Election 2023: Seats on the ballot in Buckingham, Campbell, Charlotte and Fluvanna counties

Plus: Recent stories written by other journalists across the Fifth District

Dec 01, 2022

There is now just a month left of 2022 and things may or may not be winding down. Every day there seems to be a new story or something to report in Charlottesville.

I am using some of my downtime to look ahead to what this newsletter may be in 2023, a year in which all seats in the General Assembly are up, as well as elected officials in all 24 localities of the new Fifth Congressional District.

In Tuesday’s edition, I took a look at the seats that are up in Amelia County, Amherst County, Appomattox County, and Bedford County. I’ve never reported on any of those places, but doing the research is helping me better understand how democracy works in Virginia. For so long, I’ve concentrated on just two places. When I got back to journalism in 2020, I did start covering the other localities in the Thomas Jefferson Planning District.

Now I’m excited to learn about all of these other places, and help those reading learn as well.

This time around, four more localities, and then a round-up of what journalists in the district have written about things happening. For now, I’m only taking a look at Supervisor races and City Council races. Four more in the next one!

If you know of anyone who plans to run in any of these districts, please reply to this email.

All seven Supervisor seats on the ballot in Buckingham County

There are 16,824 people living in Buckingham County on the south side of the James River according to the 2020 U.S. Census. The Weldon Cooper Center projections for 2050 show that growing slowly to 17,218 in 2050.

It appears that all seven seats on the Board of Supervisors are up every four years.

In District 1, Republican Dennis Harold Davis Jr. won election in a special election in 2021. He was unopposed and captured 96.8 percent of the 849 votes cast.

In District 2, Independent Donald E. Bryan was elected unopposed in 2011 and then defeated a challenger in 2015 with 72.1 percent of the 262 votes cast. Bryan run unopposed in 2019 and got 94.6 percent of the 333 votes cast.

In District 3, Republican Don Matthews won election to the District 3 seat in 2015 defeating an independent candidate with 52.4 percent of the 487 votes cast. In 2019, Matthews had two independent challengers and still got a majority of the 829 votes cast.

In District 4, Democrat Thomas Jordan Miles defeated incumbent Edward Morgan Dunnavunt in 2019 with two-thirds of the 874 votes cast. The Virginia Public Access Project lists Miles as a candidate for the new House District 56.

Independent Harry W. Bryant won election to District 5 in 2015 over a Republican candidate with 55.7 percent of the 379 of the total votes cast. Bryant was unopposed in 2019.

In District 6, Independent Joe Chambers Jr. has been on the Board of Supervisors since at least 2003. The Department of Elections online records for local races only go back to 2000. Chambers ran unopposed in 2003, 2007, 2015, and 2019. In 2011 he ran as a Democrat and won against a write-in candidate who got 29.1 percent of the 581 votes cast.

Danny R. Allen was first elected to District 7 in 2007 when he won 56.2 percent of the vote against a Democratic candidate on the ballot. He has not faced opposition in any election since.

*A map of the seven districts in Buckingham County. Take a look at the webpage from the county’s registrar for more information. (Credit: Buckingham County)*

Four seats on the ballot in Campbell County

Campbell County has a population of 55,696 according to the 2020 Census. The Weldon Cooper Center forecast projects that figure increasing to 59,501 over the next 28 years.

There are four out of seats up in Campbell County.

Independent Arthur Dale Moore won election to the Altavista District in a special election in 2018. He won with 45.8 percent of the 2,880 votes cast against two other independents. The next year, Moore defeated John Everette Tucker, who had also run in 2018. Moore got 52.5 percent of the vote to Tucker’s 47.3 percent.

In the Concord District, Independent Matt Cline defeated incumbent Eddie Gunter, Jr. in the 2019 election with 57.2 percent of the 2,216 votes cast. Gunter had served since at least 2003 when he faced no opposition. He was challenged in each subsequent election running as a Republican in 2007, an independent in 2011, 2015, and 2019.

Independent Kenneth Ray Brown defeated two other candidates in the 2019 election for the Spring Hill District. Brown won with 1,098 of the 1,977 votes cast.

In 2019, independent Steven Wilson Shockley regained his seat as the Sunburst District representative. Shockley first won election in 2007 when he ran as a Republican and received 56.1 percent of the 997 votes cast. He won again in 2011 but did not run in 2015. That was the year that Bob Good won election to his one term in the seat.

Four Supervisors on the ballot in Charlotte County

Charlotte County is located southeast of Lynchburg in the eastern portion of the Fifth District. It’s the second smallest jurisdiction with a 2020 U.S. Census count of 11,259 people. The Weldon Cooper Center projects a decline in population to 9,234 in 2050.

Will Douglas Garnett won election to the Bacon-Saxe District in 2019 with 51.2 percent of the 541 votes cast. Garnett ran as an independent and defeated Republican Jonathan Shane Newcombe.

Republican Gary D. Walker has held the County Seat District seat since at least 2003. He did not have opposition that year, nor in 2007, 2011, 2015, or 2019.

The same cannot be said of Garland H. Hamlett, Jr in the Drake’s Branch District. He has faced opposition in every year he’s run from 2003 to 2019. In 2019, he easily defeated a write-in candidate with 63.4 percent of the 530 votes cast.

In 2019, there were four candidates on the ballot for the open seat in the Cullen-Red District. Melvin Anthony Reeves secured 40.2 percent of the 604 votes cast. Nancy Carwile held the seat for many years before not running that year.

*Visit the Charlotte County Registrar’s webpage for a higher resolution map (Credit: Charlotte County)*

Two seats on the ballot in Fluvanna

The Weldon Cooper Center projects more growth for Fluvanna County than in the other localities in today’s installment. The U.S. Census has a count of 27,249 in 2020 and the demographers at the University of Virginia Project that increasing to 35,124 by 2025.

Two of the five seats on the Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors are up for election.

Mozell Booker has held the Fork Union seat since 2007 when she defeated Republican John E. Easter II with 61.8 percent of the vote. She had a closer race in 2011 against independent James Lee Tew with 54.5 percent of the vote. Booker was unopposed in 2015 and 2019.

Patricia Eager has held the Palmyra District seat since being elected in 2015 when she defeated John Young Gooch with 58.3 percent of the 972 votes cast. She ran unopposed in 2019.

*The new election districts for Fluvanna County. Visit the registrar’s website to see a bigger copy. (Credit: Fluvanna County)*

Recent stories to learn more about business and government in the Fifth District

In the next eight years this district is in place, I plan to write stories from the other localities. At the moment I have my hands full with the Charlottesville area. But I am so grateful to be able to read the work of journalists who know the many places within the district.

that I will be able to write a lot more stories about what happens, in addition to writing previews of what’s coming up.

Stories on 2022 elections

Voter turnout lower than 2018 midterm, Diana McFarland, Chatham Star-Tribune, November 30, 2022
Lynchburg voter turnout in November surged over previous May council elections, Bryson Gordon, Lynchburg News & Advance, November 30, 2022

Fifth District Community Engagement

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