The Loudoun County Democratic Committee voted Aug. 10 to endorse three candidates for the Leesburg Town Council election this November: incumbents Kristen Umstattd for mayor and Dave Butler for council, along with first-time candidate Jim Sisley.

Sisley, who owns Paladin Real Estate, now serves as vice chairman of Leesburg's Board of Architectural Review and vice chairman of the Town's Economic Development Commission. He was the founding President of Leesburg Crossroads, a 501(C)(3) focused on Leesburg's historic commercial district. Sisley’s also a member of the Downtown Improvement Association and a founding member of Leesburg Downtown Business Association.

Mayor Umstattd was first elected to the council in 1992. She was named vice mayor in 2000 and elected Mayor in 2002. Umstattd earned an undergraduate degree in Russian and East European Studies from Yale University, graduated from Yale Law School, and has a Certificate in Chinese Studies from Cheng-chi University in Taiwan. She moved to Virginia in 1981 while on active duty as a lieutenant in the U.S. Naval Reserve. After working as a naval analyst with the Central Intelligence Agency, she and her husband moved to Leesburg in 1987.

Butler was first elected to the council in 2008. Prior to that election, he served as a member of the Leesburg Planning Commission, Utility Rate Advisory Committee and Standing Residential Traffic Committee. He currently serves on, or is council's liaison, to the Leesburg Environmental Advisory Commission, the Leesburg Tree Commission and the Leesburg Economic Development Commission. Butler holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Clarkson University and a master’s degree in manufacturing engineering from Syracuse University. The Oswego, NY, native moved to Leesburg in 2002. Butler and served as the chief security officer for National Electronics Warranty in Sterling.