Candidate Profile: Robert S. Holloway, Jr. (York County Board of Supervisors, District 4)

Robert S. Holloway, Jr. is a candidate for the York County Board of Supervisors, District 4. His name will appear on the ballot on November 7, 2023.

He faces current Supervisor G. Stephen Roane, Jr.

10 On Your Side reached out to all of the candidates running in this race with specific questions. The responses below came directly from the candidate and are unedited. If you do not see the candidate listed with a profile, we did not receive one.

Name: Robert Holloway

Age: 67

Race: York County Board of Supervisors, District 4.

Party: Independent

Website: https://www.hollowayforsupervisor.com/

Biography: Lifelong York/Poquoson resident. Former police officer. Small business owner since 1981. Expert on Freedom Of Information Act.

Why are you running for this office?

I ask myself that every day.  My friends tell me that I have lost my mind.  That may be.

I have been an administrator for a private community FaceBook group since 2017 that is focused on bringing awareness to issues affecting the county.  In that time, I have worked to get candidates to run in our local elections.  In a county the size of York, we should have multiple candidates for every office.  We have Incumbents who have been in office for 24 years.  Their ideas are stale and self-serving. They quit caring about our citizens years ago.  We need candidates who want to work for our citizens as opposed to developers and their own agendas.  We no longer have Supervisors, we have power brokers.  

Accordingly, I decided to put up or shut up.  I have no interest in making a career out of being a County Supervisor, nor am I interested in using the seat as a stepping stone to higher political office. I have reached a point in my life where power and money are not important to me.  I have the time and resources to help my neighbors and friends. 

I want to do that.

What is the most important issue facing the county, and what is your position on it? 

What makes one issue more important than another?  I think that depends on who you ask.  

Going by the feedback we have received during the campaign, out-of-control development is on most citizens’ minds.   My most popular campaign sign has been the “Less Pavement, More Trees“ sign.  We cannot keep them in stock as they go out quickly.   Likewise, our messages on uncontrolled development get WAY more positive reactions than any other subject.  Poorly planned development has become a hot-button topic in York County. Our old and stale Supervisors have approved every rezoning that came before them for the past 22 years with one exception.  Our citizens want that to change and I want to help them make that happen.

What is the top challenge facing your district, and how would you address it? 

I don’t think my district has a top challenge that isn’t shared by every district.  In my opinion, the most challenging issue we face currently is the total lack of transparency on the part of our leaders.  Again, this is a county issue but every district’s residents are affected by it.  

Currently, the Princess Cruise Ships are on everyone’s mind.  Our citizens are desperate for facts and figures, but not one county official will share ANYTHING with them.  NOT ONE!  The majority of what’s known on the subject is info that has been obtained by several citizen groups that are using FOIA requests to get to the truth.  We have had to involve a private investigator to get answers about why this has been jammed down our throats.   

I suppose this makes our top challenge, electing leaders who will be HONEST with the citizens.

How do you feel about the politicization of public education? 

Politics in public schools is NEVER going away.  It doesn’t matter how we feel about it.  In every public school system, there are one or two factions who want to dictate what our children learn.  On the outside, we have parents who want and have the right to know what their kids are being taught.   People want their children to learn how to think for themselves, not what to think.  Experience has shown us that these sides are never going to agree, which leads to the election of school board members who strongly support one particular side over the other.   Of course it is going to be politicized. 

How do you plan to manage growth while also protecting the quality-of-life residents bought into?

As I said above, managing growth is what most of our citizens want.  It is also the main issue of my campaign.  The obvious way to manage growth is to stop with the rezonings that our LONGTIME board members have approved for 22 years.  What is the point of involving the citizens to create and regularly revise a Comprehensive Plan if they are going to ignore it EVERY time a developer comes in and promises them the moon and the stars.  Who do they work for?

More conservation areas, less traffic, and fewer kids stuck in overcrowded schools will increase the quality of life for everyone in our county.

What is your view on unlimited campaign contributions? Should that change? 

I would have to agree that a better-financed candidate will often beat a lesser-financed candidate regardless of his credentials.  However, who decides what a limit should be?  Every office is different.

How will you still value constituents and politicians with whom you disagree?

Every county citizen deserves equal representation.  That’s a given.  I’ve seen some vicious attacks from a few within the local political establishment this year.  I expected pushback, but I have been surprised by some of the rancor.  Folks desperate to hold onto power can become unpredictable when faced with the very real threat of losing control.  And as I’ve already said, I’m in this for the people.  I could care less about politics, but it is a necessary evil that I have to play the political game if I want to help my neighbors.