[JYO] Leesburg Election News from the Loudon Times Mirror

<A 
HREF="http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=4070013&BRD=1897&PAG=461&dept_id=123365&rfi=6";>http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=4070013&BRD=1897&PAG=461&;
dept_id=123365&rfi=6</A>

Leesburg residents elected Vice Mayor Kristen Umstattd to the mayor's seat 
yesterday, defeating two-year incumbent Mayor B. J. Webb by more than 1,000 
votes.

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"The community made it clear they were ready for new leadership," said Webb 
after the election. "It takes me off the hook."

Incumbent council member Bob Zoldos received the most votes on council, 
followed by Marty Martinez and Melinda Kramer, who replace George Atwell and 
Leonard McDonald.

During her campaign Umstattd said the mayor's seat had become an "imperial 
throne" under Webb and called for a more civil and responsive leadership. She 
said many residents of the 1,400 homes she visited were disenchanted with 
Webb's leadership and the council's proposal to annex 2,700 acres near 
Leesburg Airport for commercial development.

"I hope we'll be able to usher in a new era of civility in our relationship 
with the county and with our citizens," said Umstattd after the election. "I 
want to see our government opened up for citizen input and our meetings kept 
open. I want to see us rely much more on public opinion than we have in the 
past."

Umstattd added that her win was also a victory for Voters to Stop Sprawl, a 
political-action committee that supported her own campaign as well as 
Martinez's and Kramer's. The group is opposed to annexation.

"I think the annexation was not wanted by the people," said Kramer. "As far 
as I'm concerned annexation is off the books.

"They should realize that's why we got voted in," Kramer said of the council 
members who support annexation. "If they were listening they would know."

"I like the fact that we all won, the three of us, Kristen myself and Linda," 
said Martinez. "The annexation was definitely an issue with a lot of people 
-- some of the candidates underestimated the intelligence of the people and 
what they were thinking."

Several dozen volunteers called more than 2,000 Leesburg residents in support 
of the three candidates, according to Steve Nicklin, a leader of Voters to 
Stop Sprawl. 

"This is a great indicator of what the movement in the county is," said 
Nicklin. "It's great to see citizens agree with our stance -- we've been 
working on this for months and months."

Despite the success of candidates supported by the anti-sprawl group, Bob 
Zoldos said the town's annexation plans are far from over.

"I think the annexation will continue forward," said Zoldos. "I'm not 
completely sure that citizens understand why we want the annexation. It's 
difficult for most people to understand."

After the new council takes office in July, it will appoint a new chairman of 
the annexation team. The position opens up when current chair George Atwell 
leaves office.

Webb, who supported land annexation for business development, said she has no 
plans to remain active in civic life. 

"I've given 10 years," said Webb. "I'm going to spend more time with my 
family."

Twenty-one percent of registered voters in Leesburg cast a ballot in 
yesterday's election, according to the Loudoun County Electoral Board. Betsy 
Mayr, secretary to the board, said voting went smoothly despite a change in 
the number of polling sites from seven to four. Some residents did not know 
their site had changed because they failed to read their voting cards, which 
were sent out a month before the election.

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