Republican Newcomer Will Run Against Jim Icenhour for James City Board Seat

"I'm trying to give people a choice"

John Slokovitz (Williamsburg Watch picture)

Political newcomer John Slokovitz said he registered as a Republican candidate to challenge Jim Icenhour for the Board of Supervisors’ seat from Jamestown District.

Slokovitz said he still needs 60 verified signatures on his petition, which he expects to gather in door to door canvassing this weekend. He said he needs a total of 125 verified signatures.

“I’m trying to give people a choice” in the election, he said.

The 79-year-old Icenhour, a Democrat, was unopposed in the 2021 election and won with 60% of the vote against his Republican opponent in 2017. He was elected as chair of the Board of Supervisors by the other members last month.

Slokovitz, 45, moved to Virginia from New York in 2017. He and his wife live in the Windsor Forest neighborhood and have four children aged 5 to 9.

He is a former union plumber who now has his own business, JCR Plumbing and More LLC.

Slokovitz has never run for office and is still formulating his campaign strategy.

But said he was worried that the wrong type of development is costing the area its sense of community. He also voiced concern about spending at local schools and the growth of county government, especially the new consolidated government center that is projected to cost more than $189 million, according to the county’s latest capital planning budget review.

Slokovitz said he thought by running he could join supervisors Barbara Null and Michael J. Hipple to bring a conservative majority to the Board of Supervisors.

Hipple unexpectedly announced Tuesday that he would not be running for re-election in November, leaving only Democrat Ti’Juana Gholson in the running for his Powhatan district seat. Republicans said they will seek a candidate to oppose her.