COURTHOUSE— The City Council on Tuesday, Oct. 5, is expected to appoint one of four finalists — including two former members of the council — to represent the Lynnhaven District seat.
The seat has been vacant for about a month following the resignation of former Vice Mayor Jim Wood, who left office effective Wednesday, Sept. 1, for a professional opportunity. The council recently voted to make Rosemary Wilson, who holds an at-large seat, vice mayor in the wake of Wood’s departure, but filling the Lynnhaven seat is a separate process.
The appointee to the Lynnhaven District seat is expected to serve most, if not all, of Wood’s remaining term due to an ongoing federal court matter about the city’s local voting system.
The finalists are former City Councilmembers Linwood Branch, a hotelier, and Richard Maddox, a businessperson, and Holly Cuellar, a business consultant and former college rector, and Carla Hesseltine, a businessperson and former chair of the city Democratic committee.
The public can comment on the selections during the council formal session at 6 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 5, and the council is expected to vote to fill the seat later in the meeting. The finalists and two other candidates considered for the appointment, marketing research consultant Christopher Bonney and commercial development executive Kathy Owens, addressed the council during an interview process on Tuesday, Sept. 28, at City Hall.
“I want to welcome and thank the folks that really put in for this very, very important position,” Mayor Bobby Dyer said at the top of the meeting.
“It’s an important thing that we as a council serve the city in a collaborative way, and, once again, we look forward to hearing from you.”
Then the candidates had their say. When Branch spoke, he congratulated all of those who sought the appointment. “All of us are winners for stepping up to serve our city,” he said.
In his application for the appointment, Branch cited projects such as the former Dome site and restructuring the convention and visitors bureau as among those he can help with.
“When I reviewed the issues the council will be dealing with during the 15 months remaining on the Lynnhaven term,” he wrote, “I felt that my experience and involvement in different organizations gives me a unique opportunity to be helpful and add value to the deliberations …”
Branch, in his remarks, noted the “unprecedented and unimaginable challenges, one after another.”
“We are now poised to move forward, in better shape than most, staying true to our values, and I commend you for a job well done,” he said.
Branch stressed his past service and participation in boards, commissions and professional organizations. “These life experiences have allowed me to engage in causes that make up the fabric of our city, allowing me to see firsthand the incredible folks and organizations that make Virginia Beach the special place it is,” he said.
He said priority issues include workforce development, community policing, the “heartbreaking issue” of homelessness and the flood mitigation referendum.
“It is fueled by my passion to serve the people of the Lynnhaven District and the city at large,” Cuellar said.
Cuellar served on the board of visitors at the University of Mary Washington, gaining appointments from two governors, and served as vice rector and rector there.
More recently, she has worked in business development for the McDonnell Group, and former Gov. Bob McDonnell wrote a letter of support for her application to the Lynnhaven District seat. McDonnell wrote that Cuellar, formerly his legislative aide when he served in the General Assembly, is “impeccably honest, hard-working and a consummate team player.” Cueller also served as community outreach director for McDonnell when he served as the attorney general.
In her application, Cuellar said she wants to help develop policy and initiatives that benefit the city and support entrepreneurs. “I want to serve on City Council to continue the mission of providing a safe and welcoming city,” she wrote.
She said personal experience with caregiving for an aging parent led to her working with former state Sen. Frank Wagner on bipartisan legislation about guardianship and elder rights. She has worked closely with law enforcement through her service with the Human Rights Commission.
“As the daughter of a police chief and having a brother that serves, keeping our communities and our officers safe is personal to me,” Hesseltine said.
She said it is important to keep an open dialogue going while addressing issues that effect the community and law enforcement personnel. While supportive of the bond referendum to address flooding issues, she also noted it is important to remember citizens are being asked to pay more for that “jump start” and should continue to seek innovative solutions.
Maddox opened his remarks by noting that few matters before the City Council when he served revealed partisan feelings among his colleagues.
“City goals are not partisan,” Maddox said. “Great schools, safe neighborhoods, a vibrant economy stimulating good jobs and business investment, culture, the arts and preserving our natural beauty and outdoor spaces. I know it feels like our country has changed a lot in 20 years, but I still believe partisan politics is not very helpful in this room.”
Maddox discussed turnover among senior leaders on the city staff in recent years, and he noted the loss of “municipal memory” has been a challenge amid other issues the city has faced.
Maddox, a businessperson, represented the Beach District on the City Council in Virginia Beach, Va., from 2002 to 2006. As The Virginian-Pilot reported, while in office, Maddox declined to accept his salary as a member of the City Council. He has owned Dairy Queen businesses in the area and served as chairperson of the Resort Leadership Council, an industry group at the Oceanfront.
Issues he stressed in remarks include the need for the resort to have “transformational change” to succeed, and he also addressed the change of the local voting system which likely will result in a ward system.
And he alluded to his reputation for outspokenness during his time in office.
“When I served before, I feel there were times when I was too combative and too outspoken,” Maddox said. “I was passionate and energetic, and, while still those things, I’m 20 years older and wiser.”
He said he’s learned the value of teamwork and collaboration.
Maddox said it is “highly unlikely” he would run for the seat next year.
Branch wrote in his application that uncertainty about what the local voting system looks like next year means he cannot commit to running.
Cueller and Hesseltine, in their applications, said they would seek the seat.
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