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Waybright Will Oppose Flora in Hollins District

Charlene Waybright
Charlene Waybright

Republican incumbent Richard Flora will have opposition for his Board of Supervisors seat in the Hollins District of Roanoke County after all. The county’s Democratic party has recruited Charlene Waybright, a Carilion Labs technologist and clinical scientist who pledged to “listen to the concerns of citizens.”

Waybright, 41, supports the new fitness center being built in the Hollins District and said earlier this week she would like to see improvements made to the crowded public library branch on Peters Creek Road.

A Roanoke College graduate who has twice been elected to the presidency of a Virginia trade association, Waybright has taken issue with Flora’s part time job as Craig County’s administrator, questioning whether the retired Roanoke County school administrator has enough time for his supervisors role in Hollins.

“It’s a split focus and he’s not going to be able to give all the attention that the citizens of the Hollins District need,” Waybright said.

With Waybright’s announcement, all three magisterial district seats in Roanoke County up for election this November have some form of opposition. Democrat Patrick Patterson will challenge incumbent Republican Mike Altizer in the Vinton District; Ed Elswick defeated incumbent Republican Joseph McNamara (Windsor Hills) in Tuesday’s primary, although no Democrat challenger has stepped forward to run in November.

Despite her support, Waybright criticizes the new multi-gen recreation center for building an indoor pool that is too short that won’t allow certain swim meets to be held there. She believes the county should have spent a little bit more to build a competition pool.

“All it needed to be was a couple of feet longer.”  Waybright said while referring to herself as a fiscal conservative. “I do the budget at home,” she chuckled.

Some, like McNamara, did not support the $30 million new recreation center when it came up for a vote on financing, but Waybright said she was “happy that they recognize North County and put something [here].”

She also takes exception to Flora’s attendance record at board meetings, saying he has missed too many. If elected she pledged to be, “someone that’s going to be there to cast votes… so you know where they are on the issues.”

Waybright alleges Flora missed recent board meetings on the controversial asphalt plant in Glenvar that ultimately never came to be.

“Conveniently absent,” she said of Richard Flora’s track record, “things don’t seem right there.”

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