Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, May 20, 1995 TAG: 9505220024
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: BRIAN KELLEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
Montgomery County Republicans expect as many as 500 supporters to turn out for a mass meeting today to choose candidates for local elections.
Like canny showmen, Republican officials are saving the best for last. The two nominating contests expected to draw the most supporters - for three Montgomery sheriff's candidates and two commissioner of revenue contenders - will be the final nominations settled.
Registration for the mass meeting begins at 2:30 p.m. today and will remain open until 4:30. The meeting itself kicks off at 4 p.m. inside the gymnasium at Christiansburg Middle School, reached off Sheltman Street. There is no registration fee.
Earlier today, Republicans will gather in Dublin to nominate Pat Cupp as their candidate for the 39th District state Senate race. Registration begins at 8 a.m. and the meeting starts at 10 a.m. at Dublin Middle School. There is a $5 registration fee. Cupp's opponent in the general election will be longtime Sen. Madison Marye, D-Shawsville, who is to receive his party's nomination on June 8.
The Montgomery gathering actually will consist of meetings-within-a-meeting for the first five offices: the 12th District House of Delegates race and four county Board of Supervisors seats. That's because all four represent only portions of the county. (The 12th House District includes eastern Giles County.) Each district will nominate its own candidate.
In the uncontested races, the nominations should be by acclamation. The two contested races likely will be by ballot, said Dave Nutter, county GOP chairman.
In the House race, Montgomery supervisors Chairman Larry Linkous is the only Republican seeking to challenge Del. Jim Shuler, D-Blacksburg. In the supervisors races, incumbent Nick Rush is seeking re-election in District B and is so far unopposed. Meanwhile, political newcomers Curtis Cox in District G and Richard Gordon in District E are seeking the party's nod to challenge Democratic incumbents Joe Gorman and Ira Long. So far, though, there is no announced Republican candidate for District F, the seat Linkous will give up at year's end. Two Democrats have already announced for that seat.
After those offices are settled, the party will nominate candidates for the countywide positions of commonwealth's attorney, being sought by Joey Showalter, and treasurer, being sought by six-term incumbent Ellis Meredith. Showalter would run against one of the two Democrats vying for the nomination: incumbent Phil Keith or County Attorney Roy Thorpe. Meredith is unopposed so far.
Then the fun begins. Helen St. Clair, a treasurer's office employee from Christiansburg, and Steve Fijalkowski, a state trooper from Shawsville, are vying for the commissioner of revenue nomination. Longtime Democratic Commissioner Robertine Jordan is retiring this year. Her chief deputy, Nancy Miller, is seeking the Democratic nomination.
After that question is settled, Republicans will choose a sheriff's candidate from among Doug Marrs, Dan Haga and Roy Bolen. Marrs is a Christiansburg police lieutenant, Haga is the current chief deputy of the Sheriff's Office and Bolen is the former chief deputy. Five Democrats and one independent candidate also have announced for the office. Democrats will choose their candidate in a June 3 county mass meeting.
The Republican mass meeting is open to all registered voters in either the 12th District or Montgomery County. But if asked, attendees must be willing to express, either orally or in writing their intent to support the Republican nominees in the general election, Nutter said.
The message to Democrats: stay home and enjoy a spring day. "I hope Democrats would be mindful of the party nominating process and would stay out of it," Nutter said. "It's not that we don't want to recruit them, we do obviously. If they're there for nefarious purposes, we'd just as soon they stayed home."
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB