Standing under umbrellas, the four candidates running for three Vienna Town Council seats greeted voters in a rain steady throughout most of the morning and early afternoon. The rain wasn’t torrential but neither was voter turnout throughout much of the day. Candidate supporters along the W & OD trail said voter traffic was steady. At the end of Election Day, 989 people, out of 11,084, had cast their votes, a 9.2 voter turnout.
Three incumbents—Laurie DiRocco, Carey Sienicki and Howard Springsteen—and newcomer Ryan Thomas vied for three open positions on the Town Council.
DiRocco received the highest number of votes at 807, Sienicki received 711 and Springsteen 712. First-time candidate Thomas received 440 votes and there were 28 absentee ballots.
When asked what he thought resonated the most with voters, Thomas said he walked door-to-door since January, covering Vienna’s four precincts. “I think the main thing is that they had someone willing to come to them, who listened to their concerns.” Thomas, a CPA living in Vienna since November 2012, said he is looking into committees and civic clubs to join. “I always liked the small-town community of Vienna,” said Thomas.
VIENNA’S ELECTION PROCESS is this: the top three vote-getters win a seat on the council.
Since the 2000 election, voter participation has ranged from a low of 5 percent of registered voters in 2012 [although several years hovered at a similar mark] to a high of 22.3 percent in 2007 [followed closely by 22.2 percent in 2006].
Voter turnout has averaged approximately 8 percent of registered voters in the Town of Vienna.
Viewpoints: What Issues Facing Vienna Are Most Important to You?
