A former Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce president will be the Democratic nominee for the Scottsville District seat on the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors.
“I believe I can be of service to the district and our county at a time when we need good people stepping up to the plate,” Jane DeSimone Dittmar said Thursday.
Dittmar was the only candidate to submit an application to the county Democratic Committee, meaning a scheduled caucus will not be held.
“Jane will be an outstanding representative for the Scottsville District and a strong new addition to our Board of Supervisors,” county Democratic Chairman Richard Brewer said in a news release.
Dittmar, 57, served as chamber president from 1992 to 2000 and said that experience helped her realize the importance of partnerships with the City of Charlottesville and the University of Virginia.
Since leaving the chamber, Dittmar became a partner with the Positive Solutions Group, a Charlottesville mediation firm.
“I train organizations on how to use conflict resolution skills,” Dittmar said.
As a supervisor, Dittmar said, “these skills will be very helpful not only for me but perhaps for others as we distill issues and seek common ground or creative solutions.”
Dittmar graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in economics and did coursework at the executive program of the Darden School of Business.
County Registrar Jake Washburne said Thursday that Dittmar had not yet turned in her paperwork.
If her candidacy is confirmed by county officials, Dittmar would face Republican Cynthia Burket in the special election Nov. 5 to fill the remainder of former Supervisor Christopher J. Dumler’s term, which expires at the end of 2015. Dumler resigned June 5.
Supervisors last month appointed William B. “Petie” Craddock to replace Dumler until the winner of the fall election takes over. Craddock is not running in November.
Burket, who recently stepped down as chairwoman of the Albemarle Republican Committee, launched her campaign Wednesday.
Three other Albemarle supervisor seats are on the ballot.
Democrat Lizbeth Palmer is challenging incumbent Republican Duane E. Snow in the Samuel Miller District, while Democrat Brad Sheffield faces incumbent Republican Rodney S. Thomas in the Rio District.
Independents Diantha McKeel and Phillip Seay are competing for the Jack Jouett District seat being vacated by the retiring Dennis S. Rooker.
The deadline is Aug. 16 for candidates to qualify to be on the ballot in the Scottsville special election. Washburne said Thursday that no independent candidates had come forward.
