James City County candidates' first run for office

Mar 18, 2025

Two James City County districts will see elections this November for board of supervisors and school board. Today we will talk to two of them who are political newcomers, Democrats Ti’Juana Gholson and Stephen “Ty” Hodges.

Republicans were surprised when 16-year Powhatan Supervisor Michael J. Hipple announced he would not seek re-election in November.

Running for his seat is Ti’Juana Gholson, a businesswoman who has a long history of service on local boards but has never run for office. Gholson is a business coach who also does event planning, leadership coaching and small and large group facilitation.

Ti’Juana Gholson with husband Lawrence Gholson II. (Williamsburg Watch photo)

Gholson said her big priority is to re-imagine the way the county encourages the creation of affordable housing. This, combined with attracting businesses with more good-paying jobs, will keep young people in the community.

“We keep looking at the same traditional thing, looking for this big developer to come and create (housing developments) for us, I’m totally against that,” she said. The county should look at manufactured homes and refurbishing homes that are in poor condition to create more housing options.

“I have three grandkids, “Gholson said. “I care about leaving them a thriving economy; I care about them actually having an industry to work in (so they won’t) leave here to go somewhere else and leave us older people with no one to care for us.”

She said she turned down the Democrats when they asked her to run three years ago but decided this time she needed to do more than just complain about things she didn’t like.

“I was going to run as an independent,” Gholson said. “You shouldn’t take for granted that just because I’m black I’m going to go Democrat.”

But when she realized how complex running a campaign would be, Gholson said she agreed to accept the Democrats’ support and run as a Democratic candidate.

The party is helping with a fundraiser on March 27, and is advertising on her behalf on social media, Gholson said.

Gholson said she needs “to go out, listen and hear what the people want and how they want me to represent them.”

She will be holding listening sessions next month and campaigning door to door with Jessica Anderson, the Democratic candidate for the 71^st District House of Delegates seat.

Gholson, who grew up in Chesterfield County, met her husband Lawrence when both were in their early teens. Lawrence is also a businessman and community volunteer and serves as president of the York-James City County-Williamsburg NAACP.

In neighboring Jamestown district, Democratic incumbent Jim Icenhour said he will be running for re-election. A Republican newcomer, John Slokovitz, is running against him, and is working to finalize his petition.

The Democrats also have a candidate for the Jamestown district of the Williamsburg-James City County School Board, 33-year-old Stephen “Ty” Hodges.

Hodges, who works for a multimedia company, moved to James City County a decade ago to work as a sports reporter. He and his wife Jessica have a two-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Nelly.

He said in the wake of last year’s election he made a commitment to himself “not to sit around and be upset for four years.”

Serving on the board of the schools his daughter will eventually attend can fulfill his itch for community service while “making sure the school system is in a good place,” Hodges said.

Hodges said schools need more funding to raise teachers’ pay, which will require some “uncomfortable conversations.”

A first time candidate, Hodges said he has been told it will cost about $20,000 to mount a successful campaign.

“I don’t intend to run a dirty race,” Hodges said. “I don’t want to get into the pettiness that often happens with this sort of thing.”

Collecting signatures for his election petition was “super illuminating and overall a good experience,” he said, with only one door slammed in his face.

Hodges said he plans to balance his public commitments as a school board member with the needs of his family, because his family “is the most important thing”.

Sarah G. Ortego, the current school board chair, represents Jamestown now and has not said if she will run for re-election.

Hodges said he intends to advocate for struggling students by pushing for more teachers and counselors, increased funding for special education programs and greater efforts to combat bullying.

He said students who are excelling in school also deserve more opportunities to do well.

James City County still has unbuilt, but approved housing units

People who complain about overbuilding in James City County may be surprised to learn there are still several residential subdivisions where a majority of the approved housing units have yet to be built.

The county has more than has 35,264 existing housing units for more than 82,000 residents.

These numbers come from Monday night’s meeting of the James City County Planning Commission, where Jack Haldeman was installed as chair of the group. Dr. Kira Allman was installed as vice chair.

Stonehouse Preserve and Summerplace have 25% or fewer of their 183 approved housing units built, the commission’s annual review showed. Stonehouse and Liberty Ridge have 25-50% of their 3,316 approved homes developed.

The county has been adding about 320 homes every year, according to the planning department’s report.

About two-thirds of those are single family and condominium homes, with the rest multifamily duplexes and townhomes and a handful of manufactured homes.

Budgets, budgets and more budgets!

Today will be a busy day for government budget meetings.

York County’s board of supervisors will review the county’s proposed budget tonight at 6 p.m. during their regular meeting. The meeting will be held at York Hall, 301 Main Street.

The Williamsburg-James City County School Board will hold a public hearing and discuss its proposed budget for 2026 this evening as well, following a closed-door session to discuss personnel matters that starts at 6 p.m. The meeting will be held in the James Blair Middle School Gymnasium, 101 Longhill Road.

James City County will offer residents a chance to ask questions about its 2026 budget, and learn what will happen to property tax and water rates, at a public meeting April 1.

The April meeting will be held at the county’s government center at 101 Mounts Bay Rd., Building F, starting at 6 p.m.

You’ll be able to download the proposed budget March 28.

A second public forum will be held on April 8, and final budget approval is scheduled for May 13.

Williamsburg-James City County School Board members will also have a closed-door session Wednesday at noon to discuss applicants for school superintendent with their executive search firm, Ray & Associates.

Also Wednesday, the Williamsburg Planning Commission will review changes to the proposed Redoubt Ridge at Quarterpath development, which was approved nearly 20 years ago by the city council.

Friday morning at 8:30, Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger will speak at the Greater Williamsburg Chamber of Commerce’s Commonwealth Conversation series, at the Williamsburg Inn.