Boards shaken up in Charles City; Jones re-elected as sheriff

Both Charles City’s Board of Supervisors and School Board will have fresh faces after voters decided on new representatives on Tuesday at the polls.

Lewis Black III defeated incumbent Floyd Miles Sr. 573-405 in the District 3 race to earn a seat to the county’s Board of Supervisors.

“I want to thank Mr. Miles for his dedication to our county and years of service,” said Black in a Thursday afternoon press release. “I want to thank my family, supporters, and those who voted for me. I’m excited to represent Charles City County residents and I’m eager to serve our community and push towards a more transparent, prominent, and sustainable future.”

In District 1, longtime board member Gilbert Smith held off outgoing District 1 school board representative Helen Payne-Jones 509-377 to earn another four-year term. Bill Coada (833) of District 2 ran uncontested in retaining his seat as a county leader.

“I want to thank all the voters and this was a great victory,” said Smith in Wednesday afternoon’s interview. “I will always cherish this and will looking forward to working with the great citizens of this county.”

Charles City’s School Board will see three new members to represent the school at the beginning of the next calendar year. In the only contested race, Rodney Tyler bested incumbent Herbert Johnson 581-364 for the District 2 seat to the school board.

“I’m feeling humbled and thankful,” said Tyler in a Wednesday morning interview. “I am very appreciative. I want to make sure our kids are focused and build up morale. I’m focused on our future and our kids are the future.”

With Payne-Jones leaving, Joy Harris ran uncontested for the District 1 vacancy, hauling in 814 votes. District 3 representative Martha Harris (827) and at-large member Preston Adkins (1,795 votes) will return for an additional four years. Former school board member Royce Paige (1,424 votes) will return as an at-large member.

In the most anticipated vote on the ballot, Sheriff Alan Jones Sr. defeated former Charles City Sheriff Javier Smith and former Charles City Captain Jayson Crawley in a race to retain the position.

Jones was able to haul in 1,143 votes in this year’s election, more than enough to beat out runner-up Crawley (891) and Smith (863).

In other races for county positions, incumbents were able to hold their roles with relative ease. In the contest for Commonwealth’s Attorney, Rob Tyler defeated Wayne Orrell for the second consecutive election 2,230-619. Mindy Bradby received the nod once again to serve as county treasurer, accumulating 2,082 votes compared to challenger Lawanda Christian’s 754 votes. Denise Burrell Smith tabulated 2,204 votes, defeating Deborah Fuhrman (586 votes) for the second time.

“I want to thank you all for your trust and support in this election,” said Bradby Wednesday morning. “I appreciate the opportunity to serve as your treasurer for another term.”

“I am thankful for the support citizens have shown me,” said Burrell Smith. “I look forward to serving the great citizens of Charles City County for the next four years.”

In the other county-wide race, Charles Carter ran uncontested to the Colonial Soil and Water Conservation board, filling one of the positions by garnering 2,393 votes.

In battles for state seats, Jennifer McClellan received 47,915 votes (with one precinct pending) to defeat challenger Mark Lewis Jr. (11,432 votes) to retain the Virginia Senate District 9 seat for another term. In Charles City, McClellan accumulated 1,915 votes, while Lewis racked up 803 votes.

Finally, Delores McQuinn ran uncontested to retain the 70th District Seat to Virginia House of Delegates. Of the 18,820 votes, 2,264 were cast in Charles City.