Joeckel announces candidacy for Wachapreague Town Council

Today, John Joeckel announced his bid as a candidate for Wachapreague Town Council for the November 7, 2023 Special Election.

The Town of Wachapreague was required to conduct a Special Election in response to the disputed November 2022 election when a candidate withdrew prior to the election and a write-in candidate who obtained sufficient votes was nullified resulting in an individual who was not on the ballot being appointed to the vacancy by the Wachapreague Town Council.

The cause that lead up to this confusion and subsequent temporary resolution, was the subject of a recent legislative fix by Rob Bloxom that revised the Virginia Code to avoid town councils in the future for disregarding the results of an election and appointing someone not on the ballot.

John Joeckel was first elected to Wachapreague’s town council in 2010 but could not serve because he was called to service in responding to the Gulf Oil Spill.  Joeckel was reelected in 2011 and served until 2016.

He is President/owner of his business consultant company and was for eight years Chairman of the Eastern Shore Regional Navigable Waterways Committee representing both Northampton and Accomack Counties on Eastern Shore waterway and coastal resilience issues and was successful in bringing back to the Shore over $40 million in federal and state funding for various waterway and coastal projects.”