Two incumbents on Waynesboro City Council not seeking reelection. Who is running?
WAYNESBORO — Mayor Lana Willams told The News Leader she is not planning to run for a second term on Waynesboro City Council in November. First elected in 2020 to represent Ward A, Williams became mayor in 2023.
Williams has been working to get other citizens interested in running for the open seat.
"I told more then one person I was not planning to run for reelection and the seat was open if they still were interested in public office," Williams said. "It is important to encourage people that express an interest in running for public office. It is not easy, so I applaud anyone who is willing to step up."
With two months to go until the filing date to run for city council, no candidate has officially filed to run in Waynesboro as of Thursday morning, according to Waynesboro registrar Lisa Jeffers.
In addition to Williams' Ward A seat, Ward B and the at-large seats on Waynesboro City Council will also be up for election. Currently, Bruce Allen serves Ward B and Terry Short is the at-large representative, but both terms expire at the end of the year.
Allen told The News Leader he will not be seeking reelection. Short will be running again, only for a different seat.
"I am, and plan to share a more formal announcement for the Ward B seat in a couple of weeks," Short told The News Leader.
Short was elected to council in 2016 and reelected in 2020 to the at-large seat. He was voted in as mayor in 2018 after serving as vice mayor for his first two years on council.
Former Waynesboro Mayor Bobby Henderson announced on his Facebook page that he will be running for the at-large seat that Short currently holds. Henderson previously served Ward C, serving as vice mayor from 2018 until 2020 and mayor from 2020 until 2022.
Henderson said he is in the process of gathering enough signatures to allow his name to appear on the ballot.
David Goetze told The News Leader that he will be seeking Williams' seat in Ward A. A retired United States Army Military Police Major, Goetze is a former assistant professor at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro. He and his wife moved to Waynesboro seven years ago to be closer to family.
The last day to file as a candidate is Tuesday, June 18. The general election this year is Tuesday, Nov 5.
If you're interested in running, you can visit the Virginia Department of Elections website and look for "Becoming a Candidate" for rules on how to file. You can also contact the Waynesboro registrar's office by phone at (540) 942-6620 or by email at JeffersLP@ci.waynesboro.va.us with any questions.
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— Patrick Hite is The News Leader's education reporter. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Contact Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and follow him on Twitter @Patrick_Hite. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Waynesboro City Council: Who is running in November?
