Come July, the Blacksburg Town Council will have a new vice mayor.

Downtown retail advocate and former Roanoke Times writer Leslie Hager-Smith was the town's top vote-getter Tuesday, winning 24 percent of ballots cast.

Traditionally, the council member with the most votes in an election year is named vice mayor, a largely symbolic honor.

"I'm as shocked as anybody," Hager-Smith said from a soccer field where she was cheering on her daughter and the Blacksburg High School team in their last home game of the season.

As director of the Downtown Merchants of Blacksburg, Hager-Smith has been a vocal advocate for area businesses the past year and during her campaign. She said recently that if elected, she would give up the director post to avoid conflicts of interest.

Of the campaign she said "there were five good candidates, and everybody put forth a good effort."

Smart growth advocate Don Langrehr regained his seat Tuesday -- the only incumbent to do so -- with a second-place win. Political newcomer Derek Myers pulled out a third-place victory, just ahead of incumbent Paul Lancaster. Mary Holliman, a 2006 appointee to the council, came in last of the five candidates.

"I'm sad to see Mary go," Langrehr said. "But it's good to see another woman on council."

Langrehr said he is looking forward to working with the new council and that it "represents Blacksburg well."

Myers, a retired Virginia Tech arts professor, said he wants to work on "managing our development in the direction of controlled, sustainable growth and on forging new bonds between citizens and government."

Reached at home Tuesday evening, Lancaster said his loss was "very disappointing" but that he would like "to keep helping the town."

Some members of Blacksburg's two powerhouse political action groups, Citizens First and Blacksburg United for Responsible Growth, had grown increasingly unhappy with some of Lancaster's actions, including his 2006 vote to rezone 40 acres along South Main Street.

That 5-2 rezoning led to the town's ongoing big-box retail store controversy.

"I know there was a group of people working hard against me. I guess they prevailed," Lancaster said.

Asked what he thought the makeup of the new council would mean for Blacksburg's future, Lancaster said, "I think it's going to be hard to get anything done. It will be 'let's say no' ... to any sort of things happening in town."

Holliman, a Blacksburg businesswoman, expressed disappointment at her loss as well. She said that she will continue to work on projects to create a homeless shelter and an arts initiative.

This year's 12 percent turnout was the lowest since 2000, when only 10 percent of voters cast ballots.