After his interview in January with Staunton City Council for a seat vacancy, Adam Campbell received much support from the community.
At the end of the January meeting, several community members spoke during public comment on his behalf for the council to choose him to fill the seat left suddenly vacant by Mayor Andrea Oakes.
“I was kind of blown away,” Campbell said of the unexpected support.
He officially announced he is running for council in November 2023, when the seat will be available again after Terry Holmes temporarily fills in.
At Gypsy Hill Park, in the pavilion nearest to the golf course entrance and across from the baseball field, Campbell will host a meet-and-greet on Sunday, April 30, with the community. From 3 to 5 p.m., he invites the community to come share with him and learn more about his candidacy for council.
Campbell grew up in Stafford County and earned a degree in landscape architecture from Virginia Tech, where he met his wife, Katie. The couple moved to Staunton in 2014 and have two sons, ages 12 and almost 9.
“This is a special community,” Campbell, Staunton District Planner for the Virginia Department of Transportation, said.
He served six years on Staunton’s planning commission. While the city has great successes, including a new funding formula for the school system and great parks and recreation programs, Campbell has ideas about improving the Queen City.
“I want to look for more opportunities [for grant funding],” he said.
He said that the city’s need to build a new Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Court is a rare opportunity.
“That’s a large public investment opportunity,” he said.
In his role with VDOT, Campbell said he has had a lot of opportunities to meet face-to-face with local officials and consider the city’s concerns. With VDOT, he helps assess the transportation needs and improvement opportunities for communities from Winchester to Lexington.
“I consider myself a great listener,” he said.
And he wants to spend his time between now and November hearing from the Staunton community about their needs.
He knows of the concerns regarding respect and collaboration between members of council before November’s election.
“You need to display those characteristics if you’re going to be in this position [on council],” Campbell said.
He hopes to increase public participation and input if elected to council by encouraging the public to share their concerns with council.
He would also like to see more regional collaboration, which he said might have helped with the need for a new Augusta County courthouse.
Campbell would like to see Staunton’s ability to provide culture partner with Waynesboro’s ability to provide outdoor fun, and bring more tourism to the area.
He is interested in Councilmember Brad Arrowood’s initiative to create housing opportunities in the city.
Staunton City residents will elect an individual on Nov. 7, 2023 to fill the seat left vacant by Oakes and temporarily filled by Holmes. The new council member will fill the seat for one year.
Related stories:
Staunton: Former City Council member Terry Holmes appointed to fill vacancy – Augusta Free Press
Staunton City Council to choose five candidates to interview for vacancy – Augusta Free Press
Civil service: Staunton voters will have tough choice in November – Augusta Free Press
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Rebecca Barnabi
