Jane Fulk concluded her six-month tenure as the interim supervisor for the Dan River District at the Nov. 18 Patrick County Board of Supervisors meeting. She was appointed to the role in May following Brandon Simmons’ resignation.
Fulk, who chose not to seek reelection after her previous term ended in 2021, described the experience as “interesting,” particularly because of the dynamics of the current board.
“This board was the most unusual of the three Boards of Supervisors with which I worked,” she said. “The boards I worked with before, they might have words between each other in executive session, but when we come out in the public it was not like that. I don’t recall any board member ever saying anything derogatory about another board member in the four years I was on the board,”
Noting that while the members of a previous board didn’t agree all the time, and some members had some harsh words for other members while in executive session, “but when they came out of executive session and worked on what needed to be worked on for Patrick County, they worked for Patrick County’s good, not for their own agenda or the agenda of their buddies.
“I don’t remember a time that Locke Boyce put on his podcast anything derogatory about one of the board members,” she said, adding that the current board has sometimes handled situations unprofessionally, while other times they’ve been on target.
While there have been low points throughout her entire time on the board, Fulk said the lowest was perhaps in the last two months. “I didn’t feel like we were working together for a goal for Patrick County,” she said, adding that she believes “each one of them has the potential to do good for Patrick County, and I would like for them to do that. I really would.
“My biggest hope is that all the board will work together towards a common goal, and will be able to work with county administration towards the same goal,” Fulk said.
In retrospect, Fulk said she wishes she’d had more time to work with the Economic Development Authority (EDA) and help plot a path forward to attract economic growth in the county. “Without it, we’re in bad shape. Everything can’t rely on taxpayer money, personal and property tax money. You have to have businesses, and you have to have some growth,” she said.
Fulk added she hopes the hospital reopens under the new owners, even if it’s not exactly the model the county had before.
“If we can have something, it would help with our paid EMS (Emergency Medical Service) service and our volunteer EMS service,” she said.
While she came onto the board wanting to work with the other supervisors and help out, Fulk said she didn’t know if the board accomplished anything. “I hope I’ve been able to direct a little bit, I don’t think I done as much as I would have liked to have done,” she said.
When she looks back on her time as the interim supervisor in the Dan River District, Fulk said she will think about the fact the county was in fairly good financial shape.
“Right now, as far as monetary goes, it has been in the best. When I came on the board in 2018, our carryover funds were $2 million. The carryover funds for this year were $11 million,” she said. “I cannot say how it will be in June 2025, but when I came on the board this time, the financial shape was good.”
Following the November meeting, Andrew Overby assumed the position of Dan River District supervisor. Fulk said she believes Overby will serve the district and the county well.
