LYNCHBURG, Va. – On Nov. 8, Lynchburg residents will be voting for three open City Council seats.
Lynchburg’s City Council has seven total seats, four of which are elected based on the city’s wards and the other three are at-large seats.
All three of the at-large seats are up for grabs during this year’s election which means the top three candidates will be the newest members of Lynchburg’s City Council.
10 News reached out to all candidates ahead of election night, but candidates Treney Tweedy and Larry Taylor never got back to us for an interview.
We did speak with the other five candidates about the reasoning behind their campaigns and what their agendas are if they were to be elected.
One of the primary focuses of this year’s election for many candidates is to make it about local politics and not national.
“What we’re doing right here in Lynchburg, it’s local. It’s our families, it’s our people and it’s our community. What can we do to say let’s put our differences aside and come together for the common good of our city? Because if we’re divided, nothing gets accomplished,” Stephanie Reed said.
Click through the photo gallery below to get to know all seven candidates:
Beau Wright is one of two incumbents running in this year’s race. He said he wants the city to address issues as a community.
“If we’re going to be able to devise solutions for Lynchburg, it’s got to be collaborative, it’s got to be across the aisle and so I think that’s what I’m running on … is a Lynchburg that’s going to work for everybody in all different neighborhoods and not just the well-connected few,” Wright said.
Many of the candidates have very similar priorities for the city – education, public safety, and economic development tend to be at the top of candidates’ lists.
“Those primary issues are, we want to see a more improved educational system. Everybody’s concerned about crime in the city and wants to see violent crimes reduced. And people want to see a more competitive workforce,” Walter Virgil Jr. said.
The amount of political experience ranges from none to years of experience.
Patrick Earl said this is one of the first things he’s done politically. He said he wants to really focus on reinforcing and expanding on what’s going well in the city.
“We have so many, so many, so many good things and we need to keep it on the right track because that is what makes a city attractive to not only investors but people is the way a city succeeds,” Earl said.
Marty Misjuns has worked for the city for years. He believes his experience of knowing how the city works can help earn people’s vote on Nov. 8.
“People should vote for Marty Misjuns on Nov. 8 because I’m going to get down into city hall and be a representative that fights for the individuals, families, and businesses,” Misjuns said.
Below you can see our full interviews with five of the seven candidates running for Lynchburg City Council:
Patrick Earl
Marty Misjuns
Stephanie Reed
Walter Virgil Jr.
Beau Wright