1.5 acres to as many as 15 and upping road frontage requirements for new lots from 200-300 feet to 450. They also recommended limiting divisions to once every two to five years.
To incentivize landowners not to develop property in rural areas, the commission and county staff have discussed establishing a pair of rural preservation programs: a termed purchase of development rights (PDR) initiative, in which landowners voluntarily pause development on their property for a set period and, in return, receive cash compensation from the county; and a transfer of development rights (TDR) program, which allows landowners in agricultural areas to sell their division rights to folks looking to develop property in growth areas.
“Together, these tools provide a balanced approach to land preservation. PDR provides a direct, near-term financial incentive for landowners to limit development, independent of market demand. TDR provides a long-term, market-based mechanism to shift development potential to more appropriate locations. Both tools reduce pressure to subdivide rural land. Both tools reinforce the County’s broader growth management strategy by preserving rural land while supporting growth in designated areas,” a memo included in the meeting materials says.
The commission is expected to dig into both initiatives on Thursday. The memo offers some insight into how the programs could work.
PDR program
The termed PDR program would build on the county’s Agricultural and Forestal Districts (AFD), a conservation tool that allows landowners to voluntarily prohibit development on their property for 10-year periods, and, in exchange, ensures the property’s enrollment in the Use Value Taxation program, colloquially referred to as “land use.” The program places a special assessment on land used for agriculture, horticulture or forestry based on its “use value,” instead of its fair market value, translating into substantially lower tax bills.
The termed PDR initiative would up the ante for choosing preservation, making landowners with agriculturally zoned property that’s enrolled in an AFD, but not already in a conservation easement, eligible for annual compensation from the county. The potential compensation would be calculated by multiplying the parcel’s assessed value by the real estate tax rate, currently 72 cents per $100. For example, a 30-acre parcel that’s assessed at $100,000 would qualify for a $720 cash payment.
The program would require participating landowners to sign a contract with the county, which would mostly limit enrolled property to farming and forestry-related endeavors. The memo says the county could establish minimum acreage thresholds for participation.
County officials have said they intend to fund rural preservation efforts by tapping anticipated revenue from data center development though they haven’t publicly discussed exactly how much funding a termed PDR program could receive.
Depending on how much money is available and how many landowners sign up, the county could implement a competitive process to determine which parcels qualify for compensation, per the memo, prioritizing “properties providing the greatest long-term preservation benefit.”
Parcels would first be scored based on their road frontage, then total acreage, then available residential division rights, with the parcels that score highest winning funding. Parcels that don’t initially qualify could remain in the queue should more funding become available.
In previous public discussions, staff has said that, while the program offers short-term preservation incentives, it’s designed to serve as a bridge to long-term measures, like conservation easements, which generally preserve property in perpetuity.
TDR program
While the PDR program would allow for direct payments from the county to landowners, the TDR program would take a market-centered approach in which landowners with property in agricultural areas could sell their division rights to developers hoping to pursue projects in growth areas, essentially limiting future development on the rural parcel while directing growth where the county prefers it.
Following procedures laid out in state code, the county would establish sending zones, where division rights could be sold or retired, and receiving zones where developers could buy them, with the former encompassing property in rural areas, primarily A-1 and A-2 zoned land outside of growth areas, and the latter taking in land in growth areas, including parcels zoned agricultural and residential.
Coon said last month that property owners with land in a sending zone who want to sell one or multiple by-right divisions would notify the county. They’d then be placed on a list that would be provided to developers interested in acquiring division rights and could sell them if they chose.
Per the memo, developers wishing to build houses on agriculturally zoned property in a growth area could double its by-right development capacity via the TDR program. The acquisition of one division right from a sending zone parcel would be good for one additional division in the receiving zone.
Under current A-2 zoning, for example, property can generally be divided into seven pieces, provided they meet minimum lot size requirements. If a landowner sold a development right on a sending zone parcel, it would reduce its by-right development potential to six while increasing it by one on the receiving parcel. If a developer bought seven division rights for a receiving zone parcel, they could build 14 houses, instead of seven.
For residentially zoned property (R-1, R-2) inside growth areas, the work group recommends upping the minimum lot size for residential development from 1.5 acres to 2.5 acres. Via the TDR program, developers could acquire division rights, which would allow them to lower the minimum to 1.5 acres on parcels reliant on wells and septic systems, and to 40,000 square feet, or just under an acre, where public utilities are available. Each retired division right from a sending parcel would allow one additional dwelling unit over what’s allowed by-right on the receiving parcel, per the memo, up to a 100 percent increase.
For Planned Unit Developments (PUD), generally dense, mixed-use projects, the work group recommends dramatically lowering by-right density, from 10 dwelling units per acre (DUA) to just .75 with the possibility of raising it to 1.25 DUA via the TDR program and 1.75 DUA via a combination of TDRs and the incorporation of community benefits identified by the county like workforce housing or infrastructure improvements.
