By Heather Michon
Correspondent
When Lauren Ryalls Sheridan joined the Commissioner of the Revenue’s office more than a decade ago, one of her first assignments was to digitize hundreds of land use records, scanning, organizing, and building a digital archive, turning a mountain of paperwork into something taxpayers could actually use.
It is the type of work she enjoys. “I’m very organized,” she said.
Over the years, she has become a Master Deputy Commissioner of the Revenue and has spent countless hours attending classes, conferences, networking with peers, and observing the practices of other counties to see how they might work for Fluvanna.
Now, as she campaigns for the county’s top revenue job, Sheridan is betting that her impulses —modernizing dusty systems, making information easier to access, and demystifying local government—will resonate with voters.
“I love what I do,” she said. “I love working in Fluvanna and helping the people of Fluvanna.”
Policy, not politics
As a candidate, Sheridan is pitching herself as both the seasoned insider and the reformer.
Her platform is a buffet of modernization initiatives: more online access to records, expanded transparency around land use and assessments, and updating tax relief programs for seniors and disabled citizens whose eligibility thresholds, she points out, “haven’t been updated since 2007.”
She’s quick to explain that the Commissioner of the Revenue doesn’t set tax rates or collect money. That’s the job of the Board of Supervisors and the treasurer, respectively.
“We don’t create policies in our office. We don’t create these taxes. But it falls on us to administer the programs and make sure they’re done fairly,” she said. “It’s all about checks and balances.”
Her priorities include developing a more effective appeal process, reviewing the county’s communication of tax deadlines and appeals windows, and hosting regular community workshops.
“I think we need to be out more on social media. It’s a big thing which we do not have in our office right now,” she said. A strong social media presence could go a long way towards keeping taxpayers informed about critical tax deadlines, special programs, and the appeals process.
Meals tax and land use
Sheridan is candid about the county’s recent rollout of the new meals tax, describing it as a learning curve not just for local businesses, but also for their office. She acknowledges that some restaurant owners were surprised by the tax’s implementation.
“We’re trying to make it clear and concise for businesses, because there are so many nuances with that program,” she said.
She is also aware of the current discussion about the county’s land use program, which her office administers.
The land use program is a state-enabled tax incentive designed to encourage the preservation of farmland, open space, and working forests. Qualifying property owners can have a portion of their land assessed at its “use value,” reducing their tax burden as long as the property is actively farmed or conserved.
Over 60 percent of Fluvanna’s land is enrolled in the land use program. Her opponent, Donald Reynard, has argued that this is unfair to thousands of taxpayers in Fluvanna who do not qualify for land use tax incentives and end up carrying much of the burden to fund the county’s budget.
Sheridan believes that much of the controversy stems from a misunderstanding of the program. She stresses that land use isn’t a “free ride.” Property owners in the program still pay the full assessment on their homes and the required two-acre house site. Annual revalidation and random site checks, she explains, help ensure compliance.
A family institution?
No discussion of this race is complete without tackling the question simmering below the surface: Is the Commissioner’s office a family dynasty?
The current commissioner, Andrew ‘Mel’ Sheridan, is not just her boss. He’s her father-in-law. Mel Sheridan’s brother, Mike, is a longtime member of the Board of Supervisors.
After 22 years in office, Mel Sheridan announced his retirement in July with two years left in his term, prompting a special election to fill the post.
The sudden vacancy gave Lauren Sheridan a natural advantage in the race, with her years of experience in the office and a recognizable name at the top of the ballot.
She has heard the criticisms and is matter-of-fact about the optics: “I started as Lauren Ryalls. I fell in love with a Sheridan boy and got married,” she said.
“People see ‘Sheridan’ and they’re like ‘oh, another Sheridan.’ But people who have actually gotten to know me and worked with me understand it’s not a name with me. I’m proud of the work that I do, and I want to do what’s right. I’m not going to cut corners. It doesn’t matter what your last name is when you come to me. I’m going to treat you the same.”
The road ahead
As she campaigns for the top job, Sheridan says she’s focused on building trust, not trading on a name.
“This is my first time in politics. I know people see ‘Sheridan’ and think I know all about it,” she said. Instead, she’s been learning as she goes along.
She has attended county fairs and gatherings. She meets with seniors at local centers, answers the public’s questions on Facebook, and, come Oct. 29, will face the voters—and her opponent, Donald Reynard—at a League of Women Voters roundtable at the Fluvanna County Library.
“I really encourage people to just reach out to me,” she said. “I’m not going to go the negative route. If people want to know about my experience and what I’m doing, I’m happy to elaborate on that.”
Whether Fluvanna’s voters see Sheridan as a steward of good government, or simply the next branch on a well-established family tree, is, as always, up to them.
For more information, visit https://www.laurenryallssheridanforcommissioner.com/
