ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, May 8, 1996 TAG: 9605080070
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-4 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: DUBLIN
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
Dublin voters seem solidly satisfied with their incumbent council members, judging by Tuesday's almost identical vote for incumbents.
Mayor Benny Keister had no opposition for re-election to his post, but still got 133 votes - as did David Farmer and Sam Gregory Jr., both of whom are completing eight years on council.
The remaining incumbent, Alden Hankla, who has served several terms on council at various times, also was re-elected, with 111 votes.
The sole challenger in the race was Colbern Linkous, who served on council from 1990-94 but lost his re-election bid two years ago. This time, he got 82 votes.
"I can't account for it," Linkous said afterward. "But I have to accept the outcome." The 75-year-old said he intends to be on the ballot again two years from now, if his health permits.
Linkous shook hands after the results were announced with two of the re-elected councilmen who were still at the polling place, and he said he hoped they would stand firm on some of the ideas he brought up in the campaign.
Even before he first ran for council, Linkous had an active interest in local government and has pushed for the town of Dublin to stay free of entanglements with Pulaski County. He was particularly disturbed over a town-county boundary adjustment that brought industrial park acreage into the town, but included some penalties in shared utilities in any town annexation not agreed to by the county over the next 15 years.
The incumbents, on the other hand, ran on the accomplishment of acquiring that industrial park and on continued town-county cooperation.
Dublin had 1,118 voters registered, but only 174 of them, or 16 percent, cast ballots.
LENGTH: Short : 42 lines KEYWORDS: ELECTIONby CNB