Collegiate Times

Members of the Virginia Tech community and the residents of Blacksburg should expect to see a change in Blacksburg's town plans. Yesterday was an exciting day for Ron Rordam, who was elected the new mayor of Blacksburg.

Rordam, who won the race with 54% of the votes, has many goals for building Blacksburg's community including revitalizing downtown, which is a popular concern among other Town Council candidates as well.

Continuing to strengthen neighborhoods by protecting neighborhood boundaries and assisting neighborhood groups, and increasing citizen involvement with the town government is also a priority.

Rordam also wants to emphasize the overall growth of Blacksburg, which includes expanding the town's retail base, regional cooperation and creating quality natural and active recreational opportunities.

Rordam's only opposition in the race was Don Langrehr. Langrehr has been sitting on Blacksburg Town Council for the past two years. This was his second campaign for mayor since his loss in 2002 to Roger Hedgepeth's fourth term.

Langrehr plans to involve the residents in Blacksburg for a more active and open political process. He said it was a good experience working with the residents of Blacksburg and getting them politically active in town during the campaign.

?Town Council will make better decisions placing more scrutiny. Election campaign attracts people to the process,? Langrehr said.

Another major focus is the concentration of the town - safety, integrity, quality, and the vitality of life in Blacksburg. A lot of these elements would fall under renewing and upholding the Comprehensive Plan of Blacksburg, a set of guidelines directed by the Town Council and Town staff.

Langrehr expressed his enthusiasm in the overall campaign, acknowledging the support he received from residents and active members in Blacksburg.

?I'm very proud of residents of Blacksburg and their energy, and the supporters who got the issues out on the table,? Langrehr said. ?I enjoyed it totally. This is my third campaign in four years.?

Susan Anderson led the votes for town council member by winning 24% of the votes. Thomas Sherman and Al Leighton also secured town council member positions with 20% and 16% of the votes, respectively.