By Isabella Custard
Tony McFaddin was elected tonight for the first time after serving as interim sheriff of Lexington and Rockbridge County for the past year.
McFaddin won with 62% of the vote, about twice the votes of his closest opponent, Chris Norris. The incumbent sheriff won 16 of Rockbridge’s 17 precincts. Norris won Natural Bridge. Fred Smith failed to win any precincts.
McFaddin was appointed sheriff succeeding Steve Funkhouser, who retired in January. This is the first time he has been officially elected to the position.
The Rockbridge County sheriff is responsible for around 20 patrol deputies in the county and Lexington. The race is nonpartisan.
During a candidate forum hosted by the Chamber of Commerce in September McFaddin said he launched several new educational programs and hired more female deputies than any other sheriff.
“For the past 30 years, I’ve dedicated my life to protecting and serving this community,” he said during the forum. “I’ve worked my way through every rank. and position in the sheriff’s office, serving, supervising, managing, and leading.
In a Facebook post, Norris congratulated McFaddin on his victory and wished him good luck. He also thanked Smith for his friendship throughout the campaign.
“This was the one thing that you gave me that you didn’t have to,” he said. “But I want you to make sure that this office is held accountable if it fails to carry out the election promises. If that happens, I’m sure someone else will be there in two years to pick up where I left off.”
Before McFaddin was appointed sheriff, he ran the day-to-day operations in the sheriff’s office as chief deputy for 10 years. He is a lifelong resident of Rockbridge County, except for a stint in the Marines.