5 candidates are vying to represent the Queen City on the Staunton City Council.

STAUNTON, Va. (WHSV) – Residents of the Queen City will not only vote on who will represent them in the White House and the U.S. Capitol, but they will also have a choice of five candidates for four City Council seats in the 2024 elections.

In a year of constant political party battles between the Republican Party and the Democratic Party, all five City Council candidates have decided to run their platforms as independent candidates and focus on the people of politics rather than the parties.

Adam Campbell

Adam Campbell is the only incumbent candidate on this year’s ballot after he was elected in a special election after the council member pro tem decided not to run for election. He is seeking his first full term on the City Council.

Campbell’s work as a planner for the Virginia Department of Transportation is one of his platforms. He said council members must work for the benefit of constituents, and that requires strategic planning – and monetary investment – to ensure the well-being of the community.

“Continuing to improve communications between the city and its residents, looking for more opportunities in the decision-making process to ensure that the voices of our citizens are heard in terms of the direction in which the city moves forward,” Campbell said. “The next thing is to look for additional opportunities to maximize benefits for all members of the community.”

Campbell hopes to create new partnerships with people and companies in both the private and public sectors. He said collaboration between sectors and people will move Staunton forward and keep it moving in the direction it is heading.

Not only does he appreciate these potential partnerships, but he says Campbell encourages the public to make their voices heard. He said council members can do a lot of work without public feedback.

Blake Shepherd

Blake Shepherd hopes that if elected, he will bring the community’s voice to the City Council board. Shepherd works behind the scenes with The Breeze, a student news organization based at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Shepard’s job is to provide the newspaper with advertising money so it can continue to operate as it has for many years.

Shepherd is driven by community voices. He said he often travels around town, parking in front of people’s houses or on people’s lawns and listening to voters. Whether it’s tax breaks, affordable housing or other issues being addressed, Shepherd said the needs of the community should always be priority No. 1. He also hopes to improve the school system.

“We need to invest in the Staunton City Public School system,” Shepherd said. “This is one of our greatest assets; our school system has improved greatly in recent years because we have invested in it.”

Shepard said the zoning changes were a necessary part of his campaign. He said residents in the Greater Augusta region are struggling to find affordable housing because supply is far below demand. If elected, Shepherd hopes to increase the supply of affordable housing in the area and make life in the Queen City much easier.

Along with affordable housing, Shepherd said he hopes to bring more tourism to the city. When Shepherd isn’t in Harrisonburg with student journalists, he’s working at some of the city’s historic parks. He said he hopes to strengthen those parks and work to make downtown more attractive to people who can stay in the city longer and spend more money while they’re here.

Dan Gunnels

WHSV’s Gunnels report will air Tuesday on News at Five. The video will be added to this article once the news is released.

Dan Gunnels is a name many Staunton residents may remember following the abrupt resignation of former Staunton Mayor Andrea Oakes. Although Gunnels did not win the seat, he hopes to serve his community through the City Council in the 2024 election.

Gunnels is the candidates’ only active attorney. He has been a procurement attorney for several organizations for over 20 years and currently works with defense organizations located in the Washington, D.C. metro area. He is also an active voice and member of Staunton’s LGBTQ+ community.

“I represent a part of the community that is not always represented, or if it is represented, it is hidden and not talked about,” Gunnels said. “As diverse as our city is, so should our city council.”

After visiting the Queen City, Gunnels decided to step away from big city life and move to Staunton in 2018. He previously worked on homelessness and HIV policy reform earlier in his career. Gunnels said he hopes to connect with the city and the legal system to strengthen relationships and improve the quality of life throughout the city.

Gunnels said he is in favor of developing external relations and hopes to strengthen internal relations, particularly between the City Council and the Staunton School Board.

Corrie Park

WHSV’s Park report will air Tuesday on News at Five. The video will be added to this article once the news is released.

Corrie Park may be a familiar name to people living in the Queen City, but unlike some of her election opponents, she has not previously run for elected office in the city. Rather, she is the owner of a local business whose storefront is located in the heart of the city – Made; from the people for the people.

Park is also the only military veteran on the list, having served in the Virginia National Guard after graduating from college. She was assigned to Washington, D.C. following the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Park is currently a teacher at Stewart Hall School in Staunton, where she teaches government and social studies. She said education is a fundamental tenet of decision-making and she knows how important knowledge is when making decisions, especially for the candidate who will represent them on the City Council.

“I want people to be able to have open dialogue and think about issues, think about problems and acknowledge how other people feel, their points of view and what we can all do together,” Park said.

Park hopes to reunite the community, which she says has been divided by the rise and popularity of social media and the Internet.

Jeff Overholtzer

WHSV’s report on Overholtzer will air Tuesday on News at Five. The video will be added to this article once the news is released.

Jeff Overholtzer is a longtime resident of the Queen City. Overholzer lived in Staunton for 35 years and worked in many aspects of the community, including serving as editor of The News Leader, a newspaper based in Staunton.

Since his time at the news, Overholzer has worked closely with university information technology organizations to help reduce costs and improve efficiency. He said negotiation and collaboration are his forte and that he can work to bring Staunton residents affordable projects to improve the quality of life in the area.

“We really need to support our local businesses to make it as easy as possible to do business in town while maintaining environmental health and safety standards,” Overholzer said. “We need to attract new businesses to the city and diversify economic growth.”

Like his competitors, Overholzer understands the need for affordable housing in the SAW area. He said Staunton is experiencing a boom in industry and tourism thanks to the development of Staunton Crossing and the prominence of the downtown area, but that there is still work to be done.

If elected, Overholzer said he hopes to maintain Staunton’s values and traditions while adapting to social changes across the country. He said one of his best traits is bringing people together to get projects done, and that he hopes to bring those skills to the City Council.

You can vote for four of these five candidates on Election Day, which is Tuesday, November 5th.