BOTETOURT – Members of the Botetourt Democratic Party County Committee changed what was supposed to have been a routine monthly meeting Monday night at the Fincastle Library into something of a campaign rally in which Steve Vaughn of Eagle Rock announced his intention to seek the party’s nomination for the Fincastle District seat on the Board of Supervisors.
As a result, the party set May 24 as the date for a mass meeting to act upon his candidacy and any others that might be brought before it.
Vaughn, who is a former rural mail carrier and retired Eagle Rock Postmaster, is a candidate to serve the final year of the four-year full term for the Fincastle District seat vacated by the death in January of Don Meredith.
Vaughn’s wife, Donna, was named in January by Circuit Court Judge Malfourd W. Trumbo to serve in the position until the November elections.
The Democratic Party mass meeting will convene at 7 p.m. on Monday, May 24, in the meeting room at the Fincastle Library.
Jim Fain, chairman of the Botetourt County Democrats, said in a discussion following the meeting, “This election of a Botetourt County supervisor from the Fincastle District may very well be the most important voter action for shaping the priorities and tone of our local government for the next 10 years.
“We want to do everything possible to encourage a locally developed sense of governmental priorities based on common sense with money while respecting and preserving our traditions, cultural values, and hopes for ongoing community progress,” Fain said.
“I wish to see the county continue to prosper by maintaining its excellent school system, sheriff’s department, and both volunteer and paid emergency services,” Vaughn said in a briefing presented following the committee’s business meeting.
“Botetourt is a family-friendly community with old-fashioned values,” Vaughn said. “It is evident that people want to live in this county, which is demonstrated by the growth of new subdivisions.”
Vaughn indicated his commitment to support the Parks and Recreation Department because “it has stepped up to meet many of the needs of our younger citizens so that they can enjoy wholesome activities.”
Vaughn directly addressed those who would try to force a national-level economic ideology into community level interests and concerns. “Botetourt County continues to be a fiscally conservative community,” Vaughn observed. “Saying that, we still need to keep our eye to the future and envision what we want our county to be in the next five years. What kind of progress do we want to see? We need to have a concern for the entire populace and not spend our time focusing on one narrow agenda of ‘no new taxes.’”
Vaughn included an environmental cautionary note in his platform summary presented Monday night. “It is very important that we protect and promote our natural resources as we promote business growth,” he added.
Vaughn is the first person to officially announce an interest in running for the seat. Candidates have until June 8 to meet the requirements to be on the ballot, either as a party candidate or as an independent.
