So far, all three towns see uncontested races for three seats; Shenandoah mayor’s seat may provide the only race in the county this November for municipal seats
By Randy Arrington
LURAY, June 12 — While much of the attention on this November’s general election will focus on the fate of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, there will also be 10 municipal seats on the Page County ballot as well. As of now, none of those 10 seats are contested. However, those who may be interested in making the local fall elections interesting still have time to get their name on the ballot.
The deadline for local candidates seeking a seat on any of the three town councils in the county to file their Declaration of Candidacy is 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 16. In Luray and Shenandoah, candidates will need 50 signatures in addition to the normal paperwork, but candidates in Stanley are not requied to gather signatures, based on population.
In Luray, all three incumbents have filed their paperwork with the Page County voter registrar. Terms are ending Dec. 31 for council members Ron Vickers (vice mayor), Jerry Dofflemyer, and Ryan Dean. Former Councilman Alex White submitted his resignation on Oct. 8, 2025 with a little over a year remaining in his four-year term, creating the vacancy that Dean filled by appointment in November.
As of Friday, no one has technically filed for three open seats on the Stanley Council. However, council members Bruce Stoneberger (vice mayor), Robin Good, and Doug Purdham have all picked up the paperwork from the registar’s office and are expected to file by the Tuesday deadline.
In Shenandoah, two council candidates have filed their paperwork and a third is gathering final signatures. Vice Mayor Bill Kite is stepping away from council after a long tenure, and council member Denise Cave is stepping down after one term. Gary “Red” Taylor and Nathan T. Comer have already filed to appear on the ballot, while incumbent councilman Lynn Fox is expected to gather his final signatures and meet the Tuesday deadline.
The Shenandoah mayor’s race is the only ballot option that leaves a sense of mystery, or even competition. During an interview with PVN in January, Mayor Clinton Lucas stated that he would not be running for another two-year term after a tenure that spans nearly four decades. However, Lucas is currently the only candidate registered for mayor of Shenandoah. Former town manager Juanita Roudabush has shown interest and picked up paperwork, but some believe that she was anticipating an uncontested race and may not pursue a campaign against the longtime mayor.
The Republican Primary Election will be held on August 4, 2026; the deadline to register to vote for this election will be July 24, 2026. That may be done in person at the voter registrar’s office or online at www.elections.virginia.gov. While incumbent Ben Cline will remain the local Republican nominee for the House and face Democrat Beth Macy, the Aug. 4 GOP primary will determine who challenges Democrat incumbent Mark Warner for his Senate seat.
There could be as many as three ballot questions for voters to consider in November, but the local registrar’s office has not received information about those referendums, according to Page County Voter Registrar Carol Gaunt.
The Voter Registration office is located in the Page County Government Center,
103 South Court Street, Luray; the early voting office is located on the ground floor.
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Would have been nice if the reporter would have spoken to anyone obtaining paperwork before the article as people often pick up paperwork for others or to have on hand in case it was needed by others. I have never seriously considered running for election of any seat at this point in time. I am enjoying retirement too much!
Miss Juanita, sorry to upset you. We have heard a lot of talk about a possible run for a while now, and we confirmed that you picked up paperwork….but this piece was partially speculative, since the deadline has not passed. We mainly wanted to shake the bushes and remind folks they still had a couple of days to register. Stanley found a couple fo extra candidates and might have a real race. It’s a real shame that it’s “business as usual” in Shenandoah. Without changes, there will be no real change. We will be doing a follow-up on the actual registered candidates, now that the deadline has passed.
Is something not right in Shenandoah? What needs changing if there are problems? Other than change for changes sake, as if same as usual is a bad thing, then why change? Please list the changes here that need to occur. Support Democracy that way.