Know Your Candidate: Ellen Pitera, OC Board of Supervisors District 3

Ellen Pitera, candidate for Orange County Board of Supervisors District 3. (Photo Credit: Capturing Joy Photography)

This interview is part of a series intended to give readers an overview of local political candidates and what they believe. Read interviews with candidates for the Orange County Board of Supervisors in Districts 2 and 4 by following the links below, and check back later this week to hear from District 5 candidates.

District 2: Ed Van Hoven; Delton “DJ” Anglin

District 4: Laird Knights; Crystal Hale; Brit Lewis; Ryan Soon

(Note: Responses may be edited for length or clarity.)

Can you tell us about your background?

My name is Ellen Pitera. I'm a third-generation Orange County resident, working hard to raise the fourth generation to cherish life here in the county. I'm a lifelong 4-H member raised on the farm where I now live with my husband, Rob, and our boys, Charlie and Douglas. I'm the community liaison for Orange County Public Schools, with 17 years as a classroom teacher prior to my current position.

I'm also a small business owner and manager of Rounton Farm, where we live. We host weddings throughout the year, hold summer camps for kids in June and manage a hunt club during deer hunting season. I'm a proud OCHS Class of ‘89 graduate, with my undergrad degree from Sweet Briar College and a master's in education from the University of Virginia.

Do you have any previous political experience?

Yes. I ran for the board of supervisors in 2019 as a write-in candidate. I also was on the ballot with two other candidates in 2021 and came within 50 votes of winning, and I'm on the ballot again this year. During all three campaigns, I've run as an independent.

Any community involvement outside of politics?

I've been involved with my community my entire life, beginning as a 4-H member, We did a lot of community events and one of my favorites was the therapeutic riding camp. At that time, it was under a different name, but it was the same idea of getting kids with special needs on horses.

Also within 4-H, I held a variety of leadership offices each year, and that continued in college and student government as class president or vice president each year, and then as a professional team teacher, peer mentor and child study team leader. I was also part of the Saving Sweet Briar board in 2015 that kept the doors open when the historic college was faced with imminent closure.

I currently serve as a member of the Extension Leadership Council for the Virginia Cooperative Extension Office, a committee member for Young Life, and a member of the Rotary club, litter control committee, the OCHS Alumni and Friends Foundation board, and Orange Baptist Church.

I love being involved with my community by leading and doing, and actually, one of my favorite things to do is to be a coach, whether it's soccer, riding, basketball — I love it all. I've been an Upward [sports ministry] basketball coach for over 10 years, and I have the best time watching kids build skills on the court and then apply them to their daily lives.

I'm ready to serve Orange County citizens as a supervisor, and I have a track record of listening well, rolling up my sleeves and getting the work done.

What motivated you to run for a position on the Orange County Board of Supervisors?

“Always make the best better” is the 4-H motto that I memorized as a young girl. I’ve lived by that motto for my entire life and have used it as a compass when navigating challenges along the way.

My motivation to serve is simple but deep. What we have here in Orange County is special and unique. However, if we settle for what we have now, we’ll miss out on good opportunities ahead. I'm 100 percent committed to making Orange better now and for generations to come.

We have several things facing Orange County right now that will have a huge impact on all residents. I want to see a dedicated CTE facility for our OCHS students as soon as possible, and I have the will to make that happen. I want to be part of the process of balancing our residential growth while retaining the agricultural integrity and stunning beauty of our county. I want Orange County to be a place where new businesses want to settle and then thrive. I want to see solar facilities placed on existing buildings, on landfill cells or industrial parks or shade over existing parking lots, and not on agricultural land.

Working through these issues is realistic, and it takes communication with residents, critical thinking to see all sides of an issue, and determination to see an issue resolved in the best interest of all Orange County citizens. All of those leadership qualities are ones that I possess and have been utilizing my entire life.

What is your understanding of the role of a county supervisor?

The role of the county supervisor is to represent the citizens while balancing the budget for the county, as well as handling issues surrounding zoning, taxation and ordinances. A constant priority for me as a supervisor will be to communicate with my district and all citizens of Orange County, so that I know what they’re thinking and they know what I'm learning and doing. If elected, I'll work hard to get to know my fellow supervisors as well as county administration staff in order to build and maintain a climate of trust, respect and teamwork.

At a recent forum, it was brought up that building or acquiring a facility dedicated to Career and Technical Education (CTE) for Orange County Public Schools has been a topic of discussion in the county for over a decade. What do believe has been the biggest roadblock to getting this goal accomplished, and if elected, how to you plan to overcome it?

