Elections give Surry two new supervisors
Published 11:55 pm Tuesday, November 7, 2023
New faces will be joining Surry County’s Board of Supervisors next year.
Four of the county’s five Board of Supervisors seats saw contested races.
Walter Hardy received just under 72% of 651 votes to challenger Robert Chandler’s just over 28%, according to unofficial election results. Both were first-time candidates for the Bacon’s Castle District seat.
Judy Lyttle, who in 1999 became Surry’s first female supervisor, will step down as the board’s Bacon’s Castle representative after 24 years when her current term ends Dec. 31.
Robert Elliott, the board’s current chairman and Claremont District representative, was reelected with just under 57% of 645 votes to challenger Susan Corvello’s 43%.
Brenton Byrd, who was elected in 2022 to fill the one-year remainder of former Dendron District Supervisor Michael Drewry’s term, faced a challenge this year from Drewry’s wife, Amy, who received just over 52% of 655 votes to Byrd’s just under 48%.
Tim Calhoun, who ran for reelection to the Surry District seat against challenger Bob Addison, received 64% of 701 votes to Addison’s just under 36%.
The vote totals include election day voting, early in-person votes and absentee ballots but not provisional ballots.
“I want to thank the voters of the Bacon’s Castle District for their support,” Hardy said. “I’m overwhelmed with gratitude and appreciation for everybody who helped out and I look forward to getting to work for the folks of Surry County. I’ll be there for the folks who voted for me, the folks who didn’t vote for me and the folks who didn’t vote at all.”
Chandler and Elliott did not immediately respond to The Smithfield Times’ request for comments.
“We worked tirelessly to ensure the success of our campaign and unfortunately the results were not in our favor,” Corvello told the Times by phone on Nov. 8. “Everyone that helped me out worked really hard to support our campaign and I appreciate the opportunity that everybody had given me to serve our community. I will still continue to support our cause and be a voice for the community.”
Drewry, Byrd, Calhoun and Addison each did not immediately respond to the Times’ request for comments.
Carsley District Supervisor Breyon Pierce, who ran unopposed for reelection, received 602 votes to nine write-ins.
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 2:09 p.m. on Nov. 8 with the latest vote totals and comments by candidates.