Council Races: Who is Fred Howe III?

Fred Howe III

There are still two hours left to file for candidacy, but as of now, it’s looking like the only fresh face we are likely to see on City Council come July 1 is Fred Howe III, who is, as of now, the only candidate in Ward 3, the seat currently held by Matt Kelly.

I met with Howe and his wife, Tanya, today at the offices of Utility Professional Services Inc., the business they started in their basement, and have owned since 2002.

Howe, 52, said Marguerite Young, his neighbor in the Confederate Ridge subdivision, approached him about running for the seat last Wednesday night, as it was becoming clear that nobody was stepping in to fill the vacancy. He spent the next few days collecting signatures and filed his paperwork with the registrar this morning.

Howe said he thinks his experience as a business owner, and in the corporate world working for Virginia Power for 23 years before that, give him a good foundation for serving on council. You can read more about Howe’s business experience in this story we ran in 2008.

Howe said he is frustrated with the way government and politics work at all levels, and he figured he might as well stop complaining and start getting involved.

“I’m really tired of whining about the problems. I have decided to throw my hat in the ring and get involved,” he said. “We really like the area, and now it’s time to put a little investment in that.”

Howe wants to take some time to study the issues before council before weighing in on them, but he did say he thinks the fact that he’s new to them could be an asset.

“I don’t owe anybody anything. I come in fresh with a clean slate,” he said.

He said he thinks investing in the city schools, and making sure they stay at a level that will draw people to the city, should be a priority.

Look for a rundown of the final slate for the City Council and School Board races in tomorrow’s paper.

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