Elrod cool on appointing opponent
to open position on City Council
Even though the election was held more than a week ago, Lexington is still looking for a fourth new City Council member.
Because incumbent Council Member Mimi Elrod was elected mayor Nov. 4, one council seat will have to be filled by appointment in January. The new City Council is responsible for making that appointment.
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| Newly elected Lexington Mayor Mimi Elrod is opposed to appointing Mary Harvey to the open seat on Lexington's City Council. Harvey ran against Elrod in the recent mayoral race. (CATHERINE CARLOCK/Rockbridge Report) |
Some local residents are already urging council members to pick Mary Harvey, who lost to Elrod in the mayoral race.
Elrod has other ideas.
“We have a lot of issues that we’ve been dealing with for a long time,” Elrod said in an on-camera interview with The Rockbridge Report Nov. 11, “and I think the basic thing we need is experience.”
“Ms. Harvey has a lot of talents,” said Elrod, “but she didn’t run for City Council, she ran for Mayor. We have two very fine people, Jack Page and Ron Smith, who ran for City Council … [and] it would be my preference to turn to one of them.”
Page and Smith lost their bids for reelection Nov. 4. They were beaten by newcomers Marilyn Alexander, David Cox and Bob Lera. Elrod said she has spoken with each of the Council members about the fourth seat. The members hope to have a consensus before they decide.
“I believe that the people who should be considered most carefully are those who have [already] submitted themselves for public office,” Lera said Thursday. “I lean toward the person with the most votes.”
Alexander also believes the losers from Election Night would be prime candidates for the new seat.
“I have been giving it some thought, and others have as well,” she said. “I tend to lean toward being objective and looking at who the next person was on the ballot as far as winning the most votes.”
Page received 14 percent of the vote and Smith 11 percent on election night. Harvey got 40 percent of the vote in the mayoral race.
Alexander thinks the losers might be hesitant to take the position after failing in their initial attempt.
“Sometimes people if they don’t win, they get the wind knocked out of their sails and maybe they don’t want to [serve] now,” she said.
That might be the case for some, but not for Page.
“Well, I’m not going to be crawling around on my hands and knees for it,” he said. “But If I was offered I would accept it.”
Smith is more hesitant.
“I might,” he said. “I’d consider it.”
Harvey believes there is room for her perspective on the council, but she acknowledged that there could be more experienced candidates in the potential applicant pool. Harvey, who is engaged to be married, isn’t even sure she is interested.
“I was approached that night of the election by some of my supporters asking would you consider this,” she said. “It’s been a little bit over a week, and I still don’t know the answer.”
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Produced by
Washington and Lee
journalism students.
Lead Supervisors:
Prof. Brian
Richardson
Prof. Indira Somani
Editing supervisor:
Prof. Doug
Cumming
Technical supervisor: Michael Todd