Candidates talk about Wythe election

By WAYNE QUESENBERRY/Staff

Tuesday’s general election produced at least one major upset on the local level. Independent candidate for the Wythe County Board of Supervisors from the Black Lick District Gary M. Houseman defeated Republican incumbent Charles S. Dix with 71 percent of the district’s vote.
“Running as an independent, you never know how things are going to go,” Houseman said earlier this week. “I think everybody should be an independent on the local level. I don’t think the political party should be as important as the person.”
Running for the first time, the retired school administrator and pastor received 902 votes. Dix, a beef cattle farmer and 16-year veteran of the Board of Supervisors, garnered 366 votes.
“I appreciate the people in the Black Lick District and I appreciate their support,” Houseman said. “I thank Mr. Dix for representing us all these years. I will work to justify the confidence the voters had in me.”
Commenting on the results Friday, Dix said, “Anytime you lose you’re surprised. I guess I needed to campaign harder.”
According to him, he only had opposition once before – the first time ran for the four-year position.
Democrat Coy L. McRoberts was successful in his bid to represent the Lead Mines District on the Board of Supervisors. He represents the same district on the Wythe County School Board, a seat he will relinquish Jan. 1, 2010.
The Ivanhoe businessman received 834 votes. His Democratic challenger, Paul A. “J.R.” Gilman Jr., a church pastor, received 485 votes.
“I’m glad it’s over,” McRoberts said Wednesday morning. “J.R. Gilman is a fine man and did not sling mud. I’m interested in getting started on the board. I have a few months left on the School Board and I have a lot of meetings of both boards. I will work as hard as I can for the people. I want to be a good supervisor.”
Republican incumbent Danny C. McDaniel was returned to the Board of Supervisors as East Wytheville’s representative. He was challenged by first-time candidate, Jeffery S. Lienhart, a Democrat.
“I’m happy with the support of the citizens of East Wytheville,” McDaniel, retired personnel director for Wythe County Schools, stated. “I look forward to continue representing them on the board. We are faced with several concerns. One of the issues that concerns me is the economy.”
McDaniel captured 1,077 of the votes in his district. Lienhart, a retiree, received 386 votes.
First-time candidate Patricia “Pat” S. Hines won a three-way race for the Wythe County School Board as representative from the Lead Mines District. She faced opposition from Sondra “Sissy” W. Anders and Harry Hal Pope.
“I’m really glad it’s over,” Hines, a retired school administrative assistant, stated Wednesday. “It’s been a long five months. I am honored to win it. I’m so glad there was no mudslinging and that I had good, honest opponents. I look forward to working with the citizens of the county and the School Board to do everything I can for the betterment of our students. I love kids. I’ve worked with them all my life. I feel like God led me to do this.”
Hines received 631 votes to Anders’ 458 and Pope’s 243 votes.
Incumbent Stephen R. Sage ran unopposed for re-election to the School Board as Black Lick’s representative.
William S. “Bill” Kidd was re-elected to the School Board as East Wytheville representative. He ran unopposed.
School Board candidates are not required to declare political party affiliation for election.
Wythe County voters supported the Republican ticket sweeping statewide offices. They cast 5,650 votes toward the election of Robert F. “Bob” McDonnell and 2,119 votes for Democratic challenger R. Creigh Deeds.
Local voters favored William T. “Bill” Bolling for re-election as Virginia’s lieutenant governor. They cast 5,396 votes for him compared with 2,307 votes for Democrat Jody M. Wagner.
Republican Ken T. Cuccinelli II was favored by Wythe County voters, too. He received 5,370 votes while Democratic challenger Stephen C. Shannon netted 2,291.
Incumbent Republican Anne B. Crockett-Stark of Wytheville easily won re-election as 6th District Representative to the Virginia House of Delegates. In the precincts of her coverage area in Wythe County, she netted 2,638 votes.
Her Democratic challenger Dr. A. Carole Pratt received 1,038 votes.
C.W. “Bill” Carrico was returned to the House of Delegates as representative from the 5th District. Running unopposed, he received 3,367 votes from Wythe County voters in his district.
Wayne Quesenberry can be reached at 228-6611 or .