Incumbents sweep in Waynesboro

Mayor Frank Lucente, Vice Mayor Bruce Allen and City Councilman Tim Williams swept to victory in contested races for seats on Waynesboro City Council Tuesday.

Lucente’s win over former City Council member Lorie Smith in the At-Large race was something of a surprise. Smith, also a former School Board chair, had the backing of several former Lucente allies and the endorsements of the two local newspapers, The News Virginian and The News Leader, but she fell short in her bid to unseat Lucente by 131 votes.

Lucente’s 1,473 votes were 52.2 percent of the total cast. Smith had 1,342 votes, or 47.6 percent.

The closest race of the night was in Ward A, where Williams, seeking a third term, but running in his first contested race after winning his previous two terms unopposed, narrowly defeated Jim Serba. Williams had 1,382 votes, or 50.4 percent, to Serba’s 1,359 votes, or 49.6 percent.

Allen won more comfortably in Ward B over Bob Donaldson, a city firefighter. Allen had 1,581 votes, or 57.4 percent, to Donaldson’s 1,171 votes, or 42.5 percent.