By Alexa Massey and Titus Mohler

The Farmville Herald

The 2019 state and local elections on Tuesday, Nov. 5, produced a variety of victories and leadership changes to several counties, including a new sheriff in Prince Edward County and an entirely new Board of Supervisors for Cumberland County.

PRINCE EDWARD

The full array of Prince Edward County-relevant election results were provided on the Virginia Department of Elections website. The results include the race for sheriff that L.A. “Tony” Epps won narrowly with 2,916 votes, equaling 50.52% of the vote. He defeated incumbent Wesley W. Reed.

In a Wednesday, Nov. 6, interview, Epps noted that being able to emerge with the win meant everything to him.

“It was my dream to be sheriff,” he said. “Of course, I ran 20 years ago, and I lost in a close race then and decided to run again. I’ve been out of law enforcement for about 14 years, but a lot of people wanted to see me run again, so they believed in me, and I gave it a shot. I worked hard and got an early start and knocked on a lot of doors and enjoyed every minute of it, and it paid off.”

Reed finished with 67 fewer votes, totaling 2,849, good for 49.36% of the vote.

“It was a close race, so Sheriff Reed ran a strong campaign, and we edged it out, but it was close,” Epps said.

Reed was first elected sheriff in November 2011 and was seeking reelection for a third term.

There were seven write-in votes Tuesday.

Epps said, “We’ve got some good people at the sheriff’s office, and I’m going to need some help, so (I’m) looking forward to working with those guys and serving the citizens of the county.”

In the District 22 state Senate race, incumbent Mark J. Peake, a Republican, won in Prince Edward and the state, defeating Democratic challenger Dakota S. Claytor.

In the District 60 Virginia House of Delegates race, Republican incumbent James E. Edmunds II defeated Democratic challenger Janie S. Zimmerman in both the county and the state.

Running unopposed, Prince Edward Commonwealth’s Attorney Megan L. Clark and Prince Edward Treasurer Donna Bowman Nunnally were each reelected to another term.

Edna Trent Goldman was elected as Prince Edward Commissioner of Revenue, running unopposed. She will replace Beverly M. Booth, who ran unopposed for the Farmville 101 District supervisor seat and was elected Tuesday.

Incumbent Lockett District Supervisor Robert M. “Bobby” Jones won by a wide margin against challenger Kenneth W. Jackson.

Three candidates winning reelection to the Board of Supervisors while running unopposed were Hampden District Supervisor Dr. Odessa H. Pride, Buffalo District Supervisor Llewellyn W. “Llew” Gilliam Jr. and Farmville 801 District Supervisor Pattie Cooper-Jones.

Gilliam was not elected to a four-year term, but was rather elected to finish out the last two years of the term first won by former Buffalo District Supervisor C.R. “Bob” Timmons Jr., who resigned at the end of January 2019.

With regard to the Prince Edward County School Board, no candidates formally filed to run for the Farmville 801 District seat, but Dr. Lawrence C. Varner won as a write-in candidate.

The only current school board member running opposed was Lockett District representative Doug S. Farley, who ended up defeating challenger Tetriss L. Hicks by a significant tally of votes.

Incumbents reelected who were running unopposed included Farmville 101 District representative Peter Y. Gur and Hampden District representative Beulah M. Womack.

Newcomer James Carl “Jim” Dumminger won the Farmville 701 District school board seat, running unopposed.

There were two open positions for Soil and Water Conservation directors in the Piedmont District, which includes Prince Edward, and William B. “Bill” Powers and Wilkie W. Chaffin were reelected to those positions.

CUMBERLAND

Cumberland County voted majority for Mark J. Peake to retain his seat as a member of the U.S. Senate. The county additionally voted majority for incumbent Thomas C. Wright Jr. to remain its representative as a member of the House of Delegates.

Patricia D. Scales prevailed over Jason Moore for the position of Cumberland County Commonwealth’s Attorney. Sheriff Darrell L. Hodges ran unopposed and retained his position, as did Commissioner of Revenue Julie A. Phillips and Treasurer L. O. “Lee” Pfeiffer Jr. Peter Francisco Soil and Water Conservation Board of Directors incumbents Terry D. Seal and M. Todd Smith were both reelected to the board.

Cumberland County saw an astounding change in its Board of Supervisors, as all five seats were won by newcomers, meaning the board will see five new faces this coming January.

District 1 board newcomer Brian R. Stanley won the election over opponent Audrey M. “Audi” Lacks. “I’d like to thank everyone that supported our campaign,” Stanley stated in reference to his victory. “Through their support that made this possible. I’m optimistic about Cumberland’s future, and I believe that if we all pull together with a unified goal we can do wonderful things.”

