10-27-2025 12:32am

Marcus Garcia Spotsylvania Board of Supervisors Lee Hill District

John L Williams Editor

1. Why are you running?

I am running to be a voice for well-informed, strategic change in Spotsylvania County. I am running because I am a father to a six year old that will need Spotsylvania County to move forward, adapting to new technologies, new methodologies as we move deeper into the 21st century. In the same way we no longer burn whale oil for light and heat, I need Spotsylvania to adapt to new people, new challenges, and to strike when new opportunities present themselves. I do not want my son or ANY CHILD in Spotsylvania County limited in their opportunity because an earlier generation fails to make hard choices in planning for their kids' future.

2. What are the top three issues you want to address in office?

First, I NEED to ensure our public education system strives to be a top ten district in all of the Commonwealth. As a 24 year military retiree, I have served in multiple nations around the globe where strong public education did not exist. Thos natio Do NOT thrive-they FAIL. They FAIL without exception. Nations and communities without girls and young people receiving their education will be impoverished, crime-burdened, and will deal with extremism because of lack of opportunity, lack of equity, and a lack of ANY ability to step onto the first rung of upward social & economic mobility. Strong public schools are not only a moral imperative, but they are an economic necessity. There are 50 million school-aged children in America. Private and homeschool will not serve this need adequately nor efficiently and WILL WEAKEN the United States.Second, we MUST prioritize economic development and economic vitality in this crucial region along one of the nation's busiest travel and economic corridors. We must adapt to new economic realities as they arrive. Economic development will go VERY FAR in lowering costs of living as we shift public costs to wealthy conglomerates that stand to earn untold profits. Third, we have to start planning for and executing measures meant to improve the affordability crisis in housing. I no longer want to see rental apartments but rather mixed-use starter homes available for purchase by public service employees. These employees would include teachers, educators, school support staff, public safety, and local county staff that meant certain means testing criterium.

3. What is the number 1 issue on the minds of voters in Spotsylvania County?

The voters I speak to while canvassing, shopping, and meeting neighbors are very concerned about the unprofessional and unpatriotic behavior in our public school board meetings. They, and I, are concerned that Spotsylvania attains national media coverage for costumed crusaders lobbying racist diatribes in our schools and attacking teachers and our imminently qualified superintendent of schools. The adverse media coverage was so nefarious and so noteworthy that I was seeing it online in Poland during my last overseas military tour during 2022. Parents, residents,

4. What problems are you noticing in the county due to the Federal Government Shutdown?

As of this response on October 26th, we are about 3 weeks into the shutdown. We are hearing and seeing stories of increased demand at the Rappahannock Regional Food Bank and I'm already hearing about local Credit Unions and other lending institutions offering no/low interest loans for federal employees. Just last night after leaving the Sheriff's Trunk or Treat event, I stopped with my mom and son into Cider Lab and they are now offering a 15% discount for federal employees. Our region has a disproportionately high number of federal employees and it would be naive to believe unemployed federal staffers would not have an adverse impact to the local & regional economy.

5. How should we improve education in County?

We MUST prioritize ensuring we can recruit and retain an adequate number of licensed and professional educators, paraeducators, administrators, and support personnel. The Superintendent onboard now, Dr. Clint Mitchell is EXACTLY the leader we need in the 21st century. He has the support of staff and teachers to implement the strategic plan and to begin a clear upward trend towards academic greatness. I was a big proponent of the recently enacted cell-phone ban from opening bell to closing bell. For the Board of Supervisors, there MUST be positive action towards funding a Needs-Based budget.

6. How can the County and or the State improve Mental Health Services?

Mental Health needs are something every community in the region needs and are seeing increased demand. We MUST take a collaborative approach to mitigating a regional issue. I'm very proud of the RACSB and their services for early mental health intervention. RACSB is doing more than we often give them credit for by partnering with other entities to enable collective action and partnerships that are greater than the sum of their parts. I would welcome partnering with UMW, Stafford County, the City of FXBG, and others to the extent they can offer partnership with interns, group treatment options, etc. With the right leadership in Richmond, we can again partner economically to improve tax share for mental health, prioritizing communities that are most economically downtrodden, likely also experiencing an increased mental health crisis.

7. How can we improve funding for Special Education and English Language Learners?

See answer to question 6 above. Improving funding for ANY need, and community service is going to involve HARD choices. Increased funding is NEVER without costs somewhere. BUT, we can partner with other local communities, boards, entities to share costs, share burdens, and i prove service levels. We can leverage college students, internships, public-private partnerships to expand training opportunities for new translators, new teachers, new citizens, to employ professionals that teach English language learners, special education students,a etc.

8. What can we as a County do to create affordable housing for our Teachers, Police, Firefighters, first responders, and health care workers?

We MUST partner with land owners, land developers, and all other relevant county stakeholders to increase housing supply for local and county public service employees. Housing costs are largely driven by simple supply and demand dynamics. More supply, less cost. We MUST stop building rentals and apartments and start prioritizing attracting mixed-use residential/light commercial development for building what used to be called "Starter Homes" for young teachers, new deputies, new firefighters, and other public service staffers. I want to see new homes in the range of $300-350k. This will be tough in the age of trade protectionism, willy-nilly tariffs, and increased isolationism. We know many raw materials used in construction come from Canada, Mexico, and other non-US markets. It'll be very tough to maintain lower price-points in homes, but we can certainly make it known our desire to cater to our beloved public sector employees.

9. Is there anything else the voters should know about you?

My sole passion is now, and really always has been for service. I seek not fame, not fortune, but only to help my neighbors, friends, fellow Spotsylvania residents, and fellow humans. MY only mission in life now is to make my community better for my son and for all the kids in Spotsylvania, in Virginia, and in the nation. I don't spend frivolously on ANYTHING. I own two automobiles and their average age is 18 years old. I sleep, eat, and work on USED furniture and do as much of my own auto and home maintenance myself. I am an avid reader and fiercely defend books for EVERYONE. Education is the ONLY thing that cannot be taken from us and therefore I am trying really hard to inculcate that attitude in my young son. I was completely incensed when in 2022 I started reading about book bans and books burning from bad-faith school board members who seek only racist motives int their attacking public schools, public services, the common good, and the Commonwealth. In my candidacy for Board of Supervisors, I am now being attacked online for defending books, defending kids, and defending our public services, and for advocating for better outcomes for all citizens, residents and humans. This tells me I am doing good things in a world of nefariousness.

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