Third candidate throws hat in mix for Barlow’s House seat

Published 8:06 am Friday, April 3, 2009

A Surry conservative has announced his candidacy for the House of Delegates.

Mike Holle, 47, a corporate engineering coordinator at Dominion Power’s Nuclear Technical Center in Richmond and 17-year Surry County resident, plans to seek the Republican nomination to run for the District 64 seat currently held by William Barlow (D-Smithfield).

Barlow, 73, was first elected to the seat in 1991 and ran unopposed in the 2007 election. He announced intentions to run again.

Stan Clark, 53, also announced his candidacy for the seat.

Clark, a member of the Isle of Wight County Board of Supervisors representing the Newport District, will face off against Holle for the spot in the primary. Republicans will hold a meeting in May to choose their candidate.

Holle describes himself as fiscally conservative and someone who “believes that government should be financially responsible with the funds entrusted to them.”

His experience with Dominion gives him an edge, he said.

“ I work with projects and budgets ranging from just a few hundred thousand dollars up to some of Dominion’s largest projects in the hundreds of millions of dollars,” he said.

Holle also is a longtime member of the National Rifle Association and describes himself as “pro-life.”

Holle and his wife, Krista, both hold leadership positions at their Wakefield church — he is associate pastor and she is the girl’s youth leader. The couple has four daughters, ages 7 to 14.

Holle has made a Web site at www.mikeforhouse64.com.

April 10 is the filing deadline for candidates to qualify for party primaries, which will be held June 9. The general election is Nov. 3.

District 64 comprises all of Surry County, and most of Isle of Wight County. Small portions of James City County and Southampton County are also in the district, as well as the entire city of Williamsburg and the northwest section of the city of Franklin.

The bulk of Southampton and the remaining parts of Isle of Wight and Franklin are in the 75th District, which is currently represented by Roslyn Tyler (D-Jarratt).

Tyler has not officially announced her intentions to run again.