Lynchburg council elects Larry Taylor mayor, names Deamer vice mayor

The Lynchburg City Council elected Councilman Larry Taylor as mayor and named Council member Deamer vice mayor during its organizational session.

Clerk of Council Alicia Finney explained the process at the start of the meeting, saying, “The Clerk of Council will preside over the meeting during the election of the mayor,” and described written-ballot voting and how ballots would be collected and read aloud by the assistant to the clerk.

The selection of mayor and vice mayor matters because both positions set meeting leadership and the official point of contact for council business; the mayoral term announced at the meeting expires Dec. 31, 2026.

Nominations and discussion

Council member Chris Feraldi nominated Stephanie Reed for another term as mayor; another council member nominated Larry Taylor. Council members spoke in support of the two nominees. Council member (unnamed in the record) praised Taylor’s service, saying he had “an incredible work ethic” and calling him “a man of principle.” Council member Chris Feraldi said he supported Reed, noting her visibility and policy record: “Council has delivered a lot of good, conservative policies under her leadership.” Mayor Stephanie Reed, identified in the meeting as the outgoing mayor, spoke to her tenure: “I just wanted to take the opportunity to thank the citizens of Lynchburg for the last 2 years. It's been my honor to be the mayor.”

Voting and outcome

Ballots were folded and passed to Sarah Fuentes, assistant to the clerk, who read each council member’s vote aloud. The roll of votes recorded in the meeting was:
- Council member Deamer — voted for Taylor
- Council member Feraldi — voted for Reed
- Council member Mishins — voted for Taylor
- Council member Reed — voted for Reed
- Council member Taylor — voted for Taylor
- Council member Timmer — voted for Taylor
- Council member Wilder — voted for Reed

The final tally was 4 votes for Larry Taylor and 3 votes for Stephanie Reed. Clerk Finney announced, “We have a new mayor. Congratulations. Mayor Larry Taylor.”

After the mayoral vote, Mayor Taylor presided over the vice mayor election. Council member Deamer and Council member Chris Feraldi were nominated. Council members again made brief remarks in support of their preferred nominees. The recorded roll of votes produced a 4-3 result in favor of Deamer, and the presiding officer announced a new vice mayor.

Process notes and immediate next steps

Finney had instructed members that a majority of votes was required and that ballots would be read aloud. The meeting record shows the council then arranged seating with the new vice mayor to the mayor’s right and remaining seats by seniority. No formal motions, ordinance readings, or policy votes were taken as part of these elections beyond the ballots themselves.

Votes at a glance

- Mayor: Larry Taylor elected mayor (term expiring Dec. 31, 2026). Written-ballot vote: 4 for Taylor, 3 for Stephanie Reed.
- Vice mayor: Council member Deamer elected vice mayor. Written-ballot vote: 4 for Deamer, 3 for Chris Feraldi.

The meeting concluded shortly after seating assignments; no additional council action related to these elections was recorded in the provided transcript.