13 CANDIDATES, ONE SEAT: SPOTSYLVANIA BOARD TO CHOOSE CHANCELLOR SUPERVISOR NEXT TUESDAY

Supervisors face a closely watched decision to fill the seat vacated by Gerald Childress   

By John Williams, Editor

**SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY, Va\.** — The long running contest to fill the vacant Chancellor District seat on the Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors moves to its decisive stage next Tuesday night, when the Board of Supervisors is expected to select the person who will temporarily represent the district.

The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to vote on the appointment at its Sept. 8 meeting.

Thirteen candidates have submitted applications for the position, according to the applicant list previously released by the county and reviewed by *The Spotsylvania Gazette*

The vacancy was created when former Chancellor Supervisor **Gerald Childress resigned from the Board on Aug\. 6**\. The Chancellor seat is currently listed as vacant on the county’s official Board of Supervisors roster\. 40;[Spotsylvania County Official Website](https://www.spotsylvania.va.us/1243/Members?utm_source=chatgpt.com))

The candidates are:

- **Brooke Cunningham**

- **Dawn Shelley**

- **John Charles**

- **Scott P\. Foster**

- **Jeff Shattuck**

- **Charles L\. Washington Jr\.**

- **Justin Bernier**

- **Janet Gardon**

- **Amanda Blalock**

- **Laura Catalono**

- **Tim McLaughlin**

- **Steven Cronberry**

- **William McCuen**

### A decision with immediate political consequences

Tuesday night’s vote will determine who occupies the Chancellor seat for the interim period\.

Under the county’s announced process, the appointed supervisor will serve until a **special election scheduled for March 16, 2027**\. The winner of that election will complete the remainder of Childress’ term, which expires Dec\. 31, 2027\. ([Fredericksburg Free Press](https://www.fredericksburgfreepress.com/2026/08/26/12-candidates-apply-…))

That means Tuesday’s selection is not merely a ceremonial appointment\. The individual chosen will immediately become a voting member of the seven\-member Board and will have a voice on county budgets, development, transportation, schools, public safety, taxes and other major issues facing Spotsylvania\.

The eventual March election will then give Chancellor District voters the opportunity to decide who should serve the remainder of the term\.

### A crowded field with political experience

The applicant field includes former elected officials, candidates for office, business leaders and community members with experience in Spotsylvania government and civic organizations\.

Among the better\-known names are **Dawn Shelley**, a former Spotsylvania School Board member, **Amanda Blalock**, another former School Board member, and **Tim McLaughlin**, who previously represented the Chancellor District on the Board of Supervisors\.

McLaughlin defeated Blalock in the 2019 election for the Chancellor seat\. Both are now seeking the appointment to the same position\.

**Justin Bernier**, meanwhile, brings a business and federal\-government background\. According to published reporting, Bernier is a co\-founder and executive of Sixth Domain Intelligence and previously worked in investment management at Morgan Stanley\. ([Fredericksburg Free Press](https://www.fredericksburgfreepress.com/2026/08/26/12-candidates-apply-…))

The breadth of the field makes Tuesday’s decision particularly significant because the Board is not choosing between a small number of obvious contenders\. Instead, supervisors must select one person from a politically diverse group of applicants\.

### Closed\-door discussion, public vote

The Board is expected to discuss the applicants in closed session before returning to public session to vote\.

Virginia law requires the Board to make the appointment publicly after considering the applicants\. Published reports indicate that the Board’s appointment is scheduled for its Sept\. 8 meeting\. ([Fredericksburg Free Press](https://www.fredericksburgfreepress.com/2026/08/26/12-candidates-apply-…))

The county had previously announced the applicants as part of the vacancy process\. ([Spotsylvania County Official Website](https://www.spotsylvania.va.us/m/newsflash/Home/Detail/1130?utm_source=…))

### The controversy over the number of candidates

There is also an unusual wrinkle surrounding the race\.

The applicant list reviewed by *The Spotsylvania Gazette* contains **13 names**, including Charles L\. Washington Jr\. However, a report published by the *Fredericksburg Free Press* identified **12 applicants** and did not include Washington in its published list\. Another local report has referred to **13 candidates**\.

The discrepancy should be resolved through the county’s official applicant packets and Tuesday night’s proceedings\.

For the Gazette, the question is more than a numbers issue: residents deserve a clear accounting of exactly who applied for one of the county’s most important elected offices\.

### Who will get the votes?

The central question heading into Tuesday night is not simply who wants the seat, but **which candidate can attract enough support from the existing Board of Supervisors to win the appointment**\.

Because the Chancellor seat has been vacant, the Board currently has six sitting supervisors rather than seven\. The appointment will restore the Board to full membership\.

The political calculations surrounding the vote are therefore being closely watched\.

A successful candidate will immediately inherit a district with major development pressures and transportation concerns while joining a Board dealing with contentious questions involving growth, data centers, schools, taxes, infrastructure and the future direction of Spotsylvania County\.

### March election already looming

Whoever wins Tuesday’s appointment should not expect the political campaign to end there\.

The March 16, 2027, special election will determine who completes the remainder of the term\. ([Fredericksburg Free Press](https://www.fredericksburgfreepress.com/2026/08/26/12-candidates-apply-…))

That creates the possibility that Tuesday’s winner could face some of the same applicants again only months later\.

For Chancellor voters, Tuesday’s appointment therefore represents the first chapter of what could become a much larger political contest\.

### THE BOTTOM LINE

**Thirteen names\. One vacant seat\. One public vote\.**

By the end of Tuesday night’s Board of Supervisors meeting, Chancellor District will once again have a representative sitting at the county’s governing table\.

The question is which of the candidates will receive the votes needed to take the seat — and whether that appointment will give the winner an advantage when Chancellor voters return to the polls in March\.

*The Spotsylvania Gazette will continue following the Chancellor appointment and will report the Board’s vote, individual supervisor votes when available, the selected candidate’s background and the reaction from the other applicants and Chancellor District residents/*Of a New Book.

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