Dodson makes Senate seat bid official

Citing his experience as a business executive and pledging to support public education, former Lynchburg City Councilman Bert Dodson made his formal announcement Tuesday as a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the new 22^nd state Senate district.

 “At first glance, you might think this district has few communities of interest,” Dodson told supporters in front of the Lynchburg Museum on Court Street. The crowd included Democratic Party leaders from adjoining counties in the district, which reaches all the way to Goochland County in Richmond’s suburbs.

“I quickly discovered that our district has a great deal in common,” Dodson said, describing his travels to meet Democratic Party leaders in eight counties.

“Virtually every locality adjoins the James River,” Dodson said. “We need to always protect the river as a natural resource.”

Dodson’s candidacy was disclosed last week by Senate Majority Leader Richard Saslaw of Fairfax County.

Dodson said Tuesday that people in the district also are “looking for a positive vision for our future, and creative solutions to the day-to-day challenges they worry about — better jobs and greater economic opportunity.”

Residents told him that schools and the public education system also were on their minds, along with “holding the line on taxes,” Dodson said.

With his mother, Dorothy, a former teacher, in the audience, Dodson pledged to “work hard to improve education.”

“She always told me, you can lose your health and you can lose your wealth, but you can never lose your education,” Dodson said.

Listing improvements to Lynchburg schools that occurred during his 12 years on City Council, Dodson said he wanted to “reduce class sizes and provide greater assistance for teachers in the classroom.”

“I will strive for greater accountability to see how those dollars are spent,” he added.

Virginia’s investment in higher education has slipped in the past decade, Dodson said, and “We must make sure our children and grandchildren have access to college and that they can afford to go.”

Citing his background in the family-built Dodson Brothers Pest Control, Dodson said he was running because “we need more people with a business background in the Virginia state Senate.”

When Dodson announced his plans to leave City Council a year and a half ago, he said he needed more time to expand the family business. Tuesday, he described some changes that have occurred in that time.

“We filled some pretty important positions in our corporate office. We are on the verge of opening a third office in Northern Virginia in a couple of months. And, we have made some heavy investments in information technology in relation to our company,” Dodson said.

“A lot of different programs we have been working on are coming to fruition,” he said.

Dodson is the first Democrat to declare in the district, which was created by the Senate’s Democratic majority during this spring’s redistricting process. The 22^nd District includes Lynchburg and the counties of Amherst, Appomattox, Buckingham, Cumberland, Fluvanna, Goochland and Prince Edward, along with part of Louisa County.

“There are no incumbents” in the race, Dodson said. “It is an open seat. We have got to raise a bunch of money and we have got to build an organization from the ground up” to conduct the grass-roots work of campaigning, Dodson said.     

Five Republicans have announced as candidates in the district. They will compete in a Republican Party primary election on Aug. 23.

June 15 is the deadline for candidates to enter the race.