New Craig supervisor says county needs to look past taxesPosted Nov06, 2007 at 11:49 PMJennifer Durling, who won the Potts Mountain District on Craig County's Board of Supervisors, thanked supporters and promised they would have a voice in county decisions. Durling, who defeated incumbent Sandra Ross Ulrey, said she hopes Craig can find revenue sources besides taxes, which she said are already too heavy a burden for many landowners. Durling said areas she might encourage the county to consider would be trails for four-wheelers, a family-friendly campground in the national forest or low-tech industry that would not require extensive training. Poindexter rides Pittsylvania to house seatPosted Nov06, 2007 at 10:44 PMRepublican Charles Poindexter lost to Democrat Eric Ferguson in both Floyd and Franklin counties, but trammeled his opponent so decisively in Pittsylvania that we was able to pull out a a victory the 9th house district seat by a margin thin as November frost. Just 360 votes separated the front runners in a race where nearly 22,000 votes were cast, and an indpendent, Jerry Boothe, garnered nearly 2,100 ballots. Ferguson just didn't bank enough votes in Floyd and Franklin to withstand the slaughter in Pittsylvania. Hunt squeaks by Overton for Franklin County sheriffPosted Nov06, 2007 at 10:23 PMRepublican Ewell Hunt has won the race for Franklin County Sheriff's Office with a paper-thin margin of 222 votes over Democrat Bill Overton. The race pitted two department veterans against one another. Hunt is a lieutenant in the department, while Overton is a captain, and the son of long, long-time incumbent W.Q. "Quint" Overton, who is retiring. Two other candidates, Lynn Frith and M. Wayne Hodges, were not a factor. Also in Franklin County, the Union Hall District, which adjoins Smith Mountain Lake, will be represented by Franklin County Sheriff's Lt. David Cundiff next year. Redwood Express owner Ronnie Robertson also ran for the post, but lost decisively to Cundiff. The seat went up for grabs when Charles Poindexter chose to run for House of Delegates Incumbent returns to Craig County boardPosted Nov06, 2007 at 10:07 PMCraig County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Helen Looney won a second term, defeating J.R. Day 283-169, according to the State Board of Elections Web site. Ware thinks revelations about his past helpedPosted Nov06, 2007 at 10:02 PMAfter cruising to an easy victory in the 11th house district, Democrat Onzlee Ware said the recent outing of his past brushes with the law -- and a gun -- may have actually helped him. Ware defeated independent Delvis O. "Mac" McCadden for the seat that represents parts of Roanoke and Roanoke County. "I think to a lot of people, it made me even more human, because everybody has made a mistake," Ware said shortly after giving a victory speech to supporters who gathered in his downtown Roanoke law office. Ware, as a college student in Greensboro, N.C., was charged with possession of heroin and marijuana in 1975. The events were first reported Oct. 23 by The Roanoke Times. The newspaper confirmed the charges after getting a tip from one of Ware’s political foes. "I think people didn’t like it, and I think they thought it was a cheap shot," Ware said Tuesday night. Latest online video analysis: Smith's victory in 22ndPosted Nov06, 2007 at 09:50 PMOur latest election night analysis looks at Ralph Smith's victory in the 22nd senate district and covers what else to look for around the state. It's tight in the 22ndPosted Nov06, 2007 at 09:34 PMWith 70 of 71 precincts in, Republican Ralph Smith has a slim 758 vote lead over Democrat Mike Breiner in the race for the 22nd district state senate seat. The last precinct to be tallied is the absentee votes precinct in Montgomery County. Breiner has run well there, but it will be very hard for Breiner to gain over 700 votes in an absentee precinct. It's nail-biting time in Franklin County sheriff's racePosted Nov06, 2007 at 09:28 PMWith 19 of 24 precincts reporting, the four-way Franklin County Sheriff's Office appears destined to go down to the wire, with Republican front runner Ewell Hunt leading Democrat Bill Overton by just 206 votes. As Franklin County voting totals have been read out in the board of