By Ava Tallat-Kelpsa and Haley Stoltz
Voters have re-elected Natalie Harris and Brandall Branch for Glasgow Town Council, months after a failed petition to oust the town’s mayor. There was a third open seat, but the winner of that spot wasn’t immediately clear.
In Goshen, Thomas McCraw was re-elected mayor while incumbents Derrick Ogden, David “Chris” Robertson and Michael Hicks won for town council.
In Rockbridge County, Toria Brown was voted in for a full term as supervisor representing the Walkers Creek district, a position she has been filling on an interim basis since former supervisor Jay Lewis was found ineligible to serve in March because he didn’t take the oath of office.
“There’s lots of things to learn, and I definitely got, I’ll say, thrown in,” said Brown, 39. “I feel like it was a small turnaround window to kind of get a grasp on what I was doing and keep moving forward.”
She said that she wants to continue to balance the beauty of Rockbridge County while improving economic development in the region.
In Glasgow, a group of residents in September filed a petition seeking to oust Mayor Paul Williams, saying they wanted to replace him with someone who would listen to residents. Mary Beth Reynolds, who filed the petition, ran as a write-in candidate for town council.
During the town council’s monthly meetings, the environment has turned hostile between council members, as well as between council members and residents in attendance, according to Reynolds. The petition failed and Williams is not up for re-election until next year; Williams said he has done nothing wrong.
“Paul is a good man,” Branch said last week. “What man do you know plows the snow at 3 a.m. in the wintertime? Paul cuts all the grass in Glasgow on the common areas. One year, in 30 degree weather, the water sewage plant pipes burst and Paul Williams got in the sewer water with Chris Flint to fix the pipe.”
Four candidates were on the ballot for Glasgow Town Council. Harris, Branch and Marcie Hill are the incumbents. Newcomer Kris Springer, who works in technology, said he was seeking a seat on council because he believes the council needs to improve communication with residents. Reynolds and another resident, Charles Gibbs, waged write-in campaigns, and it wasn’t immediately clear who won the third seat.
In Rockbridge, Brown ran unopposed to represent Walkers Creek on the board of supervisors.
In Goshen, McCraw, 76, ran unopposed for mayor. Incumbent council members Derrick Ogden, 45, Chris Robertson and Michael Hicks, 65, won their elections; newcomer Jeff Shaffer, 69, lost in his bid for a seat.