COURTHOUSE— A divided City Council appointed Linwood Branch, a hotelier who previously served for 10 years on the council, to represent the Lynnhaven District seat on Tuesday, Oct. 5.
“I would just like to thank the council, and, after hearing all the comments about the other candidates, they were some great competiton,” Branch said during brief remarks following the vote. “Very impressive people, and I got to respect and appreciate them even more. … I want to come and work on some specific issues – workforce development, community policing, the homeless issue and I want to go to the Chamber of Commerce tomorrow morning and talk about the referendum and start that process.”
Branch and Richard Maddox, a businessperson who also previously served on the council, were the two people nominated for the position during the meeting. A 6-4 vote to pick Branch followed public comment about finalists for the job of replacing former Vice Mayor Jim Wood, who resigned this past month due to a professional opportunity.
A special election could not be held this year to fill the seat, and the Lynnhaven seat is scheduled to be on the ballot next year. That means an appointee will essentially serve until the end of the term Wood started. Branch previously has said he is not sure whether he will run due to uncertanty about what the local voting system, which a federal judge has said must change, will look like next year.
Two other finalists for the appointment were Holly Cuellar, a business consultant and former college rector, and Carla Hesseltine, a businessperson who formerly served as the chair of the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee.
Branch represented the Beach district for a decade until 2002, and he has lived within the Lynnhaven District for about two decades. He has served in a number of professional organization and government advisory roles over the years, and he is now the vice president of the Virginia Beach Hotel Association.
Maddox served one term in the Beach District council seat following Branch.
During the meeting in which Branch was appointed, public comments about the appointment and even some interactions between members of the council were contentious. One member of the council – John Moss, who holds an at-large seat and who opposed the appointment of Branch – even walked out of the meeting following what they called a breach of protocol.
Following a discussion in closed session, Vice Mayor Rosemary Wilson, who holds an at-large seat, nominated Branch for the Lynnhaven seat. Moss, who also holds an at-large seat, nominated Maddox. Dyer, Wilson and City Councilmembers Michael Berlucchi, Barbara Henley, Rocky Holcomb and Louis Jones supported Branch. Moss and City Councilmembers Aaron Rouse, Guy Tower and Sabrina Wooten supported Maddox.
Some people applauded following the vote, and Dyer recognized Moss, who said he appreciated all who applied for the appointment.
“I respect that some of my colleagues have come to a different conclusion,” Moss said. “I have tried to look forward to where we were trying to go versus looking back to the special interest-dominated past of City Councils in the past.”
Moss added that he does not care for the process of making such appointments, and he will push for the General Assembly to give the city more power to let city voters decide who fills unexpired terms.
“Would you like to just come up and make a response?” Dyer asked Branch.
But Moss objected.
“He hasn’t taken the seat yet,” Moss said. “He’s not sworn in yet. I object.”
Moss left the chamber as Branch approached the podium, where he thanked the council for the opportunity to return, and he reiterated his priorities.
“That you very much to the council members who supported me,” he concluded, “and, those that didn’t, I’m going to earn your respect and support also, I hope.”
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