Staff has said that lowering residential density thresholds in designated growth areas is necessary to facilitate the TDR program while also arguing that concerns about increasing the costs of housing by reducing development in rural areas could be, in part, offset by creating dense and diverse housing in growth areas.
The county’s ability to facilitate more affordable housing options in growth areas could hinge on whether the TDR program is successful. Otherwise, the proposed changes could contribute to soaring housing costs with most new homes consisting of single-family dwellings on estate-style lots.
TDR programs have gained little traction elsewhere in the state. Only three localities have a TDR ordinance in their code: Arlington, Stafford and Frederick Counties in Northern Virginia. Over a decade, Arlington completed only 10 TDR transactions.
The commission could consider the entire growth management and rural preservation package at a public hearing as soon as next month, according to Coon. The board of supervisors could consider the package in September or October.
Other business
Aside from discussing growth management tools the commission will consider other business. Here’s a quick roundup.
Commission to talk campgrounds: At its work session, the commission will discuss changing the definition of campground in county code to address the demand for temporary workforce housing, driven by workers coming to the county for periodic refueling outages at Dominion’s North Anna Power Station and temporary construction jobs. The commission will consider creating a pair of definitions for the use: one that regulates large campgrounds and another that addresses smaller venues with no more than three campsites. The discussion will include both how to define the uses, where to permit them and what regulations should apply. (draft ordinance)
Commission to consider rezoning for family subdivision: At their regular monthly meeting, which kicks off at 7 pm, commissioners will hold a public hearing and consider whether to recommend to the board of supervisors approval of Shaun Brown’s request to rezone, from General Commercial (C-2) to Agricultural (A-2), 12.98 acres off Fredericks Hall Road (Route 618) about two miles outside the Town of Mineral (tax map parcel 44-58). Brown purchased the property to create a family subdivision for his two sons and nephew before learning the subdivision is prohibited in commercial zoning. In voluntary proffers attached to the rezoning request, Brown agreed to limit divisions of the property to three in addition to the residue parcel and to require his sons and nephew to retain their parcels for at least 15 years, instead of the five currently required under the county’s family subdivision rules.
Commission to hold public hearings on expanding AFDs: Commissioners will hold three public hearings on expanding Agricultural and Forestal Districts, a conservation tool that allows landowners to voluntarily prohibit development on their property for 10-year periods. The commission will consider whether to recommend that the board of supervisors approve the addition of 33 acres, covering three parcels, to the Gold Mine Creek AFD and 30.8 acres, encompassing one parcel, to the Ellisville AFD. Both districts are in northwestern Louisa County. The commission will also consider whether to recommend the creation of a new district: the Healing Springs AFD in southeastern Louisa. The district would include two parcels covering 841 acres. If approved by the board, it would be the county’s 15th AFD.
by Roxie Pearl Beebe-Center
Five candidates are on the ballot in the upcoming primary elections for Virginia’s 5th Congressional District, which includes Louisa County and all or part of 23 other localities in Central and Southside Virginia.
Virginia typically holds primaries on the third Tuesday in June. But the Democrat-controlled General Assembly pushed this year’s election back nearly two months—to Tuesday, August 4—to accommodate a late-game effort to redraw the state’s 11 congressional districts ahead of high-stakes midterm elections this fall. The Virginia Supreme Court ultimately upended that plan, leaving the current districts intact.
The August primary will feature both Republican and Democratic contests. Virginia has open primaries, meaning all registered voters can participate. But voters are only permitted to cast a ballot in one race with the winners squaring off in the November 3 General Election.
The 45-day early voting period kicked off June 18. In-person early voting is available at the Louisa County Office of Elections through Saturday, August 1. Voters can also request an absentee ballot by mail. On Election Day, August 4, polling places across Louisa County are open from 6 am to 7 pm. (Click here for more information about voting).
Republican primary
On the Republican side, one-term incumbent John McGuire III, a Goochland resident and former Navy SEAL, will face political newcomer and Louisa County resident Melanie Lucero.
McGuire ousted former Congressman Bob Good in a bitter Republican primary two years ago. His victory was aided by an endorsement from President Donald Trump, who was then running for his second term in the White House. McGuire secured another endorsement from Trump this year.
McGuire sits on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. On his campaign website, he defines himself as a “fearless, unapologetic, Christian conservative.”
Prior to serving in the House of Representatives, McGuire represented District 56 in the Virginia’s House of Delegates for six years and the 10th state Senate District for one, both of which included Louisa.
He positions himself alongside Trump and Republican leadership in Congress, and identifies tax cuts, reducing federal spending, fighting inflation and government overreach, as well as border security, as his central focuses.
