Patrick Hite, Staunton News Leader 

• Three seats on both the Augusta County Board of Supervisors and School Board are up for election this November.
• Two incumbent members of the Board of Supervisors, Butch Wells and Pam Carter, will not seek re-election.
• All three incumbent School Board members, David Shiflett, Donna Wells, and Tim Simmons, have announced their intention to run for re-election.

VERONA — The Augusta County Board of Supervisors and the School Board both have three seats up for election this November.

While the three incumbents for the school board have said they will seek reelection, two of the three board of supervisors members won't be putting their name on ballot next fall.

Butch Wells, who represents the Beverley Manor District, and Pam Carter of the Pastures District both have said they won't run again.

"I’m proud of what the board has accomplished during the time I have served," Wells wrote in an email to The News Leader. "And I will remain a vocal advocate for our County Administrator and the entire county staff."

According to the registrar's office, Stephen Grepps is the only candidate so far to declare for Beverley Manor seat on Board of Supervisors. Grepps does have a campaign website set up. According to the site, Grepps lives in Verona. He's running on a platform of transparency, managing taxpayer dollars responsibly and strengthening the local economy.

So far, per the registrar's office, no other candidates have filed for the Board of Supervisors.

As for the school board, all three incumbents — David Shiflett, Middle River; Donna Wells, Beverley Manor; and Tim Simmons, Pastures — have said they will be seeking reelection. Shiflett and Wells confirmed they will be on the ballot through an email to The News Leader. Simmons posted he will be running on his campaign Facebook page.

"I am humbled and excited to announce my candidacy for re-election to the Augusta County School Board," he wrote in a post on Jan. 19. "Serving our community on the School Board has been an honor, and I remain committed to standing up for parental rights, ensuring accountability within our schools, and striving for safer, more efficient, and more transparent processes that benefit students, parents, and staff alike."

Both Wells and Simmons will have at least one challenger, per the registrar's office. John Ocheltree has filed to run for the Pastures seat and Dan Ferraro will challenge Wells in the Beverley Manor District.

Simmons beat Ocheltree, who was the incumbent, in a close election in 2021.

Ferraro is a former special education teacher in Augusta County, per his campaign Facebook page.

"Together we will improve our local schools by placing student outcomes first," he wrote on his page. "We will increase parental input & ensure transparent governance. Our students deserve schools that provide a quality education in Reading, Math, History and true vocational skills."

The general election is Nov. 4. The last day to file to run for office is June 17 at 7 p.m. For more information on how to run visit the Virginia Department of Elections or contact Augusta County's registrar's office by email registrar@co.augusta.va.us or phone 540-245-5656.

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— Patrick Hite is a reporter at The News Leader. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Connect with Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and on Instagram @hitepatrick. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.

Patrick Hite Staunton News 

• Augusta County Board of Supervisors and School Board have three seats each up for election in November.
• A Republican primary for the Beverley Manor District supervisor seat will be held June 17 between Justin Dimitt and Stephen Grepps.
• Incumbent school board member Donna Wells will not seek reelection, but her husband, Butch, is running for her seat.

The Augusta County Board of Supervisors has three seats up for election this November.

However, before the general election, there will be one primary on June 17. In the Beverley Manor District, Justin Dimitt and Stephen Grepps have both filed to run for the Republican nomination for board of supervisors. The incumbent, Butch Wells, will not run for reelection.

That doesn't mean Wells' political career is over. He has thrown his hat in the ring for the Augusta County School Board, running for the Beverley Manor seat this his wife currently holds. Donna Wells has decided not to run for reelection.

Early voting for the board of supervisors primary begins May 2 at the Augusta County Government Center in Verona. You can register to vote in the primary by May 27.

In talking with potential voters, Dimitt has discovered that some don't realize that there will be a primary for the Beverley Manor seat this year.

Dimitt, who operates South River Rehab and Performance in Staunton and Waynesboro, was approached to run for the board of supervisors, but said he held off his decision until he knew what Wells was doing. Dimitt didn't want to challenge an incumbent for the Republican nomination.

About the time Wells decided not to run, Dimitt found out his wife was pregnant with their third child. Once again he was on the fence, not sure if now was a great time to run for office. He struggled with the decision for a while before finally telling his wife that he needed to run.

