The Shadow
WARM SPRINGS – Major political changes are on the horizon in Bath County.
Five new supervisors, five new school board members, a new sheriff and treasurer emerged from Tuesday’s local elections.
Bath County voters elected Robert Plecker as sheriff, while Pam Webb emerged from a field of seven candidates to win the treasurer’s race.
Three seats on the Bath County Board of Supervisors were going to change, but five new board members will take office in January as Jon Trees and Stuart Hall were defeated in re-election bids.
No current school board members were included on the ballot, and the composition of the school board is still being decided today as election officials scrutinize write-in ballots.
Plecker, a long-time Bath County deputy, captured 49.39 percent of the vote to defeat a field of four candidates that included current Sheriff Larry Norfleet, Todd Fry and Pete Minetree.
Plecker received 1,018 votes, with Norfleet capturing 500 votes, or 24.26 percent. Fry had 385 votes, while Minetree had 156.
“I’m glad it’s over,” Plecker said. “I’m going to serve the county like I have my whole life. I’ve been in law enforcement for 23-24 years, and now I get my chance to do it as a sheriff. That’s been my lifelong dream. That’s what I wanted to be, and I finally get a chance to do it.”
Webb received 33.39 percent of the vote for treasurer, outdistancing runner-up Richard Byrd, the current chairman of the Bath County Board of Supervisors, 686-393.
Bonnie Robertson was third with 347 votes, followed by Sandra Williams with 199, Sue Ailstock with 192, Janet Plecker with 156 and Shirley Matheny with 79.
Webb will succeed long-time treasurer Mary Susan Blankenship, who is retiring at the end of the year.
“I’d like to thank God, and I’d like to thank my family,” Webb said. “I’d like to thank the other candidates for running a clean campaign. I wish them the best.
“I’d also like to thank the voters,” she concluded. “I’ll try not to let them down.”
In a tight race for the commissioner of the revenue post, incumbent Leta Norfleet received 51.60 percent of the votes to defeat Crystal Salvatore, 1,046-976.
Running unopposed, Chris Singleton retained his post as Bath County commonwealth’s attorney.
In the closest race of the day, former Bath County and Rockbridge County administrator Claire Collins, who also served as Covington City Manager, won the Cedar Creek seat on the Bath County Board of Supervisors.
Collins defeated current Bath County School Board Chairman Eddie Ryder by eight votes, 137-129. She will succeed Percy Nowlin, who announced earlier this year that he would not seek re-election.
The third candidate in the Cedar Creek field, Ellen Andrews, received 73 votes.
“I’d like to thank the voters of Cedar Creek for putting their faith in me,” Collins said. “I will do my best to represent them and all of Bath County.”
In the Warm Springs supervisors race, challenger Bart Perdue unseated Trees by a vote of 248-201.
“I’m excited,” said Perdue, a 2000 Covington High School graduate and an employee of The Homestead. “I don’t take this lightly.
“It’s a big responsibility,” he added. “I hope I can step up to the plate.”
In the Williamsville supervisors race, Bruce McWilliams defeated long-time supervisor Stuart Hall, 205-182.
“I have to really say thank you to a huge group of people who gave me a lot of support,” McWilliams said. “I had advice; I had insight. Folks were more than generous with their thoughts, how they want to approach this and where they want their county to go. The voters are still driving this car.”
In the Millboro race, Cliff Gilchrest, a former supervisor, defeated current school board vice chair Dreama Burns, 246-164. Current supervisor Carol Hardbarger did not seek re-election.
The fifth new supervisor will be Kevin Fry, who was running unopposed for the Valley Springs seat currently held by Byrd. Fry received 317 votes.
Only two names appeared on the ballot for the school board.
Amy Gwin received 281 votes in the Cedar Creek district, while Catherine Lowry garnered 366 votes in Valley Springs.
Current school board member Joyce Hevener received 93 votes in Williamsville, but she had indicated that she will not serve another term.
The remainder of the school board will be decided through write-in votes. Election officials continued tabulating these write-in votes today.
Ryan Hodges received 1,394 votes for Soil and Water Conservation Director in the Mountain District, while Terry King received 935 votes.
As expected, Bath County’s own, Creigh Deeds, received 71.20 percent of the vote in his bid for re-election to the Virginia Senate. Deeds, D-Hot Springs, received 1,442 votes in Bath County, while T.J. Aldous had 578 votes.
Running unopposed for a House of Delegates seat, Ben Cline received 1,497 votes in Bath County.
All of Tuesday’s winners will take office Jan. 1, 2012.
