Cord Sterling takes D.C. job for John McCain, leaving Stafford Board of Supervisors

After eight years serving on the Stafford County Board of Supervisors, Cord Sterling choked up, sat back in his seat and said something that was clearly difficult to get out.

“I will not be running for reelection for the Board of Supervisors in November,” said Sterling.

The Republican represented Stafford’s rural Rock Hill District and took pride in representing the Fredericksburg region on the Virginia Commonwealth Transportation Board in Richmond. Sterling was also active on many county committees, including Stafford’s budget committee.

Sterling accepted a new position as the deputy staff director of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill. It’s where his career began 20 years ago, and it’s an “honor to return,” he said.

“Those of you who know the Senate Armed Services Committee, the Chairman is John McCain, and the pace that it maintains, is very grueling,” explained Sterling. “You read the newspapers and you see what’s going on in Europe, the Ukraine, see what’s going in the Middle East, you see what’s going on in Asia, you’ll get an idea of what my schedule and my life is  going to be like over the next several years.”

Sterling said he’ll take a pay cut with the new job, but said his duties will be important to the Senate.

Sterling will complete his term on the Stafford County Board of Supervisors which ends Dec. 31, 2015. It’s not clear yet who will run in his place.

“We still have 12 months of serving together and we have a lot to get done,” said newly appointed Stafford Board of Supervisors Chairman Gary Snellings, of Hartwood.

Sterling said he pushed to move the county forward during his Board tenure, especially in the area of improving the county’s road infrastructure. Sterling was integral in securing funding for a new interchange at Courthouse Road and Interstate 95 in Stafford.