Mo Moretz, Henry District Chair

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804-559-1772

Henry District is located between Mechanicsville Turnpike (State Route 360) to the east, Chamberlayne Road (State Route 301) to the west, the Pamunkey River to the north and Pole Green Road on the south. It consists of five precincts—Georgetown, Rural Point, Newman, Studley and Totopotomoy. There was a time when Henry District was a homogenous rural neighborhood faced with relatively simple issues. But times are changing…so is Henry District as illustrated by the following story from Henry District resident Toni Radler.

My Neighbor’s Son

When describing Henry District, it is tempting to talk about our good schools and our prosperous neighborhoods. Yes, we do have good schools. I think they are among the best.  And we have prosperous neighborhoods. They’re lovely. But tucked into this picture, fallen between the cracks, are people who are struggling, people who have lost their jobs and their homes,  senior citizens trying to make their dollars stretch, families trying to cope with exploding health care costs, teachers worried about losing their jobs, parents and students frustrated because educational programs have been eliminated. A case in point is my neighbor’s son.

He has lost his house to foreclosure, right here in Henry District. I have lived in Henry District for more than 25 years and I know my neighbor’s son well. He is a fine young man, a hard worker, earnest, and a good citizen. But he has been caught right in the middle of America’s economic downturn brought on by eight years of the Bush administration…eight years of anything goes for big banks and Wall Street, eight years of unprecedented deregulation and greed.

In pursuit of the American dream, my neighbor’s son followed the path of his parents: he graduated from Atlee high school, went to college, and then got a steady job here in Hanover. Next, after a few years of hard work and saving, he bought a simple house…not a lavish house, but a house he thought he could afford, a house that could shelter his American Dream, a house to raise a family in, a house near his parents. Then his story gets sadly predictable. He lost his job and after six months of struggling, he lost everything else.

Now every time I pass this house, I feel a twinge of sadness and concern. I worry for this young man and I wonder what his view of the American Dream is now, especially as he still struggles to find a job.  I realize that Henry District is no longer isolated and protected from the issues that plague other Virginia areas and our nation.