2007 Election Slate Beginning to Take Shape
A Number of Political Races Already to Be Contested

by Cathy St. Clair
News Editor 
  Several more candidates have thrown their hats into the ring in the past few weeks, announcing their formal intent to seek election in November.
  A total of 13 candidates have filed their statements of organization with the Buchanan County Voter Registrar's Office
  All seven supervisors seats, as well as the constitutional offices of sheriff, Circuit Court Clerk, commissioner of revenue, treasurer and commonwealth attorney will be on the ballot.
  Additionally seven non-partisan posts on the Buchanan County School Board will be up for election and two director's positions for the Soil and Water Conservation District board will also be on the November 6 ballot.
  Democrats have established dates and deadlines leading to a June 2 countywide party convention, the first of which falls this week. Friday is the first day Democrats may file with the party announcing their intent to seek the nomination for any office up for grabs in November. The deadline to file with the party is March 9 at 5 p.m. To file, candidates need to contact Democrat Party Chairman Vern Presley. The Democrat filing fee for constitutional offices is 1 percent of the salary for that office. The filing fee to seek election as the Democrat candidate for a district board of supervisors seat is $150.
  Precinct meetings will be held March 17 to select delegates for the June convention.
  Deadlines for the Republican party have not yet been announced.
  Candidates seeking to be elected to the Buchanan County School Board must file with the Voter Registrar's office by no later than June 12, 2007 at 7 p.m.
  Persons seeking election to the school board must be qualified to vote and hold the office they are seeking; must have been a resident of the state for the year preceding the election; must reside in the district they seek to represent; and submit a petition signed by 125 registered voters of the district in which they are seeking election asking for them to be named a candidate on the November ballot. To date, the only formally announced school board candidate is Phyllis Sumrall, who announced she will seek the Knox District post. Other school board candidates are reportedly considering a run, but to date, those candidates have not yet officially announced or filed statements of organization with the registrar's office, according to Voter Registrar Vicki Clevinger.
  Candidates for the soil and water conservation district director posts, Clevinger said, only need the signatures of 25 registered voters in order to be considered eligible to run for those posts.
  Countywide, early indications are that the clerk's office post is likely to be one of the most hotly contested, with five Democrats now having announced their intent to seek the office. Among the formally announced candidates are incumbent Beverly (Bev) Tiller, who was appointed to the post earlier this year to fill the unexpired term of Jim Bevins, who resigned due to health reasons; Jay Rife, Chris Horn, Tony Matney and Pat Imel.
  No Republicans have formally announced their intent to seek the office.
  A race for the sheriff's nomination is shaping up in the Democrat Party with Pat Wolford, Randy Ashby and Tim Potter each having announced their intent to seek the post.
  Incumbent Republican Ray Foster, who is seeking his second term as sheriff, is the only announced Republican candidate seeking the office of sheriff.
  In the Commonwealth Attorney's race, incumbent Democrat Sheila Tolliver has announced her intent to seek the Democrat nomination and Tamara Neo has announced her intent to seek the Republican nomination.
  Incumbent Treasurer Bill Keene announced last week he will again seek the Democrat Party nomination for that post.
  Incumbent Commissioner of Revenue Victor Breeding announced last week he will retire at year's end and that he will not seek re-election, leaving that office up for grabs. No one has stepped forward to announce their intent to seek that post. 
  The only announced candidates for supervisor to date are in the Knox District where Trey Adkins formally announced his intent to seek the Knox District Democrat nomination.
  Terry Hall has announced his intent to seek the Republican nomination for the Knox District supervisor's post.
  Three other supervisor candidates have filed their statements of organization with the registrar's office including incumbent Knox Supervisor Pat Justus, who will again seek the nomination for the Knox post; Steve O'Quinn, who will seek the Prater supervisor's post nomination; and incumbent Carroll Branham, who again seek the North Grundy supervisor's post nomination.
  The other five incumbent supervisors have not formally announced whether they will seek re-election, nor had they filed statements of organization with the registrar's office as of Tuesday at press time.
  Clevinger noted that several other potential candidates had picked up the paperwork to fill out, but had not yet returned it to her office.
  Other dates of note for the upcoming election, she said include October 9 which is the last day to register to vote; October 30, which is the last day to vote by mail; and November 3 which is the last day to vote absentee in person.

Legislature Takes Look at Funding Regional Sewer System Initiatives

by Scotty Wampler
Staff Reporter  
  Regional sewer systems could get a shot in the arm thanks to a budget amendment approved by the House of Delegates this month.
  Spearheaded by Second District Delegate Bud Phillips (D), the amendment would shift approximately $17 million in funds for use with public sewer systems in Southwest Virginia.
  The budget amendment would reportedly allocate $1.7 million for wastewater improvement. An additional $15 million would be spent to fix existing sewer problems.
  Another $300,000 would be used for localities to implement wastewater treatment plans.
  Funds to revamp public sewer systems are especially needed to help attract additional economic development to the region, Phillips reportedly said. The improvements would also bode well for housing development and the environment, he said.
  Certain areas within the region are already on the verge of being developed, Phillips said, but remain hindered by the lack of a public sewer system.
  A regional conference to develop a plan of action for the projects is also reportedly in the works. Representatives from the Department of Environmental Quality, the Virginia Department of Health, the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy, and the federal Rural Development are expected to attend, according to a published report. Additional sources of funding for the projects will be sought during the conference.
  Phillips has also confirmed regional sewer projects would be given priority in the effort.

College of Pharmacy To Host 'Open House' At Garden Campus

  The University of Appalachia College of Pharmacy will hold its grand opening and open house at its new Garden campus on Rt. 460 at Oakwood, Saturday.
  The event will get underway at 1 p.m. on Saturday, February 24.
  The Honorable Elizabeth A. McClanahan, Virginia Court of Appeals judge, will deliver the keynote speech.
  UACP Board of Trustees Chairman Mickey McGlothlin will deliver the welcome and members of the former Garden High School Garden Aires Choral Club will present the National Anthem.
  Frank Kilgore, founder of the University of Appalachia, will also address those attending.
  Dr. Eleanor Sue Cantrell, president and dean, will introduce faculty members and deliver comments tho those in attendance.
  The Garden Aires will perform a musical medley.
  A presentation of the keys to the building will be made by Bill Coxton, president of the Garden High School Alumni Association.
  A reception will follow .