In Virginia, Boards of Supervisors govern counties, and members are elected to four-year terms. Among other duties, they oversee the county budget, set tax rates and approve zoning regulations that determine how land can be used. Buckingham County’s Board of Supervisors has seven members, one for each district. 

This year, Buckingham County is holding a special election because District 7 Supervisor  Danny Allen retired in December 2025. Carter S. Allen was appointed as interim supervisor in January 2026, and is the only candidate running for the seat this November.    

Charlottesville Tomorrow designed a questionnaire for Allen based on responses we received from our voter survey. Charlottesville Tomorrow attempted to contact him by phone and email multiple times, but he did not submit a response in time for publication. 

Here are the questions we sent Allen. You can find his contact information, as provided to the Virginia State Department of Elections, searchable by name, if you would like to reach out to him yourself. 

• Valley Link transmission line: Buckingham County is one of the counties affected by the proposed Valley Link high-voltage transmission line. The project has drawn vocal public opposition, and the Board of Supervisors voted this spring to formally oppose it and set aside up to $250,000 for legal costs to fight it. What do you think of the Board’s approach so far, and what other actions do you think the county should take?

• Data centers: Several Buckingham residents who responded to our voter survey were concerned about data center construction. Buckingham County does not currently have any data centers, but the county’s Planning Commission has been considering a technology “overlay” district that could pave the way for one. Do you think Buckingham should welcome data center development, or work to keep it out, and why?

• Rural healthcare: Centra’s Southside Community Hospital in Farmville, which serves Buckingham and nearby counties, closed its labor and delivery unit this past winter. Because of this, Buckingham County’s own EMS team had to take on extra training to handle obstetric emergencies. The county can’t control the hospital’s decisions, but it does fund and staff its own EMS department. As access to healthcare shrinks, what can the county do to best equip and prepare its EMS team to respond?

• Growth and development: Buckingham County is a historically rural county facing questions about increased development, including the technology “overlay” district being considered by the Planning Commission. How would you balance growth and economic development with the desire of many residents to preserve the county’s rural character?

More information on the candidate and issues: 

• Carter Allen’s profile from the law firm Elder, Friedman, & Allen 

• Danny Allen retired from the Board of Supervisors after 18 years as a member, from the Farmville Herald, Dec. 23, 2025 (subscription required)

• Carter Allen was appointed as interim District 7 Supervisor, from the Farmville Herald, Jan. 22, 2026 (subscription required)

• Buckingham County Board of Supervisors allocated $250,000 to fight Valley Link pipeline project, from CBS 19 News, May 15, 2026

• Buckingham County is one of several counties joining together to fight the Valley Link Pipeline, from Cville Right Now, May 16, 2026

• Dominion alters Valley Link pipeline route with changes centered in Buckingham County and Louisa County, from Virginia Mercury, Sept. 30, 2026

• All three of Buckingham County’s first-out ambulances are equipped with whole-blood units to treat patients experiencing life-threatening bleeding, from the Farmville Herald, Aug. 14, 2026 (subscription required)