Brandon Simmons is stepping down as both chairman of the Patrick County Board of Supervisors and representative of the Dan River District, effective immediately. In his April 25 letter of resignation,
Simmons said he decided to put his family first.
Simmons, who first served one term on the Patrick County School Board and spent much of that as its elected chairman, said he feels “I have been of help in bringing many positive changes” in both capacities. “I have always put the citizens of Patrick County first in every decision that I have made.”
The decision to step down “isn’t an easy one. I have four children and the oldest two play sports at least five days per week and I help coach their teams,” Simmons wrote. “I cannot make time for both responsibilities, so I have chosen to put my family first.”
His two eldest children, aged 9 and 11, are involved in sports, with activities 5 to 7 days each week, and he also helps coach their teams. “It’ll be even more hectic when the other two (children) get older,” Simmons said of his youngest children, now aged 1 and 4.
“It has been challenging to make both work only to be present at meetings to hear much complaint(s) from people who obviously have all the answers but will not run for public office. Perhaps now that I am stepping down, some of those people will step up and run for the position,” he said. “I’ve tried to make it work, but I can’t find the time for both.”
In a phone interview last week, Simmons, who is 40, said he believes that family demands are the “biggest reason people don’t get into local government until they’re older or retired. I made it as long as I could.
“It’s hard enough trying to do the right thing and make time to fulfill my duties in that position, but to do that, make those sacrifices, and then get fussed at all the time? I won’t do it,” he said.
Those “people who have the time to stay on the Internet and do research, and have time to get on social media and complain,” Simmons asked, “why not run for office? I’m not saying that people ought to not complain, but they seem to have all the answers and solutions” even when board members try to explain their points of view.
Two of the most current issues are pay hikes for county employees and a request for additional funds from a local rescue squad.
At a glance, both issues seem like no-brainers, but Simmons said, “it’s not that simple,” and that is from someone “who fought harder the last three years for the volunteer squads than anybody” else on the board.
While he is unable to share specifics, Simmons said, “there’s been a lot of communication with that rescue squad to try and help, and all of those discussions are still in the works. There’s a lot more to it than people think, and there’s a lot more to think about when you make the decision.”
Noting that request “is just one recent scenario,” Simmons cited the solar farm debate as another recent example which prompted many people to attend board meetings to express opposition, while seemingly being convinced that others in the county – including many who have lived here longer – have a different view.
“There may have been 100 people to attend a meeting” to object, Simmons said, but in the case of the solar proposal, “the 200 to 300 people that I talked to in my district and in other districts, said that while they may not like it, it wasn’t their property,” and they did not object to it.
While he wishes the so-called ‘silent majority’ would attend the meetings and “voice their opinions,” most do not, Simmons said. Those who do speak during the public comment portion should educate themselves about the rules that govern the meeting and exercise proper decorum.
Instead, Simmons said some speakers try to bully and even threaten the board members. “One said they ‘were putting us on notice,’” Simmons said. “What does that even mean?”
Additionally, the board “is still working through problems and bad situations of the last 10 to 20 years, but we can’t fix things overnight,” Simmons said, adding that many previous boards “had no vision for the county or to move the county forward. We’re trying to fix all of that.”
The solar issue was another sticking point, Simmons said, and recalled that many “people at meetings asked about solar” before any projects were officially announced.
At that time, “a couple of board members and the county administrator at the time said no solar company was looking at Patrick County,” Simmons said, adding the board later learned that was incorrect, and that a company had filed its intent with state officials to locate a project in Patrick County.
The hospital issue was another hot topic, according to Simmons, who recalled that he was the one who publicly said the hospital would not open in the time frame cited by the new owners.
“A lot of things were brought to light then, including back door deals the board didn’t know about,” Simmons said, of information that included a former economic development director – who was a county employee also was accepting money from the owners of the hospital.
Simmons said paid rescue, or Station 8, is another example of the issues facing the current board.
“The biggest problem is when it started, it wasn’t planned for,” Simmons said.
He recalled that when the vote on a paid rescue squad service was taken, it “wasn’t even listed on the agenda,” Simmons said, adding those board members “knew the situation the county was in, and they brought it up and voted for it anyway.
“You can’t start an EMS service on $300,000 and a borrowed truck,” and lacking a plan to keep it going, he said. “Every decision I’ve made is what I thought was best for the county. What I don’t appreciate are previous board members” voicing their opposition about how the current board is handling an issue.
“I want to say to them, ‘if you had done this, or hadn’t done that, we wouldn’t be’” in whatever situation is being discussed, Simmons said, adding he also won’t miss the annual trips to see legislators while the General Assembly is in session.
“Going to Richmond is pointless,” he said. “Period. Whatever we talk about falls on deaf ears” with legislators from more urban areas. “We can’t get any help. Northern Virginia and Richmond forget that southern Virginia built northern Virginia, and many don’t care.”
All in all, Simmons said “one of the biggest things with all the complaining is that people act like they’re guaranteed something” like a job, good cell service, internet signal, healthcare, taxes, the viewshed, or changes of any sort.
Newcomers to the area who have done their homework “knew those issues when they moved here,” Simmons said. “I’m not saying that to be mean. I’ve been here all my life, and nobody is ever guaranteed anything.”
That is particularly true for those who may enjoy the beauty of adjacent areas, he said.
“I enjoy it too. The trees and fields are beautiful, but the people who bought that land have the right to do with it what they want,” Simmons said, adding “all this bickering amongst ourselves don’t help attract economic development, healthcare” or other improvements to the county.
Additionally, current laws restrict communications, and board members are prohibited from discussing much of the behind the scenes work, Simmons said.
“When you run for office, if you get elected, it ties your tongue,” Simmons said, and added the board has been as communicative as possible.
“We’ve had a lot of positive change lately, and we’ve been a lot more forward thinking” about the future ramifications when making decisions, Simmons said.
“Our new county administrator is getting her feet wet, trying to address” a host of issues left from previous administrations while responding to the ongoing issues, Simmons said, yet many are talking about the proposed budget and alleging “the county is going to break us.
“Well, the tax rate isn’t going up this year,” he said, adding that while there are proposed raises of 3 to 3.5 percent, some are mandated by the state and others are because the county is trying to be equitable to those who are not in positions that are partially funded by the state.
“We’re making adjustments because it’s hard to keep good” personnel, he said.
The relationship between the supervisors and the school board is “the best its been in a long, many years,” Simmons said. “We have one of the best school systems in the state and we fund them minimally. Imagine what it would be if we gave them more. Imagine what they could do.”
Pay also is “more in line with others in the same jobs” in localities similar to Patrick, Simmons said, “and if people will do their homework with the trash pickup situation, they’ll see it’ll be okay.”
“With the new board and new administrator, I think people have been kept more in the loop, but are we perfect? No. We’re a work in progress,” he said, and added the five board members “are not trying to be heroes” or draw attention to themselves. “They’re just trying to help the county. I hope only the best for the Board of Supervisors and Patrick County.”
Simmons’ term would have ended on Dec. 31, 2025. He had a combined total of 7-years on the top two boards in the county.
The board currently rotates the chairman post between its members. Doug Perry has been acting chairman in Simmons’ absence. Perry, of the Smith River District, became the vice-chairman in January.
