Meet The Candidates Colonial Heights City Council and School Board

Mayor T. Gregory Kochuba

Greg Kochuba served on City Council 2004-2008, 

2012-2016 and was re-elected to City Council for

a third term in November 2016. Greg was elected

Mayor on January 2, 2015. 

For the past 36 years, Greg has worked for the

Department of Defense where he has gained

extensive experience in finance, budgeting,

auditing and economic forecasting. He currently

serves as the Finance Representative for the

Virginia Municipal League, the City Council

Representative for the Virginia Gateway Region

and as Chairman of the Audit Committee. 

He is a graduate of King’s College, in Wilkes-Barre,

PA, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business

Administration. Greg is also a Certified Defense

Financial Manager (CDFM). 

Greg is married to Lisa Hales and has three children:

Katie, Taylor and Christian. In his free time Greg

enjoys playing basketball, working-out, landscaping

and cooking.

Bobby Wade

Robert W. “Bobby” Wade is a longtime resident of Colonial Heights, and married to Tereasa Ingo Wade
for 25 years. They have two children Robbie Wade (Class of 1993) and Ryan Blair Martin (Class of
2006), a son-in-law, Mark Martin (Class of 1998). Bobby graduated from Colonial Heights High School
in 1971 and obtained an Associates in Insurance Claims, (AIC) for Commercial, Liability, Property &
Contract Law from the University of Richmond. He has worked in insurance claims for 44 years as a
Senior Claims Analyst, Claims Supervisor & Catastrophe Claim Manager. He is the founder of ClaimCo
Services, Inc. and RWW Properties, LLC both in Colonial Heights. Bobby has three grandchildren;
Lexie, Kaylee and Colton (Class of 2030). He loves spending time with his family.
Bobby retired from the insurance industry in 2018. He is currently the Chairman of the Colonial Heights
Economic Development Authority. A Commissioner on the Colonial Heights Planning Commission.
Officer of the Colonial Heights Electoral Board. An active member of Mount Pleasant Baptist Church.
A United States Army Reserve Veteran and member of the American Legion Post 284.
Mr. Wade’s vision is to tap into a younger demographic economic market for our city; for example, Fort
Lee has (70,000) troops and support staff from where we can draw; as well as other market offerings
surrounding the city. As chairman of the city’s Economic Development Authority (EDA), he
recommended a needed change for higher end restaurants to accompany what we presently have. In the
Planning Commission, he advocated for change in zoning of the Boulevard to include a more modern
multi-use plan. With these changes, local business sales and services will increase along with growth
opportunities for other businesses to locate here. He supports a strong economic view for the City of
Colonial Heights as we move forward. It has been long enough that the financial burden has been placed
on the citizens of the city. He is an advocate for making the city the “Economic Hub” for the tri-city area
promoting “Better Business, Better Living”. We have the best schools, police, fire and EMS in the area
as well as general municipal departments. Our strategic location offers easy access to I-95 with two
dedicated exits which is a bonus where we can capitalize.
I thank each and every one of my fellow citizens and neighbors for your support and vote. For more
information, please visit my Facebook page, Wade for Colonial Heights City Council.
VOTE
Robert W. “Bobby” Wade
“The Wise Choice”

Dan Ferguson

Michael A. Cherry

Michael Cherry was elected to council in 2017

for the first time.

He has been a resident in Colonial Heights

since 2006.

He is originally from Rocky Mount,

North Carolina.

He has been married to his wife, Teresa,

for over 25 years and they have 2 children,

Jonathan and Madison.  In his spare time he 

likes to hunt, fish, and play golf. 

Michael is a staff pastor at Life Church in South

Chesterfield county. He serves there as the

Administrator at Life Christian Academy. 

He has two associate degrees, a Bachelors of

Science in Religion from Liberty University

and a Masters in Education from Regent University.

Michael is retired from the USAF where he served

as an aircraft load master on C-141 and C-17

aircraft. His service to the country took him to 6 of

the 7 continents and over 75 countries. He served

in many capacities during his 20 year career

including as the liaison from HQ Air Mobility

Command to the Quartermaster Center and

School at Fort Lee, Virginia. His vast experience

in procurement and program management are a

great benefit to him on council.

Dr. Laura Poe

I'm a longtime resident of Colonial Heights and have served on the City Council Advisory Board for over a decade. I would like to continue my service to our great city and be a voice for our citizens. During my tenure on the Advisory Board, I have worked to ensure that available charitable city funds were appropriated to organizations that provide direct support to improve the lives of our residents.  Additionally, I had the opportunity to serve on the Board of Directors for the Colonial Heights Food Pantry, a vital organization that directly impacts our residents in their most critical times of need.

I have extensive leadership experience, both in large corporations and as a small business owner of a technology management consulting firm, providing services to both public and private sector clients.  I am currently a professor of Information Systems and Cyber Security at Longwood University.  I have previously taught at University of Richmond and Liberty University.

The development of our youth is a passion of mine beyond the classroom, and I have served routinely over the years in youth ministry in addition to working with organizations, such as the Girl Scouts.

We are facing many challenges across Virginia, and our city needs solidarity and strong leadership. As the spouse of a Colonial Heights City Police Officer, I know firsthand the challenges our first responders face and how important it is to support our public safety initiatives. I will work to ensure that our police and fire departments have the resources needed to maintain the high quality of services they provide to our community on a daily basis. Colonial Heights is a unique city, and I would like to preserve the small town values while continuing to strengthen our economic stability.

Thank you for your support and your vote!

http://poe4council.com

Derward Rollinson