Smyth County voters choose town leaders

By DAN KEGLEY/Staff

In Smyth County’s three municipal elections today, Saltville voters had the larger field of candidates from which to choose. Eight candidates were on the ballot.
Voters dashed Billy Whitely’s hope of unseating mayor Jeff Campbell by more than two to one, returning Campbell with 212 to Whitely’s 100.
Terms ended this year for council members Sabrena Ison, Ron Orr and Bill Palmer, who did not seek re-election after filling last year the vacancy left by the resignation of Craig Barbrow, who later died.
Stanley M. “Rusty” Cahill, Dickie W. Dye, Leigh Ann Campbell Franklin, and Thomas W. Holley, sought to fill Palmer’s vacancy and unseat Orr and Ison and they did.
For council, voters chose Dye with 184 votes, Holley with 167 and Cahill with 165. Franklin received 113, Ison 85, and Orr 132.
In Marion, voters selected from among four candidates seeking three seats. Herb Clay and Jim Gates looked for re-election, but 16-year councilman Gene Hendrick chose not to run again. Carol Jane Hale and Bill Weaver joined the incumbents in seeking those positions on Marion’s council.
Voters returned Gates to council with 200 votes and elected Weaver with 205 votes and Hale with 159.
Clay received 141 votes.
Mayor David Helms was unopposed and received 265 votes.
Chilhowie voters had the simpler task of re-electing four unopposed incumbents—Mayor Gary Heninger and council members Brady Skeen, Jeff Mash and James “Bo” Bonham.
Heninger received 105 votes, Skeen 86, Mash 92 and Bonham 77.