Floyd County Supervisor won’t run for re-election

Veteran Courthouse Supervisor Jerry W. Boothe said this week he will not seek re-election to the county board, citing a desire to devote more time to personal matters.

“It’s time to move on,” Boothe told The Floyd Press.

Boothe served for 12 years on the Board of Supervisors, beginning with a four-year term from 1994-98. He lost his bid for re-election but came back and won the seat again in 2001 and was re-elected to another term in 2005.

Boothe served as the sole Democrat on the board until Bill Gardiner won the Burk’s Fork seat in 2007. Republicans currently hold a 3-2 majority on the board.

Boothe said he notified Democratic leaders of his decision to step down from his board seat but no other candidates have yet announced an intention to run.

County Administrator Dan Campbell said Tuesday he was “taken aback” by Boothe’s decision to leave the board, calling the Courthouse supervisor “a tremendous help to me” when Campbell left the Galax City Manager’s job to take the county administrator post two-and-a-half years ago.

“Jerry always approached his job as supervisor in a studious manner,” Campbell said. “He came prepared, and he asked questions that needed to be asked. His loss will be felt on the board.”

Boothe ran for the General Assembly in 2007 as an independent candidate against Republican Charles D. Poindexter and Democrat Eric H. Ferguson. Ferguson lost the race to Poindexter by 2.5 percent, and some Democratic leaders blamed Boothe because he pulled in 9.5 percent of the vote.

As a supervisor, Boothe was the center of controversy earlier this year when he opposed an offer by the Floyd County Humane Society to provide help to the animal shelter.  He said he received “numerous” phone calls from residents of his district opposing the program and Supervisors voted 3-2 against the proposal.

Boothe has also been a watchdog on the budget for the Floyd County School system, questioning expenditures and monitoring the huge debt service that is a major part of the government’s budget. In 2008, he led a move to take part of the school system’s surplus from the previous year and use it to help pay the debt service on school construction.

“What I have always tried to do is protect the county on fiscal matters,” Boothe said. “We have a responsibility to the taxpayers of Floyd County to make sure their funds are spent in a responsible manner.”

Besides Boothe, Indian Valley Supervisor Fred Gerald is up for re-election this year. Gerald has not said if he intends to seek re-election, and no other candidates have yet emerged in that district.