By Aila Boyd
A Republican primary election was held last Tuesday for sheriff of Botetourt County, commissioner of the revenue for Botetourt County, and the Blue Ridge District on the Botetourt County Board of Supervisors.
The three men who emerged victorious will be the Republican Party’s nominees for the November 5 general election.
Sheriff
The race for sheriff was crowded with Mike Vineyard, Matt Ward, and Jeff Stritesky all vying for the nomination. Ward received the largest share of the vote with 56.22 percent, which equates to 3,331 votes.
Stritesky came in second with 30.13 percent, 1,785 votes. Vineyard came in third, receiving 13.65 percent, 809 votes.
Out of the 11 precincts, Ward carried all of them except for two. At the Cloverdale precinct, Stritesky received 216 votes, whereas Ward only received 196. Stitesky also beat Ward by one vote in absentee voting.
In total, 5,925 votes were cast in the Republican primary for sheriff.
Ward, a master deputy with the Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office, will face off against Michael Stowell and Danny Crouse, both of whom are running as Independents.
The current sheriff, Ronnie Sprinkle, a Republican, announced late last year that he was declining to seek re-election. He was elected sheriff of Botetourt County in November of 1999.
Commissioner of the revenue
Chris Booth won the nomination for commissioner of the revenue with 56.83 percent, 3,238 votes. His opponent, J. Michael Griffin, received 43.17 percent, 2,460 votes.
Two hundred and twenty-seven fewer people voted in the commissioner of the revenue race than the sheriff’s race.
Booth, who serves as the Botetourt manager for MKB, Realtors, will be unopposed on the general election ballot.
“Tuesday was a great day. Almost 6,000 people came out to vote, which is much higher than average for a primary. I think that the decisive results show that the people of Botetourt want a young, active conservative Republican in the Commissioner of Revenue’s office. I am excited to about this new opportunity. Botetourt is my home. It is where I was raised, married, and where my wife and I are currently raising our children. I look forward to serving Botetourt County for years to come. Many people have put in a lot work to get to this point, and I am very thankful to everyone that supported me along the way,” Booth said.
The current commissioner of the revenue, Rodney Spickard, a Republican, announced that he was declining to seek re-election earlier this year. He is finishing up his second term.
Blue Ridge District on Board of Supervisors
Billy Martin, the incumbent and current chairman of the Board of Supervisors, won the Republican nomination for the Blue Ridge District, receiving 67.48 percent, 749 votes. His opponent, Walter Michael, received 32.52 percent, 361 votes.
Martin carried both the Blue Ridge and Rainbow Forest precincts, but Michael out-performed Martin in absentee voting by six votes.
In total, 1,110 votes were cast for Martin and Michael for the Blue Ridge District race.
Martin, who has been on the Board of Supervisors since 2008, will be unopposed on the general election ballot.
“I would first like to say ‘Thank You’ to all of those who supported me for re-election and for their confidence in me to continue serving them for another term. I have enjoyed serving our citizens in Botetourt. There will be a lot going on in the next four years and I am excited about being a part of our future in Botetourt County. I also look forward to offering assistance to our constituents in resolving any issues they may encounter,” Martin said.
The vote totals throughout this article represent the unofficial results provided by the Virginia Department of Elections.
The following individuals have qualified to be on the November 5 ballot:
- John Alexander II (Commonwealth’s attorney for Botetourt County)
- Bill Arney (Treasurer for Botetourt County)
- Matt Ward, William Stowell, and Daniel Crouse (Sheriff of Botetourt County)
- Billy Martin (Blue Ridge District on the Board of Supervisors)
- Richard Bailey (Fincastle District on the Board of Supervisors)
- Mac Scothorn (Valley District on the Board of Supervisors)
- Scott Swortzel and Matthew East (Blue Ridge District on the School Board)
- Beth Leffel, Daniel Angell, and Dana McCaleb (Fincastle District on the School Board)
- Timothy Davidick and Aaron Lyles (Valley District on the School Board)
- F. Preston Wickline III and Jeffrey Henderson (two directors for the Mountain Castles Soil and Water Conservation District)
- Christopher Witt, William Kidd, and Marlon Rickman (two seats on the Buchanan Town Council)
- Philip Bartocci and Pamela Binns (two seats as part of a special election to for the Fincastle Town Council)
- Doris Camper, Johnie Corbett, Henry John Cook Jr., Harold Dean Paderick, and Harry “Skeets” Ulrich (three seats on the Troutville Town Council)
Due to the fact that a special election will be held for the two seats on the Fincastle Town Council, the filing deadline isn’t until August 16 at 5 p.m.
The 23rd District in the Virginia State Senate, 17th District in the Virginia House of Delegates, and 19th District in the Virginia House of Delegates will also be on the ballot.
Important dates for the general election on November 5 are as follows:
- In-person absentee voting will begin on Friday, September 20.
- The deadline to register or update voter registration is on Monday, October 4.
- The deadline to request a mailed absentee ballot is Tuesday, October 29.
- The Botetourt County Department of Elections and Voter Registration office will be open for in-person absentee voting on Saturday, October 26 and Saturday, November 2. The deadline for in-person absentee voting is also Saturday, November 2.
- The polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. at all regular polling locations on Tuesday, November 5.
