Michael Hicks has been serving on Goshen Town Council since 2022 and is running for reelection this year, hoping to win a second term. When asked why he decided to seek another term, his answer was simple: “I just like doing it.”
“I like helping the community and trying to make things better for the town of Goshen,” he said. “That’s basically what I do. I’ve lived here all my life, so if I can keep the town some kind of good place to live, that’s everything.
“I’m here to help the community, and I think a lot of people know that,” he added. “A lot of people know me and know I’m going to try and do what I think needs to be done.”
Hicks pointed to the food pantry that the Rockbridge Area Relief Association runs out of Goshen’s town hall on Maury River Road every Thursday and the regular visits from the Rockbridge Area Health Center’s mobile health and dental clinics as examples of things that are happening in Goshen that improve the lives of its residents.
“A lot of people can’t afford to do stuff like that, so being able to help them with their health and with getting better and staying healthy, that’s a good thing,” he said.
One of the current projects the town is working on that Hicks also highlighted is the town park that’s being planned on a parcel of town-owned land adjacent to the Dollar General on Virginia Avenue. The park is still in the development stages, but plans for it include walking trails, athletic fields and playground equipment.
“I think that’s a good thing,” he said. “I mean, you’ve got people in town, and people in Craigsville and Millboro … I think everybody will use it.”
One thing that Hicks hopes to help continue working on if re-elected is the continued upgrading of the town’s water system, which is an ongoing project for the town as many of the lines currently in place are several decades old. He added that the town is in the process of pursuing funding to help with some water line replacements in the near future.
Beyond that, he said he isn’t focused on what the town isn’t working on yet, but rather on completing the currently ongoing projects.
“Right now, I think we’ve got enough on our plate to really be thinking about doing anything else,” he said.
