Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, May 12, 1995 TAG: 9505120012
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: SETH WILLIAMSON SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: FLOYD LENGTH: Long
Saturday, the Floyd County Republican Party will hold a canvas at all county polling locations. Any registered voter is eligible to help choose the party's candidate for sheriff and several board of supervisors positions. Only those offices with more than one announced contender will be affected by the canvas. Polling stations will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
A week later on May 20, the Floyd County Democratic Party will hold a caucus beginning at noon in the cafeteria of Floyd Elementary School.
The assembled caucus is open to any voter, but those who take part must sign a form saying they will support the Democratic nominees for the various posts.
Elmer Edward Underwood is the sole Democratic candidate to replace the retiring Republican sheriff, Tom Higgins. A lifelong resident of Floyd County, the 52-year-old Underwood has no law enforcement background but works as a carpenter and has been a farmer as well.
"I believe I can do a better job than any of the ones that are running. I've got all kinds of good common sense, and that's more than most of 'em's got," Underwood said.
Underwood also says the sheriff must give more attention to illegal drugs. "I tell you, the dope is scary up here. If they don't want something done about it, they probably don't want to vote for me."
Three Republicans want to be sheriff, two of whom are veterans of the department. Deputy Joe D. Turman, 46, is a Floyd County native who has been with the department 18 years and has worked under three different sheriffs.
Turman says he wants to be a sheriff who "works with the people in the county" and plans to assign administrative tasks to deputies so he can "get out in the county and stay in touch with the people."
Chief Deputy Donnie Pratt, 44, is a native and graduated from Floyd County High School in 1970. He was an MP in Vietnam and cites "the training that I have, the knowledge of the people in the county, the geographical locations, and I'm familiar with the other agencies that work with us and their agents who work with us."
Richard Quesenberry, 46, was born and raised in Floyd County and also is seeking the Republican nomination for sheriff.
He graduated from Danville Technical Institute in 1968 and has worked as a process engineer and quality assurance specialist at Babcock and Wilcox in Lynchburg, Wolverine Fabricating in Blacksburg, and is current quality assurance item manager at the Radford Arsenal.
Quesenberry has no law enforcement background but says he has strong managerial talent.
"My main qualification is 20 years of supervisory management training, problem-solving, and decision-making."
So far there are only two announced Democratic candidates for the Board of Supervisors. They are incumbent Jerry W. Boothe in the C-91 Courthouse District and incumbent Edsel Duncan in the E-91 Indian Valley District.
Boothe, 35, a carpenter, is finishing his first four-year term as supervisor. He says his main issues are improving education and attracting business and industry to the county.
Boothe says the current supervisors may have an announcement "relating to economic development" soon.
Boothe said he supported the idea of the solid waste environmental fee the board imposed, although he voted against it.
"I felt a per-household fee was fair - I did end up voting against the fee because I felt it should have been billed to the occupant of a home and not its owner. That's going to be an issue this fall," Boothe predicted.
Boothe's opponent will be Kirby Harris, 41, a Floyd native who works in client service at Harris and Baker Furniture. Harris served on the Floyd Town Council for nine years until he moved out of town three years ago.
Harris is clear about the environmental fee, or "trash tax": "I'm 100 percent against it."
Harris said a more fair way of paying for trash transfer would be a personal property tax.
"You're taxed as an individual and every time we take a load of trash from our store we're taxed again, and I think there should be a more fair way of doing that," Harris said.
Duncan, 73, is the Democratic incumbent in the Indian Valley district. A retiree from Mohawk Rubber, he is finishing his first term on the board and cites "employment, better schools and roads" as his main priorities.
Gary E. Gillespie, 41, will oppose Duncan. Gillespie is a Floyd native who owns Bob's Radio and TV in Floyd, which he described as the oldest RCA dealership in Virginia.
Gillespie is a member of the Floyd County Planning Commission. About the environmental fee, Gillespie said, "I'm against it. There ought to be other ways. A little more research needs to be done on this thing - it was a little bit hasty."
David W. Ingram, 33, is the Republican incumbent in the A-91 Locust Grove district and is finishing his second term. A Floyd native, he runs a beef cattle operation and works at G.J. Ingram and Sons.
Ingram says he is working to bring new employers into the county and to provide adequate funding for education. He is working with the Virginia Department of Transportation to upgrade Floyd County roads for larger trucks needed by industries.
On the trash fee, Ingram said he is amenable to billing the occupant of a house instead of the owner, if the owner is responsible for reporting changes in occupancy to the county.
Ingram's Republican opponent in Saturday's canvas will be Carl L. Kempa, 26, a carpenter who was born in New Jersey and has lived in Floyd County for three years.
It was the environmental fee that got Kempa into politics. "I call it the dumpster fee up here, $72 a year. I don't like that fee and that's what made me jump in. I felt like the politicians don't really listen to the people as close as they should. I think Floyd County has higher taxes than they should have. I'm a low-tax-type guy," said Kempa.
Already chosen as a Republican supervisor candidate is James Edward Thornton in the B-91 Little River district.
Thornton, 62, is retired from Federal Mogul and runs an auction business and raises cattle. "I just want to get involved in my community and if there's something I can do to make it better, that's what I want to do," Duncan said.
An independent candidate has also announced for the Little River district seat - Stephen Thomas, a brick mason.
So far unopposed are incumbent Commonwealth's Attorney Gino Williams, incumbent Revenue Commissioner Magdalene M. Goad and incumbent Treasurer Deronda D. Thomas, all Republicans.
Incumbent supervisor Howard Dickerson of the D-91 Burk's Fork district, an independent, has announced he will not run for re-election. Mary Weeks, Floyd County's general registrar, said there are no announced candidates for supervisor in that district.
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB