Candidates Set For Highland Election

This November, eleven seats will be up for election in Highland County – 3 Board of Supervisors, 3 School Board, Sheriff, Treasurer, Clerk of the Court, Commissioner of the Revenue and Commonwealth Attorney.

The deadline for candidates to file the necessary paperwork for qualifying to be on the ballot was Tuesday evening at 7:00 PM. According to General Registrar for Highland County, the following individuals are now qualified.

Five candidates will vie for the three Board of Supervisor seats:

• Incumbent David Blanchard of Mill Gap, who has served since 2008 and works for Allegheny Instruments
• Incumbent Kevin Wagner of Possum Trot, who has served since 2012, and works as clerk for the Monterey Post Office
• Robert Lambert of Possum Trot, self employed as a farmer
• Wes Maupin of McDowell, retired
• Harry Sponaugle of Doe Hill, self employed as a farmer

The Sheriff’s race will see incumbent Tim Duff of Meadowdale, who was elected to the office in  2012 face off against David Neil of McDowell, a Highland deputy, who is also with the Allegheny Highlands Drug Task Force of the Virginia State Police.

For Clerk of the Circuit Court  Lois Showalter, of Strait Creek,  who has served since 2008, will face Judy Waggoner Hupman of Hightown, who has served as Clerk of General District and Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court for 30 years.

Three Constitutional office incumbents are running unopposed:

• Commissioner of the Revenue Darlene Crummett of Blue Grass, elected in 2008
• Commonwealth’s Attorney Melissa Dowd of Blue Grass, elected in 2008
• Treasurer Lois White of Marshall Hill, elected in 2004

Four candidates will run for the three seats on the Highland County School Board:

• Incumbent Joe Neil from McDowell, farmer and co-owner of Neil’s Small Engine Repair, who was elected in 2012
• Incumbent John Moyers Jr., who works for R&R Donelly of Harrisonburg, also elected in 2012
• Chris Amirault of Doe Hill, who works as a regional safety manager for Ruan Transportation Management Systems
• Gretta Sandberg of Upper Back Creek, who is the director of the Allegheny Mountain Strings Project

Stay tuned to Allegheny Mountain Radio for more coverage of the candidates and the election. For Allegheny Mountain Radio, this is Scott Smith.