supervisors meeting room, onlookers have sucked in their breath as each number brings the race closer. Hunt, a lieutenant in the Sheriff's Office, is battling it out with Capt. Billy Overton, the son of hugely popular Sheriff W.Q. "Quint" Overton, who is retiring. In the Franklin County Circuit Court Clerk's race, Teresa Brown, endorsed by retiring clerk Alice Hall, has beaten Jackie Brubaker by wide margins in every precinct. Edward Jamison has won the three way contest to replace Carl Dudley as the school board member for the Blue Ridge District. Dudley vacated the post to run for Franklin County Board of Supervisors. Craig school board vice chair defeatedPosted Nov06, 2007 at 09:25 PMCraig County voters unseated the vice chairman of the school board. Onzlee Ware on the way to another termPosted Nov06, 2007 at 09:12 PMEleventh district House of Delegates incumbent Onzlee Ware, D-Roanoke, apparently was not hurt by a late-in-the-campaign revelation that he once used heroin, became and government informant and was apparently shot for his cooperation with authorities. He was pummeling independent Delvis O. "Mac" McCadden by a nearly two-to-one margin with 23 of 25 precincts counted. McCadden, a former Roanoke city councilman and political veteran, had intended to challenge Ware for the nomination in a local Democratic party recently taken over by leaders with little love for Ware. But McCadden failed to get his paperwork in on time. He revived his run as an independent, but to no avail. By 9:15 p.m., McCadden had tallied a victory in only one precinct, on Williamson Road in Roanoke. It's over in the 17th housePosted Nov06, 2007 at 09:07 PMIncumbent Del. William Fralin, R-Roanoke, made a brief victory speech at the Sunnybrook Inn, where party faithful gathered Tuesday night. He said his challenger, independent Alex Ballin, 23, had made "a very nice phone call" to him conceding the race. Fralin called for a round of applause for Ballin, and thanked his supporters during the three-minute speech. The victory was sealed early. With 12 of 30 precincts in, Fralin led with 6,283 votes to Ballin's 1,826. Poindexter rolls in Pittsylvania, takes leadPosted Nov06, 2007 at 09:06 PMDemocrat Eric Ferguson took typically-Republican Floyd County in the race for the vacant 9th district house of delegates seat that also represents Pittsylvania and Franklin counties. But Republican Charles Poindexter roared back in Pittsylvania with a damaging victory there, and he leads with 47.6 percent to 39.3 percent. Poindexter was still cautious, though. "All of the votes have to go to Richmond and back, so we're in for a long night," he said. Ex-B'burg chief joins Montgomery boardPosted Nov06, 2007 at 09:00 PMUsing a huge personality he built from years as Blacksburg's police chief, Bill Brown won his first political race tonight, defeating incumbent Steve Spradlin for a Montgomery County board of supervisor seat. Both men were well-liked in the district, which includes McCoy, Longshop, Merrimac, Price's Fork, and Wake Forest, and Brown, a Democrat, beat Spradlin, a Republican and the current supervisors' chairman, by less than 100 votes. Brown, who retired last year as police chief, won the race using what's usually taboo for a politician -- he said he'd consider raising taxes to improve the pay of law enforcement officers and teachers. Check out the latest analysis on video at roanoke.comPosted Nov06, 2007 at 08:54 PMWe've posted our first video analysis of tonight's results at roanoke.com. Change on the way in Giles CountyPosted Nov06, 2007 at 08:52 PMIt appears there will be a new Giles County sheriff as election results are close to being fully reported in one of the hottest races in the New River Valley. Independent challenger Morgan Millirons, who now works for the Virginia Tech Police Department, has 60 percent of the vote with a majority of ballots counted. The Giles race turned in recent weeks as several dozen law enforcement officers took out public advertisements criticizing incumbent Bryan Altizer for mismanagement and bad decisions. That included Altizer allowing a jail inmate to do work on the personal vehicles of several county employees, which Altizer, also an independent, acknowledged. In another closely watched NRV