Vying for open seat, David Konick offers experience and a promise to preserve rural life

David Konick, a local attorney and former Rappahannock County official, is pursuing a seat on the Board of Supervisors to take the place of Stonewall-Hawthorne Supervisor Chris Parrish, who won’t be seeking another term.

Konick was born in rural Delaware, but moved to Philadelphia where he graduated from high school. He moved to Washington, D.C. for college where he attended George Washington University for undergraduate and later law school. He first visited the Piedmont region for rock climbing excursions where he repelled off the cliffs of Old Rag Mountain in Madison County and became infatuated with the scenery.

Konick purchased property in Rappahannock County in 1975 while in law school and became, in effect, a weekender until he graduated in 1977. He and his now-ex-wife moved to the county full time that year to raise their two sons.

“I moved out here because I thought it would be a great place to raise a family,” Konick said.

“I just wanted to get away from the urban environment.”

As an attorney, Konick, a selfdescribed “general practitioner” of law, does litigation, contracts and estates, among others with a specialty in zoning — a topic of great interest to many in the county, especially those like Konick who wish to preserve the open landscapes.

He also has a penchant for representing clients suing institutions. In the past, he’s pursued cases on behalf of clients against the county, sometimes costing taxpayer dollars. Konick is also representing a client in an active libel lawsuit against the Rappahannock News over a letter to the editor published in 2019.

He held a number of roles in county government, including serving on the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) and most recently as chair of the Planning Commission before leaving in 2020 after his term expired and he was not reappointed.

While on the BZA in 2018, His character was called into question by its members, three of whom directed the commonwealth attorney to draft a rebuke letter against Konick in an effort to censure him. He’s also had a combative relationship with media, using expletives with reporters and calling former Rappahannock News government and court reporter Patty Hardee a “presstitute.”

HOW SHOULD RAPPAHANNOCK APPROACH ITS FUTURE?

Konick is concerned about the potential for urban sprawl from surrounding metropolitan areas, including parts of Faquier and Culpeper counties, to coalesce onto Rappahannock.

“We’ve always been somewhat of an island, but now we’re even more urbanized. And the question is, are we going to stay the way it is, or are we going to fall prey to the rampant development that we’re seeing all around?” Konick asked.

He argued that the county’s zoning ordinance, which is based on the now rapidly developed Fauquier County’s guidelines, is woefully inadequate in safeguarding Rappahannock’s rural spaces and needs updating.

“Nobody paid a lot of attention to [the zoning ordinance], nobody really thought [expansion] might actually happen, but now things are happening all around us and they could happen here,” he warned, saying the county has been “sitting around with our pants down” with what he believes to be holes in the law.

Konick, who said he’s not in wholesale opposition to growth and development, proposed that future developments in the county be built within or close to the existing villages, a sentiment outlined in the county’s comprehensive plan. The problem, he argued, is that the village boundaries aren’t clearly defined, leaving open the possibility for development to encroach into rural zones, he said. If elected, he plans to clearly define the lines.

“So, where does Woodville start and stop? Where does Amisville start and stop? I don’t know. Nobody knows,” Konick said, underscoring the point.

Rural landscapes are king, and maintaining them is a top priority for the candidate.

“Growth and development is going to occur to a certain extent because all the metropolitan areas all around us are expanding. The COVID situation has been a huge catalyst for urban and suburban people to get out of the city, and they can work from home and that leads to the push for better broadband,” Konick said.

He continued, “So there’s a lot of pressure and that’s just a fact of life. So, yes, there’s going to be some growth, and the question is how do we limit and control it and make sure it isn’t just kind of splattered all over the county, but in its designated areas?”

HOW TO ADDRESS LACK OF UNIVERSAL BROADBAND?

Broadband expansion, while necessary, could also increase growth pressures in the county, Konick said. He applauded creation of the Broadband Authority (which is comprised of the Board of Supervisors’ members), but expressed concern with the path the body is headed down with All Points Broadband promising to provide relatively cheap fiber installation.

Konick, who at one point worked in energy regulation in D.C., is worried that All Points, and other broadband providers, aren't public utilities, meaning their services aren’t subject to regulations. He’s also concerned that the county’s agreement with All Points could preclude officials from installing other emerging broadband technologies, including SpaceX’s Starlink, a satellite internet provider.

He said his regulatory expertise could prove essential when broadband talks near the finish line.

“When that is negotiated, that’s when Rappahannock is gonna need somebody [like me] on the Board of Supervisors,” he said. “I don’t say that I have all the answers, but I have a pretty good idea of what questions to ask. And sometimes that’s more important.”

WHERE TO ALLOCATE STIMULUS FUNDS?

Konick said the county should invest in formalizing it’s financial outlook to guide where stimulus dollars should be allocated. He would like to wait for additional federal guidelines for how the money can be spent while also formally consulting with county departments and other stakeholders to determine where money is needed.

WHY SHOULD VOTERS ELECT YOU?

The candidate said he would bring to the job years of experience in county government and institutional knowledge of land use in the area.

“It’s not just slogans for me. I have a track record of doing it,” he said.