Goochland County launches roundtables with Administrator Raley, registration required

Goochland County is putting a hard cap on its new conversations with County Administrator Dr. Jeremy Raley, limiting each community roundtable to 25 attendees and requiring registration for every seat.

The county’s first roundtable took place April 24 in the central part of Goochland County. Two more are set for Friday, May 8, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and Wednesday, May 20, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. County officials say the sessions are meant for citizens, businesses and community partners to raise ideas, thoughts and comments on issues of interest, while Raley shares current and future initiatives and county events.

The small-format approach makes access the central issue. A 25-person limit means most residents who want a direct conversation with the county administrator will not get into a given session unless they register quickly, and the county says future roundtables can also be hosted by neighborhoods, community groups or organizations that submit a request at least three weeks in advance. That gives organized groups a path in, while also narrowing who is most likely to get a seat.

Raley, who began his term as county administrator on June 9, 2025, has already held more than 200 conversations with residents, employees and partners since that month, according to the county. Before taking the administrator post, he served nearly seven years as superintendent of Goochland County Public Schools and two years at the Virginia Department of Education.

The roundtables are part of a broader engagement effort that includes a Community Engagement Advisory Group and a Citizen Advisory Group for the Valley Link power line transmission project. The Community Engagement Advisory Group has 26 members from different backgrounds and districts, including business and school representatives, and held its first meeting April 8 at Goochland’s Central High Cultural and Education Complex.

County leaders say they also want more transparency through public meeting recordings, budget documents and citizen feedback forms. With Raley now running a public outreach schedule that reaches from formal advisory groups to 25-seat roundtables, the test for Goochland will be whether those conversations stay open enough for the wider public to see what residents asked and what county leaders promised in return.