Wednesday, June 10, 2009
GOP challenger edges McNamara for Roanoke County board
Ed Elswick, a critic of spending in Roanoke County, finished the day just 24 votes ahead.
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From The Roanoke Times
Virginia primary
Analysis and results
Local races
Drawing heavily on the support of his neighbors on Bent Mountain and the Poages Mill area of Roanoke County, retiree Ed Elswick pulled a narrow upset Tuesday night, defeating incumbent Joe McNamara to grab a Republican board of supervisors nomination.
Elswick won only two of the six precincts in the Windsor Hills District, plus the small absentee balloting, ending with a slim 24-vote victory.
Critically, he took the Bent Mountain precinct, 111 to 9.
Elswick, 68, is a retired General Electric finance quality manager turned community activist. President of the Bent Mountain Civic League, a role he said he will drop, he has advocated for broader participation from county residents in all aspects of county government.
Helping create a coalition of civic leagues was one of his campaign themes when he announced his candidacy in April.
He also has been critical of the county's recent $58 million bond issue, particularly its most controversial project, a new North County recreation center.
Elswick has criticized county spending overall, particularly for items such as automobiles and what he considered extravagances for a planned South County library.
He credited the work of his co-campaign managers and neighbors, Karen Scott and Kay Moore, with the victory, prodding him to join the campaign to begin with and plotting out a strategy that had them knock on 1,086 doors.
Elswick said Tuesday night that "to some extent I've already started" on the job, beginning to examine contracts and essentially auditing some county business decisions.
"I just want to understand why some things happen and how we lose control over some contracts and spend more than we should.
"Maybe I'll understand and see that everything was done correctly. But we need more oversight on the money that is spent ... to help the county administrator make decisions."
McNamara, 47, didn't rule out the possibility of asking for a recount but noted that they "really don't count the numbers any different, so I assume it's pretty straightforward. ... It looks to me like I lost."
"I guess my only reaction is that I'm appreciative of all the people who came out to vote. It's certainly been a pleasure to serve on the board. I wish all the best to Mr. Elswick and hope it is as rewarding for him as it has been for me."
McNamara is a three-term supervisor.
Elswick has no announced opposition in the fall election.