Board newcomer Ronald R. “Ron” Tavernier won the District 2 election over incumbent Lloyd Banks Jr. “I’d like to express my thanks to all of my constituents who voted for me and expressed their confidence in my abilities, and I look forward to serving them,” said Tavernier.

Eurika V. Tyree ran unopposed and won the election for the District 3 supervisor seat. “I thank God for blessing me with this opportunity,” Tyree stated. “I also thank my family and everyone for their support, prayers and their belief in me and my vision for Cumberland County. I thank Kevin Ingle for believing in me and endorsing me and my campaign manager for being with me every step of the way.” Tyree also expressed her pride in being the first black woman elected to the Cumberland Board of Supervisors, adding that she was also the first black woman to be elected to the School Board eight years prior.

District 4 newcomer C. Eugene “Gene” Brooks saw victory Tuesday night over his opponent William R. “Bill” Bruce. “It was just a tremendous effort on those who put everything together,” said Brooks. “The polls, the poll workers, those that came out to vote. It was a tremendous evening. I was very lucky to win.”

Cumberland County saw newcomer Robert K. Saunders Jr. take the District 5 board seat from incumbent Parker H. Wheeler. “I’d like to thank the supporters that helped me along the way. I’m trying to just get in now so that once I get in the seat in January I can go to work and try to make Cumberland a better place for the citizens, and try to get some revenue and make it safe for the children,” Saunders said. He also expressed thanks to his family for their continued support.

Cumberland District 1 School Board incumbent Ginger M. Sanderson ran unopposed and retained her seat on the board. Although no candidate appeared on the ballot, George L. Dowdy III won the District 2 board seat with a write-in campaign. District 4 newcomer Latesha L. Anderson saw a victory over opponent Heather M. King. “I’m very excited and I’m ready to work for the people,” remarked Anderson.

District 4 School Board newcomer Wendy L. Tillett ran unopposed and won her election, as did District 5 incumbent Christine C. Ross.

BUCKINGHAM

In Buckingham, U.S. Senator Mark J. Peake was the favorite over newcomer Dakota S. Claytor. Peake additionally won the statewide election. House of Delegates incumbent C. Matt Fariss won over Tim J. Hickey in Buckingham County, a victory that was reflected by Fariss’ statewide win.

Locally, Buckingham Commonwealth’s Attorney E. M. Wright Jr., Sheriff W. G. “Billy” Kidd Jr, Commissioner of Revenue Stephanie D. Love and Treasurer Christy L. Christian all ran unopposed and maintained their county positions, as did Dillwyn Mayor Linda Venable Paige.

Karen Sue Frable-Moss, Gilbert W. “Waco” Reams, Tora L. “Tonya” Jones and Sharon J. Baker were all reelected as Dillwyn Town Council members. There are six total seats for the Town Council, meaning that two additional winners will be announced by the registrar after counting the write-in votes for the positions. These results should be available by Friday, Nov. 8.

H. Nelson Bailey lost to James F. McDaniel Jr. and Kevin Earl Dunn, who both maintained their seats on the Peter Francisco Soil and Water Conservation Board of Directors for Buckingham County.

District 1 Buckingham Board of Supervisors incumbent Robert C. “Bobby” Jones defeated newcomers William F. “Buster” Martin and Robert H. Scarbrough Jr. District 2 incumbent Donald E. “Donnie” Bryan ran unopposed and retained his board seat. District 3 incumbent Donald R. “Don” Matthews Jr. prevailed over newcomers David Wade Ball and Wilbert M. “Esau” Dean.

Buckingham County will see new leadership by Thomas Jordan Miles III, who defeated District 4 board incumbent E. Morgan Dunnavant.

In reference to his election, Miles stated, “Our success on Tuesday, gaining the majority of votes in the Nov. 5 election, is a goal met for all people of the Maysville District, not any one candidate or any party or group or organization. I am humbled, proud and honored that I have been given the privilege of representing our district and its communities.”

District 4 Supervisor Harry W. Bryant Jr., District 4 Supervisor Joe N. Chambers Jr. and District 7 Supervisor Danny R. Allen all ran unopposed and were reelected to the board.

In reference to the election of Buckingham School Board members, District 1 incumbent Jacqueline J. “Jacky” Newton retained her seat on the board. District 2 newcomer Rachel M. Castello-Dunn ran unopposed and was elected, as was District 3 newcomer Pamela P. Morris. “I am delighted to serve on the Buckingham County School Board,” announced Morris. “I hope people will feel free to share their concerns with me. I will do my best to make a positive difference.”

District 4 School Board incumbent Joii West Goodman, District 5 incumbent Sherry S. Ragland, District 6 incumbent T. W. “Hut” Hutcherson Jr. and District 7 incumbent Theresa D. Bryant all ran unopposed and were reelected to their respective positions.