Longtime Lynchburg City Council member Jeff Helgeson unexpectedly announced his retirement Monday, opening the way for a new Republican nominee in the city’s Ward 3 this fall.
In withdrawing from the race, Helgeson endorsed Curt Diemer, owner of a Lynchburg photography business, as his successor. Lynchburg Republicans will meet Tuesday to pick a new nominee. A new Virginia law effectively requires parties to hold primaries to nominate candidates. However, because Helgeson’s withdrawal comes after the June 18 deadline, the law allows the party to nominate a replacement without a primary.
The Hill City Young Republicans issued a statement expressing “very strong reservations for the method and rollout of this process.”
The group said: “Ward III is home to Liberty University and thousands of young Republican voters — the largest concentration of young in Lynchburg. In choosing this path, Young Republicans in Ward III will have no voice in this nomination contest, and the Republican Nominee to Ward III will be decided by an exclusive group of political insiders (members of the local Republican Unit).
“It was said by multiple people at today’s press conference that a select few knew the events of today would occur, meaning an even smaller number of insiders have had a predetermined plan to ensure a particular candidate wins the day (theirs).”
Helgeson has served on the Lynchburg City Council since 2004, making him the city’s longest-serving member on the current council.
For much of that time he was in the political minority, but the 2022 elections brought in a 5-2 Republican majority. Helgeson cited that majority as a reason he felt comfortable in retiring now.
That Republican majority has also been a fractious one. The council voted 4-3 recently to censure Helgeson and fellow council member Marty Misjuns for violating attorney-client privilege when they released an email the city attorney had sent to the council dealing with the recent lawsuit challenging the primary victory of Vice Mayor Chris Faraldi in Ward 4, a fellow Republican who has often been the target of criticism by Helgeson and Misjuns.
That lawsuit was later dropped.
Much of the current bickering on the council appears to stem from last year’s vote for mayor, when the council voted 4-3 for Stephanie Reed over Helgeson.
Although the Hill City Young Republicans criticized the way the party will nominate a new candidate, they praised Helgeson personally as a “voice for conservative principles, fiscal responsibility, and many other values we Republicans support.” In announcing his retirement, Helgeson said one of the things he was proudest of was reducing the city’s tax rate.
Helgeson, who said he would seek “other ways” to serve, will remain on the council until his term ends at the end of the year.
That new Republican nominee will face Democrat James Coleman in the heavily Republican Ward 3.