Mayor, Councilors Will Face Opposition

By Don Richeson

Published: March 13, 2008

Town voters will have a choice when they head to the polls in May. Qualifying in the Madison mayoral and town council races closed last week, but not before two new challengers emerged to take on the incumbents.

Two-term incumbent mayor and Madison Drug Company Pharmacist William L. “Willie” Lamar, 51, a Church Street resident, will face opposition from political newcomer Zane Daniel Byram, 41, a master certified automobile technician and owner of Byram’s Automotive Works Inc. in Madison. Byram lives on South Main Street.

The town council race will pit the four incumbents against each other and challenger Charles T. Berrey Jr., 78, a retired construction and trucking businessman. Berrey, who lives on Smith Road, served as an interim town council member in 1980s.

All four of the present town council members are seeking new four-year terms as at-large councilmen or councilwomen. (The town only has one voting district.) These include, in alphabetical order:

• Alma Lu C. Ayers, 54, two-term incumbent, a part-time library aide at Madison County Library. She lives on South Main Street.

• Lawrence B. Beasley, 69, five-term incumbent, a landlord and part-time barber. He lives on Thrift Road.

• Charles C. Carter, 62, four-term incumbent, a retired Madison County High School English teacher. He lives on Church Street.

• Nancy H. Knighting, 61, two-term incumbent, a receptionist at Plow & Hearth. She lives on Court Square.

The top four vote getters in the five-way race will win seats on the town council.
All seven of the candidates in the town races are running as Independents.

Madison’s election is set for Tuesday, May 6. The polling place – which has changed since the last town election – is the County Administration Center at 414 N. Main St. in downtown Madison. The county registrar will mail town voters new voter registration cards soon.

The deadline to register to vote in the May 6 election is the close of business April 7. To register, fill out a voter registration application available at the Madison County Registrar’s office at 302 Thrift Road (the old school board headquarters) in downtown Madison. Normal business hours are 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday. Once submitted, you should receive a voter registration card in the mail.
For information, call Madison County Registrar Diana Eanes at (540) 948-6533.

(Eagle reporter Jane DeGeorge contributed to this story.)