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FARMVILLE – There’s a new face representing District 1 on the Prince Edward Board of Supervisors. Dr. Peter Gur was unanimously selected by the board this month to serve until the special election in November. 

Gur was chosen during a special board meeting held Thursday, Aug. 4, with a vote coming after a closed session. In that meeting, board chairwoman Odessa Pride Ed.D. explained what criteria the group looked for when making their selection. 

“It was decided in our closed session that the applicant should be a resident of District 1 and a qualified voter in District 1,” Pride said. “There were two (applicants) and only one of them met those requirements.” 

Gur took his seat for the first time at the board’s Tuesday, Aug. 9 meeting. He thanked everyone for choosing him and promised to work hard to represent his district. 

A bit more about Dr. Gur

Before being selected to be a supervisor, Dr. Gur served as the District 1 representative on the county school board. He’s an adjunct associate professor for Southside Virginia Community College, with an extensive teaching background. 

Gur worked in Prince Edward schools and also taught at the Governor’s School. He earned his doctorate from Michigan State University in 1987. 

He took over the District 1 spot left vacant on July 5, when Beverly Booth resigned. In her resignation, Booth said she was stepping down due to health reasons. She had served since January 2020, getting elected after more than a decade as the county’s commissioner of revenue. Booth served in that position from September 2007 to November 2019. 

This was the last of three vacancies on the board to be filled. Supervisor Jim Wilck resigned in June, announcing plans to move to Texas to be with his family. The community also tragically lost District 2 Supervisor Robert M. “Bobby” Jones in a motor vehicle accident in May.

Special election in Prince Edward coming up 

Gur’s interim term expires on Nov. 8, 2022, when a special election will take place to officially fill the seat. He will have the option of running for the position.