PRINCE EDWARD – H.D. “Brock” Robinson, Jr. has announced that he is running for Treasurer of Prince Edward County in the December 11 special election.

Robinson is a lifelong resident of the county, with family roots dating back to the early 1700s.

“Being raised with strong Christian values,” he cites in a release, “his convictions have played a strong role in the man he has become today. Believing in 'God first, family second and duty to community third' is not only a quote from Robinson…but has become a way of life for him. He has played a positive, active role in the Prince Edward community from early in life through the present day.”

Robinson cites in the release that as a young man he excelled in sports, was a volunteer fireman, was/is active in church, was a little league coach, is a Freemason and enjoyed learning how to farm from his parents and grandparents. Many of the lessons learned early from so many, he cites, played key roles in the continued business success he works hard to maintain today.

According to the release, excellent customer service and honesty have always been the foundation of Robinson's career. After working for CMH Homes, Inc. for three years he became one of the youngest top salesmen on the East Coast. After such achievements, in 2003 he was promoted to General Manager of an under productive lot for that same company. Taking on that challenge, with most of the men working for him being twice his age…Robinson soon turned it into an award-winning branch.

In 2004, Robinson became a real estate agent, working for State Wide Reality Co. which he feels has given him a great deal of experience, a broad knowledge of the community and a unique understanding on what people look for when choosing Prince Edward as a home.

In 2010, Robinson became the President of the South Central Association of Realtors (SCAR), which encompasses eight jurisdictions. According to Michelle McCadams, Association Executive for SCAR, the year 2009 had become a time when the down turn in real estate was in full swing. It was a time when “many realtors were going to be forced to take on other jobs, retire or just do with less.” In 2009, membership dropped 15 percent and challenges were great to keep the proposed budget from being in the red at the end of the year.

Robinson wasn't comfortable with that though, the release states. During his tenure as president, he worked with the board to make strategic budget cuts and suggested many money-making avenues. These efforts combined to provide the association budget with a substantial surplus for the year. Although membership continued to drop yet another 15 percent again, it was found the budget changes not only increased the bottom line of SCAR's budget substantially, but it was done without having to raise dues on members who were already suffering.

The release cites that, according to Ms. McCadams, “I believe Brock's hard work and willingness to tackle the budget kept many of our local realtors in business today. Had SCAR kept going with our spending and continued to take in less and less in dues year after year, we would have had no choice but to significantly raise dues to make up the difference. This was not an option for Brock, and I'm happy to say the extra effort and wonderful suggestions are keeping this association well under budget still today. Few people actually see the big picture like Brock does. The SCAR members and employees did not have to do without, we just did things different. This kind of thinking outside the box is exactly what is needed in either a good or bad economy. Now that's what I call getting the job done right!”

In summary, Robinson offered, “I know every back road in this county and more importantly I know the hard-working people living in it. I want to bring conservative values back to our local government. I know the opposition for this race is high, but with guidance and wisdom from the Almighty we can start to put honesty, and common sense back in our county.”

He also offered a mission statement: “To provide accurate, efficient, fair and courteous service to the taxpayers by implementing standard office procedures in accordance with the Code of Virginia and the Code of Prince Edward County and to record, report and invest revenues in an accurate and expeditious manner.”