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Citizen of the Year: Berryville mayor named as honoree
This honor by the Times Community Newspapers is bestowed upon Sponseller for his nearly 20 years of work as mayor, as well as for his community involvement.There are probably few Berryville citizens who are not familiar with Sponseller, who graduated from Clarke County High School in 1971 and who works as secretary/treasurer of Sponseller’s Flower Shop on Main Street.
Those who have known Sponseller for some time describe him as a genuine individual who takes his responsibilities as mayor seriously. Sponseller was elected as mayor in the spring of 1988 by a margin of 173 to 63.
Sponseller has lived in Berryville most of his life, except for attending college at William and Mary in Williamsburg, where he received his bachelor of arts degree, and working for awhile in Richmond. He and his wife of nearly 28 years, Susan, live in Berryville and have two grown children, Grayson and Tyler.
Sponseller is active in the community and is a lifelong active member of Duncan Memorial United Methodist Church in Berryville. His past and present involvements include serving on the American Cancer Society board, and having an active part in the startup of Relay for Life; serving on the committee of the Virginia Municipal League; being an active member and past president of the Lions Club; serving on the Powhatan School board of trustees; and being a member of the Clarke County Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Berryville, Inc.
When Sponseller ran for mayor in 1988, he said, “Growth is going to come and I think it is important that growth be managed, controlled and directed in order that we preserve our small town flavor and life.”
Today, he says his goals for Berryville are much the same.
“Responsible growth is still a goal,” Sponseller said. “You only have to look at some of the communities around us to see what happens with poor planning.”
Sponseller said he decided to run for mayor because, as the chair of the Berryville Planning Commission, he was aware that there was pressure on the town from developers.
“The majority of people didn’t want to go the way of Loudoun County,”
Sponseller said. “Developmental pressure is not going to go away, so it’s a continuous battle.”
Susan Sponseller said that their sons were so young when their father was elected that they do not remember a time when he was not mayor.
“We are all proud of him,” she said. “Even in adulthood our sons stand close to him, supporting him all the way.”
“I think he’s done a great job, and he’s a wonderful peacekeeper who tries to get everybody involved,” she said.
Berryville and Clarke County residents who have known Sponseller for years all agree that he has succeeded in helping to responsibly plan Berryville’s growth, and has served the citizens of Berryville well throughout his time in office.
“I’ve known Rick for 20 years, and I think the world of him,” said Barry Nicholson, who resigned in 2007 after serving on the Berryville Town Council for about 10 years. “He’s a good, solid citizen, a great person and a good friend.”
“I’ve worked with the mayor for a long time and he is dedicated to doing the best for the citizens of Berryville,” said Keith Dalton, who has worked closely with Sponseller as Berryville Town Manager for the last 10 years. “He is forward-thinking and always tries to make sure Berryville citizens get a fair shake.”
Dalton said that citizens are always welcome to stop by Sponseller’s Flower Shop to discuss anything with Sponseller, and they frequently do so.
“To serve as long as he has, he’s certainly had the town at heart,” said Jay Arnold, town recorder and owner of Berryville Auto Parts and Radio Shack. “He believes in the town, and he looks out for the best interests of all the citizens.”
Desiree Moreland, Berryville assistant manager and treasurer, has worked for the town for 31 years, and remembers when Sponseller ran for mayor in 1988.
“He has actually kept true to the ideas he had back then,” Moreland said. “Having lived here his whole life, he has a vested interest in what happens, and I think he has served the town well.”
“What he ran on [in the mayoral race] he stood by,” Moreland said. “He has been real good to work with.”
John Milleson, president of the Bank of Clarke County, said he, Nicholson and C.T. Hardesty exercise with Sponseller three times a week. Milleson said he and Sponseller lived in houses that met backyard to backyard.
“I have known Rick since I can first remember things,” Milleson said, recalling playing basketball and football with Sponseller when they were growing up. “He’s smart and hardworking, and one of his strengths is his accessibility – he’s probably conducted more business on North Church Street than anywhere else.”
“Over the past 20 years, he has kept Berryville on an even keel,” Milleson said. “Rick’s a great guy.”
One thing many people may not know is that Sponseller was president of the student body at Clarke County High School, Milleson said.
Former Town Recorder Allan “Bugs” McWilliams served on the Berryville Town Council for 24 years before stepping down last year, and praised Sponseller’s efficiency.
“Before he was mayor, we had meetings that went until midnight, but he keeps order,” McWilliams said.
Sponseller said one of his favorite things about being mayor is Town Council meetings, and explained that he likes to keep them moving, as well as keeping things light and occasionally injecting humor.
While Nicholson said that Sponseller’s accomplishments are “too many to list,” he – and several others - named the mayor’s extensive work on the Berryville Area Plan as a key accomplishment. Sponseller was a member of the original committee, which began meeting in December 1987. It included town and county officials, and the goal was to work to plan for future growth, concentrating growth in Berryville, rather than throughout Clarke County.
“The mayor was a leader of that committee and they did good work,” said Dalton.
The plan was adopted in 1992, after years of extensive work and planning, and was amended in both 1997 and 2001. It now is being reviewed in order to ensure that it adequately addresses a number of timely topics, including the new wastewater treatment facility, which the town is required by the state to complete by 2010 in order to comply with new water quality standards. Sponseller is also a member of the current committee.
“He’s a wealth of knowledge,” Dalton said of Sponseller’s experience with the Berryville Area Plan. “I think this community has benefited from the plan, and it [the community] has been guarded and protected.”
“He has been a strong supporter of the Comprehensive Plan and the Berryville Area Plan, and he has maintained the character of the town,” said Arnold.
Clarke County Supervisor A.R. “Pete” Dunning worked with Sponseller on the original Berryville Area Plan committee.
“I’ve known the mayor a long time, and I think he’s done a good job for the people of Berryville,” Dunning said. “He appears to me to be a hardworking individual.”
Dunning said that Sponseller has accomplished many important things for the town, some of which he said are not known by many people.
“I commend him for that,” Dunning said.
Sponseller was also praised by numerous people for his work, in conjunction with the county, in the planning of the joint government center that will be used by both Clarke County and the Town of Berryville, and will include a veteran’s memorial and a new Clarke County Library location.
“I am very pleased that a new town office is in sight, and I am glad that we’re going to provide our excellent staff a place to do business,” Sponseller said.
Sponseller said he enjoys living in Berryville, and after completing his college education, it was not very long before he decided to “come back home.”
“I agree with my son, who recently moved back here from, Wilmington, N.C.,” Sponseller said. “You don’t realize what a great place this is until you move away.”
Judging by the generous praise from his fellow Berryville and Clarke County citizens, it is safe to say that most people are glad that Berryville is where Richard Sponseller chose to make his home.
By Rebecca Maynard
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