Zondria “Z” Lansdowne, founder of a Martinsburg nonprofit that runs a free grocery store and clothing shop, has defeated incumbent Berkeley County Commission President Eddie Gochenour, flipping the Norborne District seat by just 241 votes. Unofficial results show Lansdowne pulling in 14,108 votes, or 31.77 percent, to Gochenour's 13,867 votes, or 31.23 percent, in a race tight enough to count as a genuine upset.
The outcome was first reported by The Journal, which noted the race capped a volatile stretch for the commission. Gochenour, a longtime member of the fire service, had served as commission president and campaigned on his record overseeing investments in emergency services, infrastructure and utilities. He argued the county's continued growth required further investment in public safety and water infrastructure, and pointed to his tenure's expansion of fire and EMS coverage as evidence of that commitment.
In the same county commissioner contest, incumbent Jim Whitacre retained his Shenandoah District seat, pulling in 16,430 votes, or 37 percent, enough to hold off any challenge in that race. According to West Virginia Secretary of State, the Berkeley County sample ballot listed Whitacre, Gochenour and Lansdowne among the commissioner candidates ahead of the vote, with instructions for voters to select no more than two names, and had identified Whitacre with the Shenandoah District and Lansdowne with the Norborne District.
A Nonprofit Leader's Path to the Commission
Lansdowne has lived in the Martinsburg area since 2010 and leans on her work running People of Worth, a nonprofit that functions as a free grocery store and clothing shop, as the foundation of her political identity. At candidate forums ahead of the race, the outlet reported she emphasized her nonprofit work with local families, describing how the organization offers small support groups, emergency assistance and guidance to help families reach their goals.
She has said that experience shaped her belief that local decisions should be informed by residents themselves. Lansdowne said she volunteered in the streets, attended town hall meetings and worked directly with families to hear concerns and find resolutions, and she has said she wanted to bring that involved-community-member perspective into local government. She has also said she values working with people who hold different views and has worked with people from varied backgrounds and beliefs throughout her nonprofit career.
Growth and Data Centers Dominated the Campaign
Growth, data-center development, infrastructure and government accountability emerged as the major issues at candidate forums held ahead of the Nov. 3 general election, according to the same outlet's coverage of forums hosted by WRNR-TV10 and the Stubblefield Institute. The forums featured county commission and West Virginia House of Delegates candidates fielding questions on how fast the Eastern Panhandle should grow and who should control that pace.
Lansdowne used those forums to call for slowing development until infrastructure could keep up, saying, “We need to work with our zoning commission and slow the roll.” Gochenour countered that water and sewer capacity, not political will alone, shape where development can happen, and he noted that road improvements largely fall under state responsibility rather than the county's. Both candidates opposed the Valley Link project, the one point of agreement the forum coverage recorded between them.
Data Centers Already a Flashpoint for the Commission
The data-center debate wasn't new to Gochenour's tenure. Earlier this year, he told WV MetroNews that a town hall held March 20 on a data center proposed for the Bedington community drew comments from more than 25 members of the public, with hundreds more in attendance. He also said the Berkeley County Development Authority, of which he is a member, had signed a nondisclosure agreement with the project.
Gochenour had also said the commission opposed House Bill 2014 and had pushed for safeguards addressing data-center noise, lighting, setbacks and water use. Lansdowne called for a slower approach to growth, while Gochenour emphasized capacity planning and state authority over roads. Lansdowne narrowly defeated Gochenour in the Norborne District.
A Rematch of May's Primary Field
Gochenour and Whitacre entered the fall as incumbents. In the general election this week, Whitacre held his Shenandoah seat while Gochenour lost the Norborne District to political newcomer Lansdowne, whose campaign centered on community organizing rather than prior office.