McGuire cites the Wintergreen Emergency Egress Act, American Dream Act, and his support for the Working Family Tax Cuts bill as significant accomplishments in Congress. He has been criticized for his preference for “tele-town halls” over in-person meetings with constituents.
Further, McGuire has admitted to attending Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally on January 6, 2021, but maintains he didn’t participate in the subsequent attack on the U.S. Capitol.
In 2024, McGuire was the lone vote in the Virginia Senate against a bill that would raise the state’s legal marriage age from 16 to 18.
Lucero is a real-estate broker who resides on Lake Anna. Before founding The M Group, which lists residential real estate around the lake, Lucero served as an intelligence analyst in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Lucero’s campaign website states that she is “committed to the Trump agenda,” and she has focused her campaign on affordability, especially for farmers. Additionally, Lucero supports efforts to tighten immigration restrictions, pass legislation to cease all federal funding of abortions, protect the Second Amendment, maintain the Trump administration’s tariffs, and repeal the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare).
Lucero has previously stated that “career politicians are a joke,” claiming her status as a political newcomer sets her apart from McGuire and other Republican politicians.
Democratic primary
Three candidates are vying for the Democratic nomination: Former Congressman Tom Perriello of Charlottesville; Suzanne Krzyzanowski, a physician from Bedford County; and Louisa County resident and writer Rob Tracinski.
Perriello, who is widely regarded as the frontrunner in the race, previously served as the 5th District’s representative in Washington from 2009 to 2011 after defeating long-time Republican incumbent Virgil Good. At the time, Virginia’s congressional districts had different contours, and the 5th didn't include Louisa. Perriello mounted a gubernatorial campaign in 2017 that was ultimately unsuccessful.
Perriello’s current campaign emphasizes affordability for Virginia families. If elected, he says he’ll aim to double the minimum wage, expand paid medical leave, and further his support for the Affordable Care Act, which he voted for in 2010.
Perriello has openly criticized McGuire’s virtual town halls. While in Congress, he opposed a ban on assault weapons, supported sustainable energy, and voted for the Stupak-Pitts Amendment to the Affordable Care Act. The amendment would have prohibited the use of federal funds in health plans that include coverage for abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, or danger to the mother’s life. He has since been open about the fact that he regrets the vote, saying to Huffington Post in 2017 that it was “the worst vote of [his] career.”
After his stint in Congress, Perriello, in 2015, was appointed by then-President Barack Obama as Special Envoy to the Great Lakes Region of Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). He represented American interests in a region that encompasses the DRC, Rwanda, and Burundi, and concluded his role as U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan in January 2025.
Perriello touts endorsements from Gov. Abigail Spanberger, Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashimi and Virginia’s two U.S. senators, Mark Warner and Tim Kaine.
Krzyzanowski is a career family physician, who has practiced medicine in Central Virginia for two decades. With her background in healthcare, her campaign focuses on opposing Medicaid cuts resulting from the Trump Administration’s “Big Beautiful Bill.” Krzyzanowski’s website identifies a need for a “universal healthcare system that covers all our citizens.” She believes that an ideal universal healthcare system would help not only patients, but the economy—eliminating the need for costly “coders, billers and middle managers.”
On her campaign website, Krzyzanowski describes her Catholic faith as “fundamental to who I am” and asserts that a universal healthcare system is not out of reach for the United States, which she calls “the greatest country in the world.”
Tracinski is a writer and political commentator who was formerly part of the Tea Party, a right-wing movement that gained prominence in the early years of the Obama administration. In an interview with The Daily Progress earlier this year, Tracinski highlighted his less-progressive past as an advantage should he make it to the General Election. He contended it would help him appeal to “the more conservative areas of the 5th District.”
In his campaign announcement, Tracinski cited the Trump administration, which he believes is “out-of-control” as his motivation for running. His most recent book, published last September, is titled Dictator from Day One: How Donald Trump Is Overthrowing the Constitution and How to Fight Back. A blurb on Amazon describes the book as “the story of America’s political devolution from a free society to an authoritarian dictatorship.” Dictator From Day One outlines the “five prongs of [President Trump’s] attack on the American system,” per the promotional material.
If elected, Tracinski says he’ll seek to restore checks and balances in government, “defend free speech,” end trade wars, reform healthcare, build more housing, and lower college costs. His website condemns “abusive, lawless immigration enforcement” and proposes facilitating legal immigration as an alternative.
Candidates in both the Republican and Democratic primaries have emphasized voter frustration around the rising cost of living.
The 5th District is the state’s largest district geographically and could prove to be a competitive race in November’s General Election.
Roxie Pearl Beebe-Center is a Louisa County resident and rising fourth-year student at the University of Glasgow where she’s studying English Literature and Theology.
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