Hanging Rock mayor re-elected

COAL GROVE — “Man, it feels good,” council member Andy Holmes said of the news on Tuesday night.

With all precincts reporting, Holmes defeated Michael McKenzie to be elected as the new mayor of the Village Coal Grove.

Holmes, who has served in his current seat since 2017, said he hoped to “unify the community.”

“It’s time for an end to division,” he said.

Holmes, who will succeed Gary Sherman in the position, thanked those who voted for him.

“As I sit here and enjoy this victory, I think of how much this community has meant to me,” he said. “This community has been great to me for 44-plus years and I want to give back.”

Holmes won the election with 409 votes to 323 for McKenzie.

He said his priority for the job is to “manage the resources we have” and “bring more services to every resident.”

“And we can bring this community back to where it was 15 years ago,” he said.

In the village of Proctorville, voters chose Bill Elliott as their new mayor.

Elliott won with 90 votes, with Eric Kuhn and Billy McClurg each winning 20 votes.

Elliott will follow three-term Mayor Rick Dunfee, who is retiring, in the office.

In the Village of Hanging Rock, incumbent Mayor Chris Davidson won re-election, defeating Wayne Pennington, 61-41 votes.

In South Point, Mayor Jeff Gaskin ran unopposed, as was also the case for Chesapeake Mayor Drew Griffin.