Stafford County Supervisor Meg Bohmke announced Tuesday night that she will not seek a fourth term this fall and has hand-picked a candidate she hopes will succeed her.
Bohmke, who represents the Falmouth District, served one term on the county School Board before joining the supervisors.
“It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve this great county,” she said at a supervisors’ meeting, “and I appreciate the Falmouth voters and trusting me to represent them.”
Bohmke, the longest-serving current supervisor, said she is endorsing Michael Catell to succeed her.
“He’s well-known in the community, and he knows the challenges that we are facing and amazing opportunities we have before us,” she said. “He’s been a community leader in various service organizations, and I know he will serve the Falmouth District with integrity.”
Rock Hill District Supervisor Crystal Vanuch, a fellow Republican, thanked Bohmke for her service.
“She has been an absolute rock and consistent on this board, and I am going to miss her tremendously,” Vanuch said.
Catell, a 22-year Falmouth resident, issued a statement on Facebook on Wednesday, saying he accepts Bohmke’s endorsement.
The statement says that Catell has been a senior leader and fund developer in the corporate and nonprofit sectors for three decades, holding various positions “and ensuring mission-centered organizations based in Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia, and locally in the Fredericksburg and Stafford areas have the fiscal solvency to thrive.”
He has also held volunteer positions in the Rotary Club of Stafford and is active at his church.
“I am humbled to accept Supervisor Bohmke’s endorsement and want to thank her for her many years of service to our community,” he said in the statement. “The Falmouth District has many challenges and wonderful opportunities. I am ready to get to work for the people of the Falmouth District on the issues that matter most to them.”
Catell has presented at national conferences for the Council for Resource Development and served as chairman of the Boy Scouts of America Aquia District Finance and Development Committee. He is a 2010 graduate of the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce leadership program.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and history from King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. He and his wife, Jeniene, have six grown children and four grandchildren.
“Our community has many growing challenges, and I look forward to utilizing my resource-development experience and skills to bring fiscal stability to the community, as we have all seen the expansive increases in local taxes on our residents are not sustainable,” Catell said. “I look forward to getting out and meeting all of the wonderful residents of Falmouth over the coming months.”
