A relative political newcomer has tossed his hat into the ring to challenge longtime Albemarle County Supervisor Ann Mallek.
Crozet resident Brad Rykal, a soldier and defense contractor-turned-author and podcaster, has filed to run as an independent for the White Hall district seat on the Board of Supervisors.
Mallek, a Democrat who is running for her fifth and final term on the board, has represented White Hall since 2009.
Rykal declined to comment to The Daily Progress on Thursday, saying a more formal announcement about his campaign would be made at a later date.
Rykal is the host of the “Brad Rykal Brief” podcast, which covers a range of topics including personal finance, book reviews and the lives of Crozet residents.
Rykal is also the co-author of the book “A Call to Reframe US Intelligence Analysis and US National Security,” in which he argues that confusion about the definition of national security contributed to the United States’ failures after 9/11.
According to the Crozet Gazette, Rykal has been a soldier in Iraq and a defense contractor at the Joint Use Intelligence Analysis Facility in Rivanna Station, a military base quartering the nation’s three top military intelligence gathering agencies off U.S 29 north of Charlottesville.
At Mallek’s campaign launch in late February, the incumbent supervisor said she planned to highlight affordable housing as a critical issue during the election.
She pointed to 300 units of affordable housing that were supposed to be built in Crozet as an example of how difficult it’s been to improve the affordable housing development process. Only 43 units of affordable housing were actually constructed, she said, because the developers were given some leeway.
Mallek also said she wants to ensure that the services the county offers keep pace with population growth. Albemarle’s population grew from nearly 99,000 in 2010 to a little more than 112,000 in 2020, according to census data.
“We have around Crozet neighborhoods that come with sidewalks and bike lanes,” Mallek said. “Then, right next to that, is an older neighborhood built 20 years ago, when none of those were required.”
The Board of Supervisors election will be held Nov. 7.
Source: www.dailyprogress.com
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