Noctor wins District 1 seat

Jim Noctor won Tuesday’s write-in campaign for the District 1 seat on New Kent County’s School Board.

Noctor, a building inspector/plan reviewer for Henrico County, received 282 write-in ballots to 164 for runner-up Corey Blunt, a former county school employee. Suzanne Kesler, an accountant with a Chesterfield firm, finished third with 18 votes while four other individuals received two apiece and another nine landed one each.

“I didn’t see anybody really stepping up, and we needed somebody,” Noctor, 53, said when contacted Wednesday about seeking the post.

His family connections to education also helped, he added. His father spent 35 years in the classroom while his mother served as a school nurse. His son along with a sister and two sisters-in-law are teachers. His wife is librarian at Watkins Elementary. His campaign, meanwhile, began just three weeks ago.

“I had a lot of help from a lot of people, and they helped me make up my mind on it,” he said.

Noctor will serve out the remainder of Stacey Simmons’ term, which runs through 2011. Simmons resigned in November 2009 after moving to a residence outside the district. Former board member Van McPherson was appointed in the interim, but declined to seek the elected post.

On the prospect of serving on the board, Noctor said, “If I can help, I’ll see what I can do. Resources are going to be stretched. I’d love to see us do this and that, but that’s not reality. Until I see more, I don’t want to make any goals.”

A total of 570 write-in votes were cast in District 1 on Tuesday. Registrar Rosanna Bencoach said 481 were declared valid.

Of the 89 tossed out, she said, “They had very poor misspellings or were votes for someone who’s not a registered voter in District 1.”

Overall in New Kent, 6,839 or 54.3 percent of the county’s 12,589 registered voters trudged to the polls. In Charles City, 2,683 (50.7 percent) of that county’s 5,296 registered voters cast ballots.