COVERSIDEBAR- The other races

By LISA PROVENCE |
Published online 8:00am Thursday Oct 18th, 2007
and in print issue #0642 dated Thursday Oct 18th, 2007

Colette Blount
PUBLICITY PHOTO

Grant Brownrigg
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Llezelle Dugger
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Alvin Edwards
PHOTO BY JEN FARIELLO

Kathleen Galvin
PUBLICITY PHOTO

Sean McCord
PUBLICITY PHOTO

Lynette Meynig
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Charlottesville School Board

Initially, it looked like there wouldn't be enough candidates to fill the four open seats for Charlottesville's second School Board election and the first held in November. But seven hopefuls got their names on the ballot before the June 12 filing deadline. So far, the only hint of controversy came when incumbent and Chairman Alvin Edwards, the pastor of Mt. Zion First African Baptist Church, publicly supported his parishioner and former Charlottesville High choral director Jonathan Spivey, who was convicted of four counts of taking sexual liberties with students and sentenced to 21 months in September.

Colette Blount

Teacher

Grant Brownrigg

Owner, Grantland Cartoons

Llezelle Dugger

Public defender

Alvin Edwards

Pastor, Mt. Zion

Kathleen Galvin

Architect

Sean McCord

IT specialist

Lynette Meynig

Artist

John Dawson
PUBLICITY PHOTO

Debbie Shipp
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Alan Van Clief
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Albemarle County clerk

Shelby Marshall ends her 40-year-reign in Albemarle Circuit Court, and three candidates are on the ballot to take over management of the county's vital records, a job that pays more than U.S. senator.

John Dawson, Republican

Owner, Dive Connections

Debbie Shipp, Democrat

Deputy clerk, Albemarle

Alan Van Clief

Book sales, real estate management

Rich Collins
PHOTO BY JEN FARIELLO

John Conover
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John Pfaltz
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Soil and Water Conservation District Director– Charlottesville

What the heck, voters may ask, is a soil and water conservation district, and why do we elect directors? Virginia has 47 districts; area directors determine how to spend thousands of federal, state, and local dollars to protect water quality and national resources. Albemarle and the surrounding counties have had two elected directors to the district board, but Charlottesville has been noticeably absent– until now.

Richard Collins

Professor of environmental negotiation

John Conover

Legal Aid lawyer

John Pfaltz

Professor, engineering and computer science

Nick Evans
PHOTO BY JEN FARIELLO