Amsterdam supervisor, School Board races attracting the most attention locally for Tuesday’s election that includes picking a new governor
The race for the Amsterdam Election District seat on the Board of Supervisors has generated the most interest locally for next Tuesday’s, Nov. 7, election.
Two candidates with experience on the board are running for the seat currently held by one of them— Todd Dodson. Steve Clinton, a former, longtime member of the board, is challenging him after sitting out a term for business reasons.
Amsterdam District voters will also choose between two candidates for their representative on the School Board. Incumbent Ruth Wallace is being challenged by Anna Weddle in what’s been a quieter race.
The Dodson-Clinton match up has attracted a lot of attention in the district and around the county and was the subject of a candidates’ forum Monday evening in Daleville (see related article).
Two issues have been the focal point of that race— what will happen with a proposed zoning application for a Sheetz convenience store on the corner of Catawba Road and US 220 in Daleville and a unanimous decision by the Board of Supervisors to move two historic structures from a hillside in Botetourt Center at Greenfield to a new historic preservation area in the industrial park.
The Sheetz zoning application comes up for public comments at a Planning Commission meeting the week after the election, and is scheduled to go before the Board of Supervisors on November 28.
Dodson received the Republican nomination to run for the supervisor seat— as he did four years ago. Prior to that election, Clinton had been the party’s nominee over the course of four previous elections.
Clinton is running as an Independent this time.
Both Wallace and Weddle are running as Independents for the district’s School Board seat— as is required by Virginia law.
Those aren’t the only elections, though. Botetourt voters will help pick the next Governor, Lt. Governor and Attorney General as well, and they’ll cast ballots for either the 19th or 17th District House of Delegates seat.
And, voters in the Buchanan Election District are expected to confirm their Board of Supervisors and School Board representatives who are running unopposed.
Irvin Ray Sloan is the lone candidate on the ballot for the Board of Supervisors seat. He received the Republican nomination to run for the seat when first-term incumbent John Williamson III decided to not seek re-election.
Michelle Crook is the lone candidate for the district’s School Board seat. She was appointed to fill the late Kathy Sullivan’s unexpired term earlier this year and is the only person to file to run for the seat— also as an Independent.
Town of Troutville voters will also elect three members of Town Council. Incumbents Doris C. Camper, H. Dean Paderick and Harry J. Ulrich Jr. are the only three candidates running for those seats.
There are three candidates for Governor: Republican Ed Gillespie, Democrat Ralph Northam, who has served as Lt. Governor, and Libertarian Clifford D. Hyra.
Jill Vogel is the Republican candidate for Lt. Governor and Justin Fairfax is the Democratic Party candidate.
Current Attorney General Democrat Mark R. Herring is being challenged for the job by Republican John Adams.
Incumbent Republican Chris Head, who lives in Botetourt, is being challenged for the 17th District House of Delegates seat by Democrat Djuna Osborne of Roanoke. Only a “finger” of the district runs into Botetourt— from the Roanoke County line in the Cloverdale area northeast into the Town of Troutville area. About 3,000 Botetourt voters (about 5.3 percent) are in the district that includes parts of Roanoke County, Roanoke City and the Town of Vinton.
Incumbent Republican Terry Austin is unopposed for re-election to the 19th District House of Delegates seat that includes the rest of Botetourt, Alleghany County, the City of Covington and the center of Bedford County from the Botetourt line to Forest.
All voting precincts will be open as usual from 6 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday.
Also, Virginia law requires voters to show an acceptable photo ID to vote in person.