race, challenger Erica Williams appears to be on her way to upsetting two-term Montgomery County Circuit Court Clerk Allan Burke -- with the now well-known "Burke for Clerk" campaign slogan. Williams, a Democrat and courthouse employee, leads Burke, a Republican, 408 votes, according to the most recent vote tally. Smith takes lead in 22nd senatePosted Nov06, 2007 at 08:51 PMA cheer went up from an otherwise subdued crowd at 22nd senate district candidate Ralph Smith's headquarters around 8:30 p.m. when returns showed the Republican ahead with most of the votes counted. Smith held 52 percent of the vote to Democrat Mike Breiner's 48 percent with 74 percent of the precincts in. Smith took both Roanoke and Botetourt counties. Despite the apparent good news, the crowd of 100 at the Sunnybrook Inn in North Roanoke County was less festive than the crowd at Breiner's HQ earlier in the evening. People sipped coffee, iced tea and nibbled on confections. House Majority Leader Morgan Griffith and Roanoke Sheriff Octavia Johnson were on hand. Asked about Democratic Party Chairman Richard Cranwell's comment earlier in the night that Virginia would be blue from border to border soon, Griffith said: "I think he's right. Because we have the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay. Oh, was he talking politics? You always have to be careful with a Cranwell quote and look for the hidden meaning." New (old) sheriff in HenryPosted Nov06, 2007 at 08:36 PMIncumbent Henry County Sheriff Lane Perry, who was appointed to the post in the wake of the corruption scandal that rocked the department this year, appears to be cruising to his first full term in the post. With about two-thirds of the precincts reporting, Perry had 63 percent of the vote, while his opponent, Mike McPeek had 37 percent. Merricks poised to take 16thPosted Nov06, 2007 at 08:31 PMDanville building contractor Don Merricks appeared to be on his way to election to the Virginia House of Delegates. In early returns, Merricks had garnered more than twice the votes as Andy Parker, a member of the Henry County Board of Supervisors, in a contest for the vacant 16th District seat. The district covers parts of Henry and Pittsvylvania counties. The vote was 7,123 to 3,402 at 8:25 p.m., with 22 of 37 precincts reporting. Meanwhile, in some local races...Posted Nov06, 2007 at 08:14 PMA three-way contest for the Catawba District seat on the Roanoke County School Board was one of the evening's nail biters. With only the absentee ballots remaining to be counted at 8 p.m., a mere nine votes separated the top vote getter from the bottom. Challenger David Wymer, running as an independent but supported by the county's Democratic Party, had the lead with 1,328 votes. Only three votes behind him was incumbent Marion Roark, also running as an independent but endorsed by the Republicans. She was followed by Susan Arnold with 1,319. Each of them had slightly over 33 percent of the total. Returns from four precincts in Franklin County show Chief Deputy Circuit Court Clerk Teresa Brown gaining what appears to be a strong lead over Franklin General District Court Jackie Brubaker, 2030 to 1046. The most watched race, for Franklin County Sheriff, remains closer, with Democratic front runner Billy Overton leading closest competitor Republican Ewell Hunt by 316 votes. In Bedford County, in the board of supervisors race for the Montvale District, independent Annie S. Pollard, widow of long-time Supervisor Bobby Pollard, is trouncing her two opponents, independents Andy Dooley and Tom Dooley. Pollard has more than 60 percent of the vote with 3 of 5 precincts tallied. Independent Boothe may have impact in 9th HousePosted Nov06, 2007 at 08:06 PMDemocrat Eric Ferguson is maintaining a strong lead over Republican Charles Poindexter in the race for the 9th district house seat, while independent Jerry Boothe is making a strong showing with better than 16 percent of the vote. Ferguson handler and Democratic operative Joe Stanley suggested Boothe is pulling Republican votes because of negative campaigning by Poindexter. The scene at Ferguson headquarters in Rocky Mount was festive as returns in Ferguson's favor rolled in. Just a few blocks away, in a different store-front headquarters, things were