Candidates File To Run In Buckingham For November Election

Published 1:27 am Thursday, June 11, 2015

BUCKINGHAM — The filing deadline has passed for candidates seeking office in the Nov. 3 general election, and the political field in Buckingham has both barren and flourishing spots.

According to Voter Registrar Margaret W. Thomas, all but two voting districts of the board of supervisors have competition. No one has filed to run for the District One School Board seat, and only two people have filed to run for the Dillwyn Town Council.

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Explaining the board of supervisors’ races, Thomas said that in District One, Robert C. “Bobby” Jones and Dennis H. Davis Jr. are running as Independent candidates. In District Two, incumbent independent candidate Donald E. “Donnie” Bryan is seeking re-election, while Dillwyn Town Council member Carolyn Anderson Davis, an independent, is also seeking the seat. In District Three, D.R. “Don” Matthews Jr. is running as a Republican, while Charles R. “Chuck” Meek is an independent candidate.

In District Four, said Thomas, independent candidate John N. Staton, the incumbent, is being challenged by Republican E. Morgan Dunnavant.  In District Five, Harry W. Bryant is running as an independent, while Quentin L. Yoder, a Republican, is seeking election to the board. In District Six, incumbent Joe N. Chambers Jr., an independent, is the lone candidate, and in the District Seven race, independent Danny R. Allen will also be unopposed in his re-election bid.

As for seats on the school board, no one has filed to run in District One, said Thomas. In District Two, incumbent Kathy F. “Sis” Midkiff is seeking re-election; in District Three, incumbent H. Ed Wise Jr. is running. In District Four, Russell P. “Pete” Gowin, the incumbent, is seeking re-election to the board, and is being challenged by Joii West Goodman. In District Five, Sherry Shepherd Ragland is seeking re-election, as are T.W. “Hut” Hutcherson in District Six and Theresa D. Bryant in District Seven. All candidates are running as independents.

As for the Dillwyn Town Council, incumbents Karen Sue Moss and Tora LaTonya Jones are running, which leaves four open seats, said Thomas. Incumbent Linda Venable Paige is seeking re-election as the Town’s mayor and is not facing opposition. All are independent candidates.

None of the county’s constitutional officers are facing opposition, according to Thomas. Malcolm A. Booker Jr. is running for clerk of court, Stephanie L. Allen is running for commissioner of revenue, Christy Love Christian is running for treasurer, W.G. “Billy” Kidd Jr. is running for sheriff, and E.M. Wright Jr. is running for commonwealth’s attorney. All are independent candidates.

Of the two seats for Soil and Water Conservation District Director, incumbents James F. McDaniel Jr. and David Wade Ball are seeking re-election; Kevin E. Dunn is also seeking election. All are independent candidates.

Paige, a former council member, said it concerned her that more people weren’t running in Dillwyn. “Some of the people who I spoke to about running, they are fearful of campaigning,” she said. “And some of them didn’t have the time to fully devote to campaigning …”

Paige said the town has a lot of people who would make “excellent candidates [but] they are involved in so many other things …”

According to Thomas, to fill the vacancies, both the town council and the school board can temporarily appoint representatives by a majority vote until a special election could be held.

“I think in the past they’ve always had a candidate for each open seat,” Thomas said regarding the vacant seats expected on the Dillwyn Town Council.

As for those seeking election as a write-in candidate, she said that it is requested that they notify the secretary of the County Electoral Board and file a certificate of candidate qualification for local office. “It is required that … candidates file the campaign finance reports,” which are filed through her office, she said.

“Each of the [Republican] candidates is or has been self-employed or owned and operated their own business,” said Robert Johansen, chair of the Buckingham County Republican Unit. “We believe these experiences will qualify them to be valuable assets to the board of supervisors in the planning and executing of their duties.”

“No candidates have been certified by the Democratic Party,” Thomas said.