"I need to help in some way," Dimitt said. "Help secure the future of this county one way or another for our kids. I never want my kids to grow up and have chaos around them and say, well, 'daddy just sat on the sidelines.' We have seen what happens when people who shouldn't sit on the sidelines sit on the sidelines."

Meanwhile, Grepps moved to Augusta County in 1992 and is the longest active member of the New Hope Volunteer Fire Department. He plans to retire in August as a lieutenant from the Augusta County Fire and Rescue.

"I plan on taking my experience of serving others to the next level and serving the citizens of the Beverley Manor District," Grepps said. "If elected, I will always put the citizens first, remain faithful to my values, and listen to what is important to the district I serve. I promise I will never be a part of the 'good old boy' network and will make decisions that benefit our community."

Dimitt believes his business background, starting and running his own company, will be valuable to the board of supervisors.

"The board needs more business-minded people," Dimitt said. "More people who look at the fine details, how to be fiscally responsible but also aggressive in the development of this county."

Dimitt wants to improve the discourse on the board. He's heard too many people say that members of the board already have their mind made up on subjects so nothing they say matters. He wants to change that perception.

"I'll have the R next to my name ... but I listen to ideas from both sides," Dimitt said. "If someone has a good idea you're going to listen to it, if it's going to benefit the county you're going to listen to it."

Grepps also has an interest in business, saying he wants to grow Augusta County's economy by attracting new businesses.

"As a board member," Grepps said, "I hope to be part of a team that solves county issues with common sense and good judgment."

If elected, Grepps also wants to advocate for a zero-base budget.

"Where every expense must be justified and approved," he said, "Rather than using previous budgets as a reference."

For the other two seats up for election this year on the board of supervisors, only one incumbent is seeking reelection. Current supervisor Gerald Garber has filed to run for the Middle River District. He's currently unopposed, per the information received from the registrar's office on candidates who have filed. He will be the Republican nomination for that seat.

Like Wells, Pam Carter of the Pastures District said she won't run again. Chris Kincehloe has filed to run for Carter's seat. He will be the Republican nominee. Tracy Pyles, a former member of the board of supervisors, told The News Leader that he is running as an independent for the Pastures District seat. He has not filed yet.

Candidates for the board of supervisors can still file by June 17 at 7 p.m. to run as an independent for any of the three seats in the November election.

Like the board of supervisors, the Augusta County School Board has three seats up for grabs in November.

The only school board candidates to have officially filed, as of April 9, were both in the Pastures District. Incumbent Timothy Simmons will run for reelection against, as of now, one challenger, John Ocheltree.

In November 2021, Simmons upended then incumbent Ocheltree in a narrow three-person race. Simmons won with 44% of the vote. Ocheltree finished second, 144 votes shy of Simmons.

There will be no primary for the school board with the race being decided in the general election in November. Candidates still have until June 17 to file for the school board seats. All candidates run as independents.

In an interesting move, Beverley Manor incumbent Donna Wells has decided not to run for reelection. However, her husband, Butch Wells, who currently is on the board of supervisors, announced Tuesday that he will be running for the Beverley Manor seat on the Augusta County School Board.

Wells, who hasn't officially filed yet, said he discussed the decision with several respected people, including his wife.

"Some would claim I’m prejudice, but my wife is an excellent, respected educator and an excellent board member," he said. "It was a tough decision for her to not pursue reelection and when she supported me I knew it wasn’t a whim. She had confidence I would be an asset to the board with my experience on the board of supervisors and the challenges the school board will have facing them in the future."

Wells may have a challenger. Dan Ferraro announced on Facebook that he will run for the Beverley Manor school board seat, but he hasn't filed yet per the registrar's office. The News Leader has reached out to Ferraro twice, but he has not responded.

In the Middle River District, incumbent and board chair David Shiflett told The News Leader he will seek reelection, although he has yet to file.

The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 4. Early voting for the general election begins Sept. 19. You can register to vote in the general election by Oct. 14.

— Patrick Hite is a reporter at The News Leader. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Connect with Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and on Instagram @hitepatrick. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.