|
Hap Connors (right) hugs Jackie Burden as he and other supporters celebrate his re-election
Spotsylvania challenger Vince Onorato hugs his wife, Toni, after learning that he had defeated Mary Lee Carter in the county's Lee Hill District. Carter held the office for 14 years.
Spotsylvania Supervisor Mary Lee Carter, the incumbent, chats with voter Octavia Pleas at Lee Hill Elementary yesterday. |
An era in Spotsylvania County politics ended last night with the ouster of Lee Hill District Supervisor Mary Lee Carter.
Carter, first appointed to the seat 14 years ago, had won election three times. But yesterday, Vince Onorato, a political newcomer, swept all three Lee Hill precincts and captured 56 percent of the vote.
Onorato had the backing of two slow-growth groups in an election year where growth was the biggest issue.
Onorato basked in his victory at a slow-growth celebration at Liberty Lanes bowling alley in the Massaponax area.
"It's a wonderful day for the people who supported me and for the county," he said. "The county is going to move forward. Everyone's quality of life will improve."
Carter, 66, could not be reached for comment last night.
In the Battlefield District, Republican Chris Yakabouski upset two-term Supervisor Benjamin Pitts.
"I'm humbled and pleased," the 29-year-old Yakabouski said.
The Spotsylvania chapter of Voters to Stop Sprawl and the Committee of 500, two nonpartisan political action committees, celebrated Onorato's win and the victories of four other candidates they backed.
C500 Chairman Merl Witt was thrilled with the groups' overall success. "We did well," he said. "Lee Hill was definitely ready for a change. We won because we had individuals out ringing doorbells for Vince."
He said voters were also rejecting Carter. "People no longer accepted her message," Witt said.
Yakabouski said the GOP label and his endorsement by Voters to Stop Sprawl helped him. Yakabouski was endorsed by VSS, but not by C500.
Door-to-door campaigning also paid off, he said, with many voters telling him they remembered his visit.
"That personal touch, you can't put a price tag on," Yakabouski said.
Pitts, 46, could not be reached for comment last night. But earlier at the polls, he said a number of voters had asked him what political party he was in, an indication that his independent status might hurt him.
Hap Connors, appointed to the Chancellor District seat in January, won his first run at office with 60 percent of the vote over Republican Claude Dunn.
"I want to thank the voters of the Chancellor District for sticking to the issues and not getting distracted by negative campaigning," said Connors, 43, an independent endorsed by both slow-growth groups. "This is their victory, and I pledge to continue to work hard for them."
Salem District incumbent Gary Jackson captured 59 percent of the vote to defeat Joe Bumbrey.
"I look forward to working with the new board," said Jackson, 47, who was also endorsed by both slow-growth groups. "The voters in Spotsylvania have decided they want to go in a different direction."
The only bright spot for the old guard in Spotsylvania was Emmitt Marshall's victory in Berkeley.
He defeated the C500 candidate, Mark Kuechler and Republican Gary Bullis in a three-candidate race.
The 75-year-old Marshall has been on the board for 24 years.
"I appreciate so much the people in the Berkeley District and the support they've given me," Marshall said. "There was a trend against incumbents, yet we received over 50 percent of the vote."
Marshall and Livingston District Supervisor T.C. Waddy will be the only board members not endorsed by the slow-growthers. Theirs are the only districts that are still mostly rural.
Republican Bob Hagan, who was endorsed by both groups, did not draw a challenger in the Courtland District seat.
To reach BETTY HAYDEN SNIDER: 540/374-5427 bsnider@freelancestar.com
