Government

    E. W. Jackson is seeking the Republican nomination for Senate. Jackson unsuccessfully ran as the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor in 2013. He was defeated by Democrat Ralph Northam.

    Bedford Town Council faced a decision on what to do at the Snowden hydroelectric plant on the James River. It wasn’t a question of whether a project needed to be done; it was a question of which of two necessary projects needed to be done first.

    A pay study done by Corporate Compensation Partners for Bedford could streamline the town’s pay structure, reducing the number of separate pay steps.
    The recommended 20 pay grade structure, with 10 percent between each step, would replace the town’s 27 pay grade structure, which has 5 percent between each step. It also calls for a “merit matrix” with higher increases for high performing employees and lower increases for low performing employees.

    The Bedford County Board of Supervisors held their first meeting of the year last week. The meeting, originally scheduled for Jan. 8 was postponed to Jan. 9 due to treacherous conditions caused by rain falling on roads that were still well below freezing.
    Each year, the supervisors unanimously choose a new chairman and vice chairman for the coming year. This year, District 1 Supervisor Bill Thomasson was elected chairman and District 5 Supervisor Tommy   Scott was elected vice chairman.