Long-time Charlottesville Treasurer Jennifer Brown retired last October, and her Assistant, Jason Vandever, took over the office until the next regular election in November of 2013, unless a challenger appeared, in which case a special election would be scheduled. Vandever is a Democrat, and the local Republican party told the Judge in charge of such things to schedule the election, as they would produce a challenger. It was and they did not.

So John Pfaltz, a retired UVa Computer Science prof and occasional Republican candidate for City Council, stepped forward to run as an Independent.

In the election yesterday, Vandever received 1,280 votes and Pfaltz 397. The vote total was 1,683, a fraction above 5% of registered voters. Holding the election cost the city about $15,000.

(Dave Sagarin, April 3, 2013)