CHARLOTTESVILLE (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) — The morning after Election Day, down 262 votes to challenger Jim Dillenbeck, Albemarle County School Board member Leslie Pryor told Cville Right Now that she says she is “standing tall” and plans to run for the seat again in the future.

“I feel the need to do it now more so than ever,” she said.

While she was hoping for the best, she went into the prior night “realistic,” expecting not to win reelection which appears to have been the case. With all five precincts reporting, Dillenbeck leads 3,763-3,501 with all in-person votes counted.

But despite the result, Pryor said she was “pleased,” as she managed to keep the election close all while running without a campaign manager and serving as her own campaign treasurer.

“I’m encouraged,” she said of the results. “I think that it was a huge learning experience and I met a lot of wonderful people along the way. I’ve been to some areas that even being from this are that I had not been to before as it relates to Albemarle County.”

Assuming the result holds, Pryor will depart the school board in January, about a year after she was first appointed to fill Rio’s open seat following the death of Chuck Pace. But Pryor says while she was torn about initially applying for the seat last year because she “had a lot going on,” her ten months on the board has convinced her that she needs to run for the board once again.

When thinking about a future run, Pryor said “I can only grow from this experience.” While she had help from a couple of individuals who helped with some of the typical responsibilities, she’s already giving some thought into who she would like to be her official campaign managers in her next run.

Pyror also touched on Dillenbeck. The two first vied for the seat against each other when both applied for the opening last year. Dillenbeck, who will join the board next year after four attempts including two campaigns, had ran against Pace in that November’s Election, and as such Pryor said she was surprised to be picked over him. Now, having seemingly lost to Dillenbeck, Pryor said he’s noticed some things about her opponent, and that the two “differ on a great number of things.”

“Per the code, we’re supposed to run as independents, but I think it’s clear who aligns with what party and so, it comes across as a little sly or sneaky to me,” she said. Pryor accepted endorsements from the Albemarle Democratic Party. In October, Dillenbeck told Cville Right Now he believes the school board should not be political and did not advertise receiving any endorsements on his website or Facebook page.

For now, as Dillenbeck prepares to fill the Rio District’s seat, Pryor will prepare for her next chance to rejoin the board.

“It won’t require much tweaking, but it will require some tweaking,” Pryor said, “so I look forward to the next opportunity to campaign for the Albemarle County School Board.”