Voters in the Catawba District of Roanoke County will now have a three-way race for the Board of Supervisors.

Incumbent Butch Church — a Republican-turned-independent — is seeking re-election. Carter Turner — a Democrat-turned-independent — is also running.

Today, David Drake announces he’ll seek the Republican nomination.

Here’s a statement from Drake:

Longtime Catawba resident and volunteer fire fighter David Drake will enter the race for the Catawba Board of Supervisors Seat. Drake will run as a Republican and plans to receive the party’s nomination at the July 16 mass meeting.

“I am very humbled by the opportunity to become an active part of the political process in this way,” said Drake. “I look forward to meeting with the citizens of Northern and Western Roanoke County and hope they will allow me to serve them on the Board of Supervisors.”

Drake is an engineer and has worked across the country and around the world. He believes job creation and development are important to the citizens of Roanoke County. Drake also sees that the people of Catawba want change in government at the local level.

“Everywhere I go, people talk to me about changing who runs local government. I think for far too long, our Supervisor has allowed the rest of Roanoke County to develop and prosper, while Catawba gets left behind. When someone spends enough time at the County Administration building, it’s easy to forget that you were elected by the people of Catawba,” said Drake. “It’s time for leadership that believes in putting Catawba first.”

Drake is an active member of the Roanoke County community. He is the Treasurer of and a volunteer EMT with the Catawba-Mason’s Cove Rescue Squad. He is also a volunteer fire fighter with the Catawba Volunteer Fire Department. He is a member of Commonwealth Search & Rescue and has been involved in rescue operations across the state. Drake is also an adjunct faculty member at Virginia Western Community College.

Drake is a strong conservative, who believes in limited government and fiscal responsibility at all levels of government. He believes the current set of Supervisors has lost sight of those values.

“I think the government should not be involved in what private industry can do,” said Drake. “We need true, conservative leadership to protect our values and keep government in its proper place.”

With Drake’s entrance, the race now becomes a three-way contest. Drake is the only candidate seeking the nomination of a political party.