ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, March 6, 1996 TAG: 9603060073
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: TODD JACKSON STAFF WRITER
THREE CONTENDERS will run for circuit court clerk, which carries an eight-year term and $72,000 salary.
The upcoming circuit court clerk's race in Franklin County is dripping with political intrigue.
It will pit longtime Deputy Clerk Alice Hall against Sheriff's Office Capt. Bill Overton, the son of one of the most powerful politicians in the county.
A young political upstart, Ben Pinckard, Jr., wants the job, too. And the chairman of the county Board of Supervisors, Wayne Angell, is pondering a candidacy.
Why so much interest?
For starters, the job normally carries an eight-year term with an annual salary of $72,000. This year in Franklin County, a special election is being held to fill the remaining four years of the term vacated by former clerk Bill Walker.
The job itself isn't political; a circuit court clerk manages an office that logs court records and makes them available to the public.
But because the position is an elected one, politics have moved to the forefront.
The scuttlebutt started when the two front-runners for the job emerged: Hall and Overton.
Hall, 60, has worked in the clerk's office for 42 years, and knows what's in every nook and cranny.
Bill Overton, 35, is the son of Sheriff W.Q. "Quint" Overton, a tireless politician whose popularity is rivaled only by state Sen. Virgil Goode, D-Rocky Mount.
For weeks now, the Overtons have been on the campaign trail, shaking hands and slapping backs at functions across the county.
Bill Overton announced last week that he's seeking the Democratic nomination for the job.
"I know there are some people who are going to say that I'm just doing this because of who my father is," he said. "But I've been trying to position myself to run for elected office for a long time."
Overton, who many believed would succeed his father as sheriff, has never had much interest in following in his dad's footsteps, and that's one of the reasons he wants the clerk's job.
"I'm going to push full steam ahead. If anybody thinks they're running against the sheriff, and they forget about me, they'll be making a big mistake," he said.
Meanwhile, Hall has had little to say publicly about her plans.
She took over the clerk's duties after Walker retired Jan. 1 and is being paid her deputy clerk's salary. Many - including the Overtons - thought Hall would be officially appointed clerk until November's special election. But instead, Judge B.A. Davis III decided to use a state law that allows deputy clerks to assume the clerk's responsibilities under certain circumstances.
Hall said she will run for clerk, but hasn't indicated how.
Hall has close ties to the Democrats - her sister-in-law, Elaine Chitwood, is the county's treasurer and a longtime party activist. The Republican party has approached her as well.
If Hall runs as an independent, she would avoid a June primary battle against Overton for the Democratic nomination, while possibly picking up some voter support from both parties.
However, county Republican Chairman Carthan Currin said Hall may not be the GOP candidate. Pinckard, 25, said Tuesday that he will run as a Republican or as an independent.
Pinckard, an internal auditor for Carilion Health System in Roanoke, is the son of Rocky Mount town Councilman Ben Pinckard Sr.
The clerk's race will be his first attempt at elected office. Angell said he'll make a decision later, after others announce their intentions.
LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines KEYWORDS: POLITICSby CNB