In Virginia, town councils are elected leaders charged with overseeing a local town government. They have the power to set tax rates, make zoning decisions, oversee local emergency services, and much more.
Gordonsville Town, in Orange County, has five council members and a mayor elected to four-year terms. There are two open seats on council, and three certified candidates running for them: Emily Mary Winkey, Mary C. “Cyd” Black and Stevean E. Irving II.
Winkey was first elected in 2012 and is the current vice mayor. Irving serves on the Planning Commission and lost his bid to join the Town Council in 2020.
Charlottesville Tomorrow designed a questionnaire for the candidates based on about 200 responses we received to a voter survey. None of the candidates responded to requests to participate by answering these questions. Charlottesville Tomorrow attempted to contact them several times at the email addresses they listed with their registration of candidacy. Irving’s registered email address bounced, so we also attempted to contact him through the email address on the town’s website.
More about the Gordonsville Town Council
- Winkey’s election history (Virginia Department of Elections)
- Eclipse Award Recipient 2021, Emily Winkey (Orange County African American Historical Society)
- Food truck owner plans to sue after Gordonsville cancels rain-or-shine Fried Chicken Festival (Oct. 2024, The Daily Progress, paywall)
- Citizens protest “low intensity” drug treatment center in old Gordon House (May 2024, Culpeper-Star Exponent)
- Gordonsville approves budget — with changes — before deadline (July 2023, Orange County Review)
- ‘Small-town charm’ tackles many facets of Gordonsville’s future (Aug. 2024, MadRapp Recorder)
Here are key dates and deadlines associated with this year’s election.
| March 5 | Super Tuesday! Both Republicans and Democrats are holding primaries. You do not have to be a member of a political party to vote in that party’s primary election, however you can only vote in one of the primaries. Polls will be open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. |
| May 3 | Early voting begins for all other primary elections. |
| May 28 | Deadline to register to vote, or update an existing registration for Congressional and local primaries. |
| June 7 @ 5 p.m. | Deadline to request your primary ballot be mailed to you for absentee voting or to vote by mail. |
| June 18 | Primary Election Day for Congressional, state and local races. |
| Sept. 20 | Early voting begins for November general election. |
| Nov. 5 | Election Day! |
We will update this list periodically as deadlines approach or we receive new information.
Register to vote, check your registration, find your polling places and apply to vote absentee at the Virginia Department of Elections here. Remember, even if you miss registration deadlines, you can register through Election Day and vote using a provisional ballot.
Need to know if you’re eligible to vote? Here are resources from the Virginia Department of Elections.
