Barry Vandiver

by Eric Tiongson

White County News

Barry Vandiver has always liked fixing things.

When he sold his lumber sawmill in 2018, the first thing he did was restore his old Toyota pickup truck. Shortly after, he started tuning up his friends’ cars, which quickly became a hobby.

“I fix everything from ovens, to cell phones, to cars, to whatever” Vandiver said. “I enjoy that.”

Now, he wants to bring that attitude to the White County Board of Commissioners. Vandiver is running for District 4’s commissioner, with the goal of making the county a better place.

“We just need to get back to being good stewards to the county, to the people that live here,” Vandiver said. “There’s some things that I would like to see done.”

Among Vandiver’s biggest goals as commissioner should he be elected include preserving the small town beauty of White County, updating county infrastructure by repaving existing roads and relieving property tax by increasing the homestead exemption.

The homestead exemption reduces the amount of property tax paid by homeowners. Currently, the minimum reduction is $2,000, but Vandiver believes that figure is outdated and should be raised due to the rising cost of living.

He also wants to improve the roads in the county.

“We’ve got roads in the county that are falling apart, and they need repaving,” Vandiver said. “I know it’s expensive, I know it is, but we’ve got to set a plan up to do these things before we lose them.”

Vandiver believes he brings strong people skills, problem solving abilities and a strong desire to improve the county to the table, and would make him an ideal representative of District 4.

“It’s not about doing something perfect every time, it’s about getting something done and making a plan,” Vandiver said. “You’ve got to have a long-term plan of what you want to see.”

Previously, Vandiver had served on the White County School Board from 2010 to 2018. Some of his biggest accomplishments include building a ninth grade academy and an auxiliary gym for White County High School and advocating for special education students. He founded the Heroes Sports League back in 2008, which provides opportunities for disabled children to participate in sports through the Recreation Department.

After selling his business in 2018, Vandiver has kept busy by working to expand Heroes into other counties, spending time with his family, and working with his hands to fix things.