quieter among Poindexter's supporters. But just 17 percent of precincts have been counted. Breiner maintains lead over SmithPosted Nov06, 2007 at 07:53 PMDemocrat Mike Breiner is maintaining a three percent margin over Republican Ralph Smith in the race for the 22nd senate district seat. In an ominous sign for Smith, the former Roanoke mayor, Breiner has taken generally right-leaning Salem by a handy five percent margin with all precincts reporting. Mood jovial at Breiner HQPosted Nov06, 2007 at 07:50 PMEarly returns in Democrat Mike Breiner's favor, coupled with an open bar with liquor, are making for a jovial mood at Breiner's election night headquarters at the Holiday Inn Tanglewood in Roanoke. Breiner is running against Ralph Smith for the 22nd district state senate seat. Fifty to 60 people, including many area Democrats running for office mingled and gnoshed on eggrolls from a buffet spread. They watched the election returns come in on television. The crowd included state Democratic Party Chairman Richard Cranwell of Vinton, who convinced Breiner to run, and who was boldly predicting a good showing for his party tonight. "I want Democrats all over the state to know we're interested in them, as we are in Democrats in Tidewater or Northern Virginia or wherever," he said. "This state is going to be blue from the Appalachian Mountains to the sandy shores of Tidewater to the teeming suburbs of Northern Virginia, brother." Also on hand was Alex Ballin, who is challenging incumbent Republican William Fralin for the 17th district house of delegates seat as an independent. "I've always considered myself to be a moderate Democrat," he said. By 7:45 p.m., Breiner himself had yet to appear. Ferguson leads Poindexter in early resultsPosted Nov06, 2007 at 07:36 PMWith two of 40 precincts reporting, Eric Ferguson is leading Charles Poindexter 44 percent to 36.7 percent in the race for the 9th house district. First returns: Breiner and Smith trading the leadPosted Nov06, 2007 at 07:23 PMWith just the few precincts reporting in the 22nd state senate district, Democrat Mike Breiner is leading Republican Ralph Smith, but it's neck and neck and the two traded the lead each time new unnoficial returns were posted to the State Board of Elections website. With 10 of 71 precincts in, Breiner leads with 51.2 percent of the vote to Smith's 48.5 percent. Got an election question? Just ask...Posted Nov06, 2007 at 05:55 PMIf you don't see what you're looking for when today's election results start rolling in sometime after polls close at 7 p.m., don't hesitate to ask. Data Delivery Editor Matt Chittum is now manning the election news blog and will try to track down answers to queries about results and turnout in our area and beyond. Just post a comment with your question and watch for a reply from Matt. Roanoke turnout rises to almost 15 percentPosted Nov06, 2007 at 04:59 PMThe Roanoke registrar's office reports that 14.36 percent of the city's 56,581 registered voters had gone to the polls by 3 p.m. today. The precincts with the highest turnout are Lee-Hi, at 24.94 percent, and South Roanoke 1, at 24.68 percent. The two precincts reporting the lowest turnout are Highland 1, at 5.4 percent, and Jefferson 1, at 6.68 percent. Election officials note confusion about racesPosted Nov06, 2007 at 04:45 PMA small number of people trickled into Ghent Grace Brethren Church in Roanoke to vote late this afternoon. Shaye Reed, 50, said she voted for Onzlee Ware because he’s “in there [the General Assembly] already.” She said she has been learning more about Ware through local television news. Election officials said there has been confusion all day about which races people could vote in. Some voters arrived at the polling location expecting to vote in the Ralph Smith/Mike Breiner Senate race. Officials said they have had to explain to people that they could not vote for that race because it's in a different district. -- Jenny Kincaid Boone Contested races driving up turnout in Giles CountyPosted Nov06, 2007 at 04:24 PMWith a hot and nasty race for sheriff and a six-way scrum for the clerk of circuit court seat, voter turnout in Giles County is running very high. Registrar Donna Altizer didn't have specific numbers this afternoon, but she said the