On Tuesday, the seven-member Louisa County Board of Supervisors held their annual organizational meeting. That was opened by County Administrator Christian Goodwin.
“And the first order of business on that agenda is a resolution to appoint the chairman of the Louisa County Board of Supervisors for 2023,” Goodwin said.
Goodwin opened the floor to nominations. There was only one from Supervisor Eric Purcell of the Louisa District.
“Mr. Goodwin, I’d like to nominate Duane Adams for chair please,” Purcell said.
The vote was unanimous. Adams represents the Mineral District where he was first elected in 2017 with 55.5 percent of the 1,692 votes cast. He had no opposition in 2021 and is also a candidate for the Republican nomination for Senate District 10.
In that race, he has three other challengers. So far, Adams has raised the most with $191,044 compared to $171,976 for Jack Dyer. John McGuire raised $69,380 and there are no reports in yet from candidate Sandy Brindley. All of those figures were compiled by the Virginia Public Access Project.
Back to the meeting and the selection of the next officer, also nominated by Supervisor Purcell.
“Mr. Chairman, I’d like to nominate Tommy Barlow to continue as vice chair this year,” Purcell said.
That vote was also unanimous. Barlow has been in office since 2009 when he ran unopposed in the Mountain Road District. He faced no opponents in 2013, 2017, or 2021.
There are three seats on the ballot in Louisa this year for Supervisor .
In the Cuckoo District, Willie L. Gentry Jr. has been the Supervisor since at least 2003 which is as far back as the online records for the Virginia Department of Elections go. In that year, Gentry defeated his opponent with 56.4 percent of the 966 votes cast. Since then, he has never faced opposition on the ballot. The number of write-in candidates each year has incrementally increased from 12 in 2007 to 43 in 2019.
Republican Toni Williams, Jr. has represented the Jackson District since 2015 when he garnered 57.4 percent of the 1,099 votes cast that year. In 2019, he defeated his opponent with 64 percent of the 1,695 votes cast.
In 2019, Independent Eric Purcell ran unopposed in an open seat in the Louisa District with 96.3 percent of the 1,465 votes cast. Purcell also served one term after being elected in 2003 in a three-way race in which he got 42.1 percent of the 1,213 votes cast.
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