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A member of Buena Vista City Council the past three years, retired police officer Steve Webb is a candidate for re-election to a full fouryear term.
A native of Natural Bridge who has lived in Buena Vista the past 35 years, Webb said he remains “committed to Buena Vista since making this my home and raising my family here. I have served in several organizations and worked hard to make Buena Vista a safe, clean and happy place to live.”
He said he has “washed streets during floods, pumped basements, worked Christmas parades, Fridays in the Park [concerts], answered squad and fire department calls in the middle of the night, worked booster club concessions and was a School Board member.”
His background and experience have made him well suited to serve on Council’s finance committee, he said. “I have a vast knowledge of the workings of the city, and a great support system of friends and family who I trust … to give me great advice. I will never promise anything except that I make myself available to listen to suggestions, ideas and then vote what I feel is the best for the taxpayers and the majority of the people. Buena Vista … I want what is best [for the city].”
A top priority of his, he said, is upgrading the wastewater treatment plant. The plant “is long overdue to be remodeled, and brought up to today’s standards.”
Also, he said, “The city is working on upgrading outdated policies so we have a recourse to hold contractors and outside utilities accountable for damages done to our streets and properties. This has been a problem in the past.”
As for whether the city can continue to afford to have its own school system and make necessary capital improvements to the schools, Webb said, “There is no secret that the city has struggled financially after the floods and losing employment, but most Buena Vista citizens want to keep our schools. We do the best we can with repairs and funding. Times are still tight and Council has tried to be responsible and accountable for monies spent.”
Council, and especially the finance committee, he said, continues to “look over the budget with a fine-tooth comb and try to not waste money.”
Webb was appointed to Council in February of 2021 to fill a vacancy and was elected that November to serve the remaining two years of a Council member who had stepped down. A graduate of Natural Bridge High School, Webb worked for the Virginia Department of Transportation before embarking on a career in law enforcement. He worked for the Rockbridge County Sheriff’s Office and retired from the Buena Vista Police Department. He has also worked for the Lexington Police Department, the Natural Bridge Learning Center and the Washington and Lee University athletic department.
He has served on the Buena Vista School Board, the fire department and rescue squad and Masonic Lodge. He is married to Ginger Webb, clerk of Buena Vista General District Court.
