Pub. 1 Issue 3

11 Charles William “Bill” Carrico, Sr. B ill Carrico recently joined the VADA sta as a senior eld rep- resentative this past summer. A lifelong resident of Southwest Virgin- ia, Bill served the region in the House of Delegates for 10 years before winning election to the Senate in 2011. As a retired state trooper, Bill has worked in the General Assembly on public safety issues and has developed a reputation as a reliable conservative voice. In the Sen- ate, Bill fought for low taxes, improved education, rural economic development, and promotion of coal and agriculture. His local roots and leadership experience made him an e ective voice for Southwest Virginia families. Bill has been hon- ored to have repre- sented the citizens of District 40 of the Commonwealth of Virginia for the past eight years. e district encompasses eight areas of majes- tic beauty, time-hon- ored culture, and outdoor recreation adventures including all of Grayson, Lee, Scott, and Washing- ton Counties; all of the City of Bristol; and part of Smyth, Wise, and Wythe Counties. While in o ce, Bill served as Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, and was a member of the Senate Education and Health, Senate Finance, Senate Local Government, and Senate Rules Committees. Q: is is a big change for you. What made you consider giving up public service? It is. But a couple of things happened. First, there are some redistricting chal- lenges in my region, which will mean that I might be running against friends and colleagues in future elections. I feel confident in the outcome, but the reality is that I have also served the public in one capacity or another for the past 18 years, and public service, in my opinion, was meant to be a sacrifice, not a career. My 200,000 constituents are happy, I am proud of the years of service, so it was a good time for me to consider options. I mentioned my musings, as it were, to Don Hall, and his response was, “Have I got a deal for you!” It was really an easy decision. I admire Don, and I admire the work he, the sta and the association manages to accom- plish. To work with a team, like VADA, is a privilege, and I am looking forward to this next step in my life. Q: What is your “before” background, and what shaped your decision to enter politics? I was a Virginia state trooper. I was in an auto accident – ironically, I got hit on the way to an accident investigation. It almost le me paralyzed. I was in a Getting to Know Like the verse in the Bible says, a good name is worth more than silver and gold. I really believe that. After 18 years of public service, all I wanted was to leave with my good name intact – I believe that I did that.