At least one of the two Roanoke County Board of Supervisors seats up for grabs this year will be contested, as a Democratic challenger announced his bid for the Cave Spring District Thursday.
Michael Geake will challenge Republican incumbent Paul Mahoney in the November election.
The Democrat who moved to Roanoke in 2021 is not new to local politics, according to information in his release and on his website.
Geake served two terms as a commissioner of the Second Taxing District in Norwalk, Connecticut, and then two terms on the Norwalk Common Council, with the former being roughly the size of the Cave Spring District, and the latter the size of Roanoke County, according to the release.
Mahoney, who is seeking his second four-year term, is no stranger to contested elections, as he defeated two challengers – one Democrat and one independent – with nearly 60% of the vote in 2019.
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He also served the county as its attorney from 1984 until 2015, and was on the planning commission from 2016 until he was elected to the board of supervisors in 2019.
Geake is an ordained minister, according to his website, who “sees the current political environment as his motivation to run for office, especially the history of one-party rule in Roanoke County.”
Republican Martha Hooker, who represents the Catawba District and currently serves as the board’s chair, is seeking her third term, and is currently running unopposed.
Two other Republicans, Commonwealth’s Attorney Brian Holohan and Treasurer Kevin Hutchins, are also running unopposed.
Two candidates are seeking the Republican nomination to run for Roanoke County clerk of circuit court.
Acting Clerk Rhonda Perdue, along with Michael Galliher, a deputy clerk in the criminal division of the clerk’s office, will face off in a June 20 primary.
This year’s General Election will be held Tuesday, Nov. 7.
