Lexington will have first female mayor
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| Mimi Elrod, left, and Mary Harvey, next to her, are facing off in the first contested mayoral race in Lexington since 1988. The winner will become the first female mayor in the city's history. (JESS RAMOS/ Rockbridge Report) |
For the first time in 20 years, Lexington has a contested mayor’s race and, for the first time in history, both candidates are women.
“We are rocking the boat,” said Mary Harvey, one of the candidates.
Not surprisingly, the mayoral race is attracting a lot of attention this year. Campaigns in Lexington are normally low-key, said Council Member Mimi Elrod, the other mayoral hopeful.
“This one is different.”
With only about 40 days left until the election, both candidates face challenges. For Harvey, money is one.
“I don’t have deep pockets,” she said. “I work hard. I love what I do, but it’s hard work.”
Harvey owns a piano-teaching business and teaches part time at Southern Virginia University. For 16 years, she has also been active in volunteer work. Her experience in city affairs includes the Planning Commission, Board of Zoning Appeals, and the Youth Services Citizen Board. She sees herself as a chance for a fresh and independent perspective.
Elrod runs the Summer Scholars program at Washington and Lee University. She is also an active volunteer, currently serving on the Advisory Board for the Shepherd Poverty Program at Washington and Lee. In the past, she has been active with Project Horizon, Yellow Brick Road Child Care Center, and Rockbridge Area Community Services.
A challenge for Elrod is to stick to her principles. In the past three major issues before City Council, Elrod has voted with the minority. When faced with tough decisions, Elrod said, she remembers her parents’ sacrifice during her childhood in Atlanta, where school desegregation was a big issue in the 1960s.
“My father always said, ‘Life is not a popularity contest,’” said Elrod. “You stood up for what was right even if it went against the popular grain.”
Despite their differences, the candidates have similarities.
Both are single. Harvey has been divorced since 1990, and Elrod was widowed in 2001 after the death of her husband, John W. Elrod, who was president of Washington and Lee.
Both have two sons. Elrod’s two grown sons practice law, one in Knoxville, Tenn., and one in Lexington. One of Harvey’s sons is preparing for law school.
Harvey and Elrod say they want the best for the city and a better relationship among Lexington, Buena Vista and Rockbridge County. But they emphasize different approaches.
Harvey said she wants smart city planning and returning more decision-making to Council instead of lawyers. Elrod highlights downtown development and making Lexington more bike- and pedestrian-friendly and environmentally responsible.
The two candidates participated in a candidates’ forum Tuesday at the Rockbridge Regional Library, which attracted about 60 citizens.
“I think it’s great we have a choice of two women as mayor,” said Dianne Herrick, a former vice mayor and council member.
The forum was sponsored by the Rockbridge Valley chapter of the National Organization for Women. For the past 10 years, NOW has sponsored similar nonpartisan community forums for candidates.
Pam Simpson, President of NOW, called the rise of women in politics a “trickle-up” process. Over the past 50 years, more and more women have become involved in politics, she said.
During the 2008 presidential nomination race, Democrat Sen. Hillary Clinton was the first woman with a serious chance to become a presidential candidate. Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is the first woman on the Republican vice presidential ticket.
“We’ve got a ways to go,” said Simpson. “It’s been a long process, and where that starts is when you get women running for local office.”
Regardless of the outcome, Harvey says, the election is a win-win for people.
“What I tell people is either way, you get your first blonde.”
Produced by
Washington and Lee
journalism students.
Lead Supervisors:
Prof. Brian
Richardson
Prof. Indira Somani
Editing supervisor:
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Reporting Supervisors:
Prof. Doug Cumming
Prof. Indira Somani
Technical supervisor: Michael Todd