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Bradford Archer, manager of construction administration services for Froehling & Robertson Inc., is the third candidate for the Catawba District seat on the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors.

Archer filed his candidacy documents just before Tuesday's deadline.

A graduate of Syracuse University with a degree in construction management, the 47-year-old is married and lives in North Lakes. He has been a county resident for 19 years.

In an interview Wednesday, Archer said, "My goal really is to bring my expertise and experience into the discussion" about county development.

In particular, Archer said, the county should take the lead in encouraging, and eventually requiring, the construction of environmentally friendly buildings that meet what are known as LEED standards.

He also said he was motivated by the effective real estate tax increase brought about by last year's property reassessments.

While he was personally hit by a 24 percent increase in his assessment, Archer said, the impact was greater on elderly residents with fixed incomes.

He said he would advocate that the county either "scale back on the rate of services it provides, or make the level of services commensurate with the tax rate."

Archer will face incumbent Butch Church, an insurance agent, and Jerry Custer, a retired police officer. All are running as independents.

Bedford-area incumbents to run without opposition

Sen. Steve Newman, R-Lynchburg, and Del. Kathy Byron, R-Campbell County, will not face opponents in November's General Assembly election.

One would-be challenger to Newman, Bedford County resident William Pratt, had announced his intention to seek the Democratic nomination last month but withdrew after the Bedford Bulletin published a May 23 article noting Pratt was using a campaign flier nearly identical to that of another Democrat, Lewis Medlin. Medlin is challenging longtime Del. Lacey Putney, I-Bedford.

Lynchburg Democratic Committee Chairman John Lawrence said Wednesday the committee will not draft a candidate to run against Newman.

"We had a couple of really viable candidates," he said. "But all had committed themselves to other things and did not want to break their commitments."

Rodney Browne, chairman of the Bedford County Democratic Committee, said the committee has no one to oppose Byron.