At press time, Middleburg's political pundits predict yet another record turnout for the May 4th Town Council elections. Sadly, with only two candidates meeting the March 1 filing deadline for two of the four open seats, the record set will probably not be the one the town had in mind.

Currently Mayor Betsy Davis is the only registered candidate for Mayor, and Vice-Mayor Darlene Kirk and Council Member Mark Snyder are standing for re-election.

Thus, half the open seats on Town Council will definitely go to write-in candidates and it is possible, if not probable, for a write in candidate to become Mayor as well.

Why the dearth of candidates? Two popular and active members of the Council, Lisa Patterson and Judith Pryor Plescow, decided not to run for re-election relatively late in their terms.

Nor was there an active campaign mounted to attract candidates to replace them. At press time, neither the date of the election, nor the qualifications for candidacy had been posted on the town's official web site, Middleburg.org.

For a town the size of Middleburg, little is required of candidates who wish to appear on an official ballot. Indeed, the state requires only that a candidate be - qualified to vote for and hold the office sought; - a resident of Virginia for a year immediately preceding their election; - and, a resident, by the time of filing, of the Town of Middleburg.

At press time Kevin Hazard, Middleburg County Inn proprietor, co-owner of the Hidden Horse Restaurant, and a respected member of the Town's planning commission has reportedly been actively campaigning for write-in votes.

Unsubstantiated and unconfirmed rumors of other candidacies abound. Names heard on the street include former Council Member Eura Lewis, and former Washington Times journalist, George Archibald.