This is something that’s close to my heart. You're right — the can has been kicked down the road for over a decade here, and it is time to get the CTE facility built. I think the roadblock has been that the supervisors aren't ready to make this happen. I don't know for sure because I'm not in their seats. Of course, it's going to cost money, so it's going to be a question of how we can juggle the budget around to make this a priority as soon as possible and get it done.

I know the school in favor of it, and has been in favor of it all along. So, it's a matter of the new board of supervisors coming together and figuring out where it's going to be, and there are a lot of different options out there. I'm not opposed to any idea that's out there; I just want it to happen as quickly as possible.

I also know that there are architectural designs and ideas that have been drawn up. We should definitely turn to the experts and find out where they think it should be and where it's most cost effective to place it, and we should go with that.

Solar farms have been a recent hot topic, both here in Orange County and throughout Virginia. What is your stance on solar farms, and what factors will guide your decision-making process if elected when it comes to reviewing solar farm proposals?

There's a lot of pressure that I see the counties surrounding us facing right now in terms of solar companies coming in and wanting large tracts of land. So, this is where it's really important for me to be listening to my constituents because on one hand, as a farmer myself, I know there’s potential for earning a lot of money, and if that's the only way that a family can leave a farm intact for the next generation, I get it.

On the other side, I'm very concerned that our agricultural integrity, and our land that is rich and ready to be used for planting, is going to get eaten up and never restored to that same quality. This is something that’s already on our plates in the county, so the first thing I’ll do if elected is get feedback from people and hear what they have to say.

So, listening is my number one priority in this topic. And then second, the supervisors are faced with a couple of different options. Collectively as supervisors, we have to figure out what is the best policy. Do we create ordinances? Do we come up with some set of boundaries and rules, not necessarily ordinances, but make it public so people and these companies know before they even get here? Do we do it case by case? That's something that I will decide with a board.

Cooperation between county and local governments has not always gone smoothly, most recently seen in discussions about the inability of the Orange County Board of Supervisors and Orange Town Council to reach an agreement regarding FiberLync access. Do you believe there is a need for improvement in building partnerships between the county and other local entities?

Absolutely. I also have concerns about the relationship between the county and the town. I've been doing some research and talking to different folks about this issue, and it's absolutely something that needs to change and be repaired.

I think the first way to start that healing is to have conversations to figure out what the basis or foundation of this mistrust is, and then unpack that one issue at a time to figure out if we can come to a resolution. I know that there are other supervisors who are running, who have the same goal of getting to a place where we can communicate better and work together in order to solve problems.

You’ve received some pushback during the run-up to the election regarding your decision to run as an independent. Why was it important for you to do so?

The job of the board of supervisors is a nonpartisan position, and it takes someone who can listen to and represent everyone in our community. As a supervisor, I’ll make decisions that are based on what’s best for the county, not based on any kind of political affiliation. When someone comes to the board of supervisors with a special use permit application, I'm not looking to see if they're a Republican or a Democrat. I look to see if their application will benefit Orange County.

This is how I operate as a teacher as well, along with my colleagues. When kids come to school, they come to be educated. Nothing about their background, family history, friend group, et cetera should get in the way of a teacher's goal to fill kids with knowledge. I'll always work to do what’s best for Orange County.

Let’s wrap this up with a few apolitical get-to-know-you questions. Favorite book?

Oh, that's easy. My favorite book is “Where the Red Fern Grows.” It's been my favorite book forever. Every year as a teacher, I would read it to my class and we would all cry together. It was so powerful.

Breakfast food?

A bowl of granola with raspberries, blueberries and strawberries on top. I'm a berry girl.

Orange County event or tradition? 

Now, that's hard. Can there be a tie? There's nothing like Friday night lights, the hometown football game, watching the Hornets take on anybody. The feeling in that stadium and the field is just amazing. And then on the other side of that is the Montpelier Hunt Races. It’s like homecoming for Orange County.

To learn more about Ellen Pitera, visit www.ellenpiterabos.com or her Facebook page here. For more information on Orange County elections, visit www.orangecountyva.gov/354/Voter-Registration-Elections or call the Orange County Office of Voter Registration and Elections at (540) 672-5262.

The OC Bulletin reached out to all Orange County Board of Supervisors candidates for interviews, all of which are conducted using the same guidelines to ensure fairness. Pitera’s opponent in District 3, Keith Marshall, declined to be interviewed.