Saturday, June 09, 2007
Retired postmaster seeks term as supervisor
Billy Martin said keeping taxes in check will be the focus of his campaign in Botetourt County.
Related
roanoke.com/politics
There will be a three-way race for the Blue Ridge District seat on the Botetourt County Board of Supervisors.
Retired Roanoke postmaster Billy Martin has been endorsed by the Botetourt Republican Committee.
He will challenge Democrat Jim Laughlin and Pete McKnight, an independent, for the Blue Ridge supervisors' seat being vacated by Wendy Wingo.
Wingo, a Democrat and the chairwoman of the board of supervisors, has decided not to seek another term.
She has held the seat for the past 20 years.
Martin, 63, said keeping taxes in check will be the main thrust of his campaign.
"I just think we need to manage the taxpayers' money better," he said.
"We should treat their money as if we were managing our own."
Martin has a degree from Virginia Western Community College and is a certified mediator.
Laughlin and McKnight announced last month they were running for the seat being vacated.
Laughlin is a retired public schoolteacher and administrator who is serving his ninth year on the Botetourt County Planning Commission.
McKnight owns and operates McKnight & Co., a Blue Ridge development and marketing firm.
He is the immediate past president of the Roanoke Regional Home Builders Association.
