By Aila Boyd
aboyd@ourvalley.org
Three primary elections are scheduled to take place June 11. The winning candidates will be on the general election ballot on November 5.
Voters will decide who will be the Republican candidate for sheriff of Botetourt County, commissioner of the revenue for Botetourt County, and the Blue Ridge District representative on the Botetourt County Board of Supervisors.
Sheriff
The current sheriff, Ronnie Sprinkle, declined to seek a sixth term.
Mike Vineyard, Matt Ward, and Jeff Stritesky are all seeking the Republican nomination for sheriff.
- Vineyard, a retired detective with the Roanoke Police Department, currently serves as a senior special agent for the Commonwealth. He holds a degree in criminal justice from Virginia Western Community College.
- Ward is a master deputy with the Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office, where he started as an auxiliary deputy in 1996.
- Stritesky is a lieutenant in the Community Services Division of the Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office. He has over 34 years of law enforcement experience. He previously served as the resource officer at Lord Botetourt High School.
Commissioner of the Revenue
The current commissioner of the revenue, Rodney Spickard, declined to seek a third term.
Chris Booth and J. Michael Griffin are running for commissioner of the revenue.
- Booth serves as the Botetourt manager for MKB, Realtors. He attended both Virginia Western Community College and Old Dominion University.
- Griffin owns JMG Homes LLC and is an operator of the Brookfield and Sommersby Water Companies. He holds an undergraduate degree in business administration from The College of William and Mary.
Blue Ridge District on Board of Supervisors
Billy Martin, the incumbent, and Walter Michael are running for the Blue Ridge District on the Board of Supervisors.
- Martin serves as the chairman of the Board of Supervisors. He is currently serving his third term and has represented the district since 2008. He retired from the United States Postal Service.
- Michael held management positions at AH Robins and Conrail, before starting a sought-after consulting firm. He holds an undergraduate degree in chemistry from Mount Union University and a graduate degree in business from the University of Richmond.
The polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. at all regular polling locations. The general election will take place on November 5 from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. In-person absentee voting will begin on September 20. The deadline for in-person absentee voting will be on November 2 at 4:30 p.m.
