Child of politics

"When I was a teen-ager my friends went to piano lessons or ballet lessons, I went to political meetings with my dad," remembers Renny Bush Humphrey ('84), a member of the Chesterfield Board of Supervisors and former member of the JMU Board of Visitors. In 1998 Humphrey became the first woman elected to chair the Chesterfield County board. "I was a child of politics."

Humphrey's passion for politics has followed her ever since. After working on a political campaign every summer of her adult life, in 1995, Humphrey was elected supervisor of the Matoaca District, receiving more votes than all three opponents collectively. Four years later, she was re-elected in a landslide victory with more than 72 percent of the vote. She raised more money and endorsements than any of her opponents.

"My work benefits others because I am passionate about my home and Chesterfield County," she says. "I have lived here all my life. I know the people, the roads, and I love people. You must be a people person for public service. It is not a skill you can learn, you either are a people person or you are not. I even enjoy getting potholes filled. I wake up every morning looking for something to accomplish."

During Humphrey's tenure as board chair, Chesterfield County was named one of 15 counties in the nation (and one of two in Virginia) to receive three AAA bond ratings, and the county also received a U.S. Senate Productivity Award.

"'All government is local,' the late Tip O'Neill said of his tenure in government," quotes Humphrey. "This is true. People depend on me for all kinds of services … to get their children educated, to have a policeman or fireman in front of their home, to maintain their local roads and to have trash picked up. Local governments will continue to grow and be the first line of service to taxpayers. As the federal government continues to downsize and pass on responsibilities to state governments they in turn pass on basic services to local governments. Residents require some level of government to meet their daily needs and I make decisions that sit at the dinner table with people."

Humphrey, a public health graduate, is a laboratory specialist at the Medical College of Virginia Hospitals, Department of Pharmacology.

By Kara Carpenter ('00)