Republican committee to elect chairman next month

By Kaitlin Mayhew -- kmayhew@nvdaily.com

STRASBURG -- The Shenandoah County Republican Committee will elect a new chairman from two interested candidates at their convention next month.
Jeremy McCleary, who currently serves in the chairman position, will not be seeking re-election this term.

"I have chosed not to seek another term based on my increasingly busy schedule," McCleary wrote in an email.

He serves as mayor of Woodstock, runs a law practice in town and is vice president of the Woodstock Rotary Club. McCleary is also a husband and father, with another child due in September.

The committee chairman holds the position for a two-year term.

Craig Leroy Orndorff and David Ferguson will both be running for the seat in April's election.

Orndorff has been a member of the county Republican committee since 2006. He previously served as a liason from the committee to local young people as chairman of the Central High School Teenage Republicans. Currently he is chairman of the fifth supervisor district for the committee.

Ferguson serves as district three supervisor for Shenandoah County since 2004. He also served as chairman of the board of supervisors.

A vote of the county convention will take place on April 23 to elect the chairman position. Voters may elect delegates to the convention at precincts at 7:30 p.m. April 12.