Delegate Clarke Hogan Not To Seek Re-election

In a surprise announcement Sunday afternoon, Del. Clarke N. Hogan said he will not seek reelection to a fifth term in the House of Delegates.

“There is a season for everything,” he said.

Citing the responsibilities of owning and operating a business during tough economic times, Hogan said he has decided to focus his energies on his Ontario Hardwood business located in Keysville.

“Part of this has always been balancing two full-time jobs, and that’s a lot to look after. You can do it when things are going well, and I’ve enjoyed doing it for eight years, but in this economic environment, I’ve got to look after my primary responsibility, and that’s running Ontario Hardwood.”

Hogan said he feels he now needs to spend all of his time on his business.

“I hope most people will understand I’ve got to look after that business that provides a livelihood for me and 50 other people,” he said.

In making the announcement, Hogan said he didn’t really consider it a choice.

“We are dealing with the toughest economy we have seen in 60 years, since the Great Depression that requires anyone who has a business to spend all of their focus on that business. I see this decision as dealing with the reality of the environment.”

Hogan was first elected to the House of Delegates in November 2001 rising quickly in political ranks.

He was tapped as a budget conferee and served on the House Appropriations Committee where he served as chairman of the Compensation and Retirement Subcommittee.

He also served as a member of the Agricultural, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee and Rules Committee.

Hogan currently serves as chairman of the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission Technology Committee and is a member of the Executive Committee and Economic Committee for Southside.

“It’s been an honor, and I’ve enjoyed helping this community. I will certainly miss some of the people I’ve met, and I will miss having the chance to contribute to this community which has been very good to me,” he added.

Hogan expressed appreciation to his aide in the legislature, Sheila Bradley.

“She’s been my partner in this for almost 10 years and has done a tremendous job for the community. A lot of the things that I have gotten the credit for, she’s done,” Hogan said, adding, “We had some successes.”

Hogan said he believes a strong person will step up to the challenge and do a good job for the community.

“I think that will be for the community to decide,” he said speaking of his successor to the House.

“The next person who takes my place, I want them to get elected in their own right, and I don’t want anyone to say it was a sleight of hand by people in power. I want them to win this race on their own two feet. I’m not going to anoint him or her.”

Hogan said he views the job as a delegate as a community service, the same way one is involved in the church or the “Y.”

“There are certainly other opportunities that I will explore at some point to contribute to this community because I care about it, and I enjoyed representing it. I’m not going to quit doing that. I’m just going to do it in other ways that are not all-encompassing,” he added.

Looking back over his years in Richmond, Hogan cited accomplishments that have benefited Southside including funding for the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center that had a budget of $260,000 when he was first elected and now has a budget of over $2 million with funding from the General Assembly.

“I can look at this project and see where it has made a difference and will continue to for a long time,” Hogan said.

He also cited his work on the broadband network and what it will mean in the future for Southside Virginia and helping to bring the prison to Drakes Branch as major political accomplishments during his tenure in Richmond.

“A lot of people worked on these things. I’m not going to tell you I did these things by myself, but I certainly contributed to those efforts,” he said.

“I can walk away from being on the appropriations committee, being a budget conferee. It’s been a wonderful experience. A lot of people have helped me and given me a chance when they didn’t have to. It’s been a tremendous experience, and I’ve learned a lot from it, and I hope it benefited the people who live here, maybe in ways that are not readily apparent. And I’m certainly going to use those experiences in moving forward.”

On a larger basis, Hogan said he leaves Richmond at a time when the state budget is in “fairly good shape because we have been much more careful than other states. Most other states would be happy to trade places with us.

“Being in a position to be part of those decisions as one of a handful of people has been a real pleasure and an honor,” he said crediting the House Speaker with that opportunity.

Hogan said Sunday he has no plans to run for any other state office.

“I never wanted to run for higher office, and so I never spent a whole lot of time worrying about if I was the most popular person down there,” he said. “That has given me some freedom which I think has been beneficial to this community and has allowed me to play a role there. The freedom from not running for higher office of any kind gives you the ability to focus on the job you’re doing right now, and that, I think, has been liberating.”

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