Photo courtesy Henrico County
Once the lone Democrat on the Henrico County Board of Supervisors, Fairfield District representative Frank J. Thornton occupies the chairman’s seat at a time when his party holds a majority for the first time in decades. His term as chairman also comes as the county is considering expanded GRTC bus service and anticipating more development on its eastern side, including a $1 billion Facebook data center. “We’ve gone as far west as we’re going to go,” he says. “What’s happening now is a trend towards the east part.”
Richmond magazine: What are some of the challenges facing Henrico County this year?
Thornton: [One is] making sure we have the most efficient education system, that it serves all students. For example, in my district there are some schools that are not quite accredited. … The age wave, too, is another thing that’s happening that we need to start preparing for. Americans, including Henricoans, we’re getting older. What’s very refreshing, though, is the millennials [who] are coming in now. … So many times when we’re young, we kind of think in a utopian way, and that’s not so bad because that helps to change things. And that brings up the other issue — we have to help people with change. Henrico for example, is a majority-minority county, and so that means we have to take another look and have understanding and empathy for difference in population groups and ethnic groups. To me, that’s fascinating; it’s a fascinating time to be living.
RM: This is your fifth time serving as chairman. Have any of your priorities changed?
Thornton: Some of them are more refined. But I don’t think they’ve changed. For example, when I first ran for office, one of my slogans was, and still is, making Henrico better for the future. And that’s been one of my priorities, making sure we give citizens 21st-century government and we respond to 21st-century situations.
RM: What made you decide to run for the position again?
Thornton: When you’re in office, sometimes you think about your goals, you think about your missions, you think about accomplishments, and, many times, you have not finished those accomplishments.
RM: You were the first African-American elected to the board in 1995, and you’ve said you’d like to see more of Henrico’s population represented. Could you elaborate?
Thornton: I appointed some of your first African-Americans to boards, but I also appointed other groups. … With the present configuration in terms of the population in Henrico, I need to make sure I put Hispanics into some of these boards and commissions, and Asians. That’s what makes government tick, and that’s when you’re really, truly representing everyone.
RM: This is the first time there is a Democratic majority on the board since the 1980s. Do you expect any changes with this majority?
Thornton: It’s certainly a factor. But there are certain things you fight for, [and] it takes time. … You just have to be a person of hope and believing things will always get better.
RM: Do you have any worries about the county right now?
Thornton: One of my concerns is that we don’t become elitist in our thinking and we always make sure we speak for the little guy. … There’s a senior citizen complex off of Brook Road near Dumbarton called the Atlantic. I have my town meetings there sometimes, [and] one of [the residents] said, “You know, some of us like to ride the bus.” So I worked with transportation in the county, and now we have a bus that goes there. And that gives them more mobility, which is really the name of the game. I don’t worry about it, but it’s a concern that we make communities more livable and we need to watch how we do the planning. For example, the future of Henrico — the direction [of development] is the eastern part. We’ve gone as far west as we’re going to go. And I’ve heard complaints [such as], “Mr. Thornton, they’ve got this in the west, but we don’t have this in the east.” I had to fight that battle. But what’s happening now is a trend towards the east part. What we can do is optimize that by making sure we get people involved — people meaning citizens — with the help of our planners. Let’s plan it better.
RM: What is the status of efforts to get a bus line to Short Pump?
Thornton: Right now everything is in the planning stages. What we want to do is optimize the opportunity for citizens who have working skills and want to get the jobs that are there, and also people want to shop there. … And we’re getting to the point in the 21st century where some people are going to say, “I don’t want to drive my car all the time. I want to take good, efficient and reliable public transportation.” The big conundrum in transportation [is] that the average bus and the bus fare doesn’t pay for itself.
RM: You’ve mentioned plans for an aquatic center in Henrico. What do you envision for that project?
Thornton: Historically there’s never been a public swimming pool in Henrico County, and most of us know the reason for that. It’s the cost of it. But we’ve got to look at it beyond cost. … It’s a good thing for health and the fight against obesity. Also what I have [in mind] is an aquatic/tutoring center, and this would be a good opportunity for the schools to get involved. Because swimming is an education tool also.
RM: You have one of the longest tenures on the board. What have you learned?
Thornton: The word I’m going to use is something I was taught years ago growing up in a segregated society in Richmond, not being able to go inside places — patience. And also I learned to see the good side of people instead of looking at the negative side.
RM: What is something you wish people knew about your job?
Thornton: It’s their government, not mine. I’m just a part of it like they are, but we’ve got to do things together, and sometimes we will take care of the problem and sometimes the problem will reoccur. And then the other thing I want them to learn is it’s a continuous effort that citizens have to always give to really have a government of the 21st century.
