Grand-Thinking Va. Mayor Seeks Town's Energy Independence

Fitch, an international trade consultant who works part time as mayor, was elected to office a year after moving to town in 1997 with his wife, Patricia. For most of his life, though, he lived in Asia. He was born and raised in China, where his grandfather was a missionary, and studied pre-law in Singapore. Before entering politics, he embarked on an effort that has become a symbol of his imaginative, out-of-the-box approach: He cobbled together a bobsled team in Jamaica, sending four warm-weather athletes to the 1988 Olympics in Calgary, Canada.

A run for governor in 2005 didn't end as well. He was trounced by the Republican nominee, then-Lt. Gov. James W. Kilgore, in the party primary.

"George is a man of many ideas," said county activist Kathleen King, who supports the initiative. "As with most of us who have fertile imaginations, some of George's ideas are better than others."

Last month, Fitch spoke passionately before the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee about his proposal, urging panel members to offer incentives to communities to take similar risks.

"Local communities like ours are the answer to decentralization," he told the assembled legislators. "Don't forget about local communities being a major player in the effort to create more renewable energy."

He brushed off skeptics who point out that the technologies he is investigating are unproven and that what he envisions hasn't been done anywhere else in the country. With wise financing, the economic risk to the town would be nil, he said, so why not give it a shot?

Somebody, he said, has to take the first foray into a greener future.

"Everybody is waiting to see if these technologies will work," he said. "My view is, I don't want to sit on the sidelines. I don't mind stepping into the water."