Two community activists won the Republican nominations for the Stafford County Board of Supervisors in yesterday's primaries.

Mark Dudenhefer, who ran on a platform to fix the county's dangerously narrow country roads and congested urban highways, will challenge board Chairman Gary Pash, a Democrat.

And Paul Milde, best known for his grass-roots environmental advocacy group, SaveCrows Nest.com, will face Democratic incumbent Kandy Hilliard this fall.

Dudenhefer and Milde, both running for public office in Stafford for the first time, beat out the Republican nominees who ran against Pash and Hilliard four years ago.

Dudenhefer won the nomination with nearly 67 percent of the vote over Willie Tolson, who had 33 percent.

Tolson challenged Pash four years ago, when the Garrisonville District was created during county redistricting.

"Willie Tolson put a lot of work into this. He has done a lot of things for Stafford County," Dudenhefer said. "I want to be in close contact with him. He and I have strong views on taxes and the other issues that reverberate there with conservative Republicans."

Dudenhefer said he thought his views on roads won him the nomination. He became concerned about traffic on narrow, shoulderless two-lane roads in the wake of the death last year of his youngest daughter, Emily.

"People are sick and tired of transportation problems," Dudenhefer said. "They are absolutely off the deep end with that. They want something done, and they believe me when I tell them I am going to do everything in my power to do something about them."

In the Aquia District, Milde defeated two other candidates for the nomination. School Board member Bob Hunt captured 32 percent of the vote; former Supervisor Ken Mitchell won 28 percent; Milde had 40 percent.

"This is the first indication that people are ready for a change and for some new ideas," Milde said. "People want a new approach to county government."

Milde also said his opponents were gentlemen.

"The party will get together now and see what we can do as far as beating Kandy [Hilliard] in the fall," he said. "She has made a lot of promises, and I don't know if people are convinced that she has fulfilled those promises."

Hilliard and Milde share the goal of keeping Crow's Nest, a ecologically sensitive peninsula between Accokeek and Potomac creeks, out of developers' hands. But the two have been at odds over the best way to do that since early last year.

Two other seats on the Board of Supervisors are also up for election this fall, but they did not require primaries because the party nominations were uncontested.

In the Falmouth District, Democrat George Schwartz will challenge Republican incumbent Mark Osborn.

And in the Hartwood District, independent Joe Brito will challenge Republican incumbent Gary Snellings.

Both Schwartz and Brito filed papers this week to get on the Nov. 8 ballot.

To reach RUTH FINCH: 540/720-1622 rfinch@freelancestar.com