HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — For the first time in county history, African-Americans have been voted into both the Henrico Board of Supervisors chairman and vice-chairman roles, a Henrico spokesperson announced via email. Fairfield District Supervisor Frank J. Thornton and Varina District Supervisor Tyrone E. Nelson were unanimously voted into the leadership roles.
Thornton has been board chairman three previous times since he was first elected to the board in 1995. This is Nelson’s first time in a board leadership role since he was elected in 2011.
Frank Thornton and Tyrone Nelson (PHOTO: Henrico County Board of Supervisors)
“It was not long ago that persons who look like me were not able to vote in the United States,” Nelson said in a statement. “I do not take this lightly that I am able to serve in this leadership capacity in this great county.”
As board chairman, Thornton said he looked forward to running the Board of Supervisors, the “Henrico Way.”
“The Henrico Way is our way of serving our citizens in which they are receiving optimal and positive results in government service,” he said in a statement. “It is my hope and our challenge that we take the Henrico Way to an even higher level during the upcoming year.”
