Amherst Resignation, Falwell Sues LU (pool boy not named in suit), House of Delegates Nomination Methods Set
Griffin, Mays, Farris, Zehr all seeking nominations
Two candidates are seeking the open House of Delegates seat that comprises northern Bedford County, all of Amherst, and southern Nelson County.
Tim Griffin, a Bob Good follower who leads the local Bedford “Republican” club, and Sarah Mays, an anti-abortion activist from Amherst, have both submitted their paperwork for the Republican nomination to be decided in a convention May 6th at Jefferson Forest High School.
Griffin is well known in Bedford and was once a prosecutor for the County.
In southern Bedford County, incumbent Delegate Matt Farris (R-Rustburg) faces a challenge from Eric Zehr, a longtime Bob Good acolyte, for the nomination in the 51st House District.
Last week, Farris was charged with two felonies in an incident along route 501. He has not been found guilty. The process to determine the nomination method in the 51st was closely watched and contested by backers of Zehr, who demanded a convention format.
Such nomination battles really take place long before the conventions, though, as candidates gather as many people as possible to turn out to local, County-specific “mass meetings.”
At those meetings, whoever turns out the most people can assume control of the committee and remove his or her opponents’ supporters and make their votes ineligible at the convention.
Sadly, conventions are all-day affairs, and exclude on-duty police, firemen, soldiers, nurses, and families from having a voice in who represents them in deep-red districts like 51 and 53, where the Republican will almost certainly secure the general election.
For the first time in more than two decades, Central Virginia will see fresh faces in Richmond, and less than 0.3% of the population will have a real say in who those faces are.
In the news:
Grieser Resigns
Amherst County School Board member John Grieser resigned on Monday, effective immediately, the division announced.
Grieser, a county native and former Amherst County sheriff's captain who attended and graduated from Amherst County Public Schools, began serving the District 1 seat in January 2020.
"Mr. Grieser stated that the decision to resign was difficult," the division's statement said. "Mr. Grieser was thankful for the leadership of Dr. [Superintendent William] Wells and has confidence in his ability to oversee the school division. He also stated that he was thankful that the division has a great staff that carries out the mission of Every Child, Every Day."
Falwell Sues LU for $8.6Million
Former Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. has filed a federal lawsuit claiming the school has “wrongfully denied and withheld benefits” set forth in his retirement plan.
Falwell Jr., the son of LU founder Jerry Falwell Sr. and the school’s president until August 2020, filed the complaint in U.S. District Court last week to recover these retirement benefits in an amount close to $8.6 million.
Falwell brought the action against the university and the executive committee of the board of trustees at LU as the plan administrators for the Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan (SERP).