last local election drove turnout to over 50 percent. "It looks like it might exceed that this time," Altizer said. "Our clerk's race is generating a lot of interest." Scarlet Ratcliffe is retiring from the seat after 42 years. In the last week, the race for sheriff turned nasty when 36 current and former deputies in the department bought an ad in the local weekly paper accusing the incumbent, independent Bryan Altizer, of such things as deliberately withholding information that jeopardized officers' safety and directing investigators to delete information from reports. The ads were as critical of Altizer as supportive of his contender, independent Morgan Millirons, a sergeant with the Virginia Tech police department. -- Matt Chittum Roanoke County voter turnout rises to almost 24 percentPosted Nov06, 2007 at 03:50 PMRoanoke County is reporting that as of 3 p.m., 23.79 percent of the county's voters had been to the polls. In the city, the registrar's office is still waiting for one precinct to report its 3 p.m. figures. But so far, as of midafternoon about 15 percent of voters had turned out for the election. Canvasser plans to follow in grandparent's footstepsPosted Nov06, 2007 at 01:52 PMBy noon today, about 130 votes had been cast at the Williamson Road 5 Voting Precinct, located at Huff Lane MicroVillage in Northwest Roanoke. Canvassers for both incumbent Del. Onzlee Ware, D-Roanoke, and independent challenger Mac McCadden had been working since shortly after the polls opened at 6 a.m. Complicating the process for them was the fact the school was holding parent-teacher conferences today as well, meaning that every other person walking into the school was not a potential voter in need of a sample ballot, but rather a parent concerned about their child's academic progress. That didn't dissuade Signe Jones, who was working on Ware's behalf. "I like it anyway," Jones said. Continue reading "Canvasser plans to follow in grandparent's footsteps" » Roanoke voter turnout around 6.5 percent at midmorningPosted Nov06, 2007 at 12:08 PMThe Roanoke registrar's office is reporting voter turnout of just over 6 percent by 10 a.m. today. Just 3,716 of the city's 56,581 registered voters -- or 6.57 percent -- had been to the polls by midmorning. The two precincts with the highest turnout rates so far are South Roanoke 1, at 11.8 percent, and Lee-Hi, at 11.6 percent. In Roanoke County, the turnout at 10 a.m. was 11.63 percent. Smith-Breiner race is key, voters sayPosted Nov06, 2007 at 11:43 AMAt Our Lady of Nazareth Church in Roanoke County shortly after 9 a.m., people strolled up to the registration table and stepped into voting booths without delay. The room was quiet. -- Jeff Sturgeon 3-way races attract attention in CatawbaPosted Nov06, 2007 at 11:18 AMBy 10 a.m., just over 100 people had cast their ballots at Mountain Pass Baptist Church near Catawba in Roanoke County. Poll workers said the turnout was average. While incumbents faced no opposition in the Senate and House races, the precinct offered three-way races for seats on the board of supervisors and school board. Martha Early was glad to see the competition. "Catawba is a very large district, and sometimes it doesn’t seem like we get the attention of the rest of the county," she said. For Cara Joyce, the most important race was for the school board seat. She backed Susan Arnold because she was impressed with Arnold's credentials as a long-time teacher in the county school system. -- Laurence Hammack Election questions? Just ask.Posted Nov06, 2007 at 10:46 AMIf you don't see what you're looking for when today's election results start rolling in, don't hesitate to ask. Data Delivery Editor Matt Chittum will be manning our election news blog tonight and will try to track down answers to queries about results in our area and beyond. Just post a comment with your question and watch for a reply from Matt. 11th District race getting attentionPosted Nov06, 2007 at 10:17 AMVoting was slow around 9 a.m. at the precinct at Lincoln Terrace Elementary School in Roanoke, and most of those who left the building after casting their votes didn't want to stand in the chilly winds to discuss their decisions. -- Reed Williams |
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