COURTHOUSE — A plaintiff in a lawsuit that led to a federal judge declaring Virginia Beach’s unusual local voting system illegal wants to be the next mayor of the city she took on in court, and she says she will lead an effort to recall Mayor Bobby Dyer which might lead to a special election next year.
Latasha Holloway, a community activist who founded the Virginia Beach Coalition, on Tuesday, Oct. 19, said during a meeting at City Hall that she plans to run for mayor. She spoke during public comment opportunities during a City Council meeting — and while Dyer, the person she means to replace, sat directly in front of her.
“As an agent of change and a woman fighting for equity in the city of Virginia Beach, I have made the decision to run for mayor of the city of Virginia Beach in 2022,” Holloway said.
On Monday, Oct. 25, Holloway made it clear that she is leading an effort to have Dyer recalled. Speaking outside the courthouse at the municipal center, Holloway, joined by attorney Amina Matheny-Willard, told reporters she and other community members will circulate petitions to seek a recall.
Holloway criticized the mayor for the lack of fairness in government for all citizens and issues on his watch.
“I think the citizens of the city of Virginia Beach deserve better,” Holloway said. “We deserve an equitable, fair line of leadership within the city of Virginia Beach, and we have not had that. Our city has lacked appropriate leadership.”
Holloway said she is asking the Circuit Court to recall Dyer, a process that requires collecting signatures on petitions that equate to 10 percent of the voters who cast ballots for that office in the ladst election.
“We need fresh ideas,” Holloway told The Independent News on Wednesday, Oct. 20. “We need fresh people in positions of leadership, and, most importantly, we need more women. I’ve thrown my hat in the ring.”
Before formally announcing the recall effort, Holloway had said there may be a 2022 election for mayor due to a possible outcome in the federal suit or a recall effort she would lead.
“I am running for mayor in 2022,” Holloway said.
“I know we need to wait for the federal court’s ruling to make a determination of what kind of voting system we have in Virginia Beach,” she said. “Until then, nobody should count me out. … This will be the first time in the history of our city that we have equitable elections.”
Dyer said anyone is welcome to seek public office.
“We welcome any participation,” he said Wednesday, Oct. 20. “We want people to feel like they’re part of the government and feel they have the opportunity (to participate). Hopefully, with the new voting system people will feel more energized and come out.”
Dyer said he does not anticipate an election for mayor before 2024. He is less than a year into his current term, but he said he plans to seek reelection then.
“That’s also going to be a time when the new system is entrenched, but the only at-large spot that will be on the ballot is the mayor,” Dyer said.
Virginia Beach could soon have some form of a single-member district voting system, sometimes called a ward system, in which members of the City Council represent one of 10 geographically distinct areas of the city. The mayor, who is the 11th member of the council, still would be elected by all city voters.
In the past, members of the City Council and School Board have been elected by all city voters to a mixture of at-large seats and district seats. That meant Virginia Beach voters living outside a district determined who represented the district until the federal order by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson and changes to state law this year.
Jackson on Wednesday, March 31, determined that the city’s at-large system denies minorities the opportunity to elect candidates of their choice, a violation of the U.S. Voting Rights Act. He ordered that the system no longer be used.
The city disputes the finding and appealed that decision this summer, but the appeal is on hold while a special master appointed by the court reviews plans that are expected to result in a new system with court approval.
According to a status report both parties filed on Tuesday, Oct. 12, the special master, political scientist Dr. Bernard Grofman, is in the process of preparing a report based upon proposals and data submitted by both sides. Grofman is a professor at the University of California, Irvine, with experience in redistricting and other voting matters.
Holloway was the initial plaintiff in the suit, which was joined by Georgia Allen, who has sought public office here in the past and was the longtime head of the NAACP in Virginia Beach. They are represented by the Campaign Legal Center, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit.
Regarding the recall process, Holloway said supporters will begin to gather signatures, including by going door to door.
Holloway, in remarks during the interview at the courthouse and a statement about the recall effort, alluded to the shooting incidents in March at the Oceanfront that left two people dead and several people wounded. Recvently, Pharrell Williams will not hold another Something in the Water Festival here over the city’s response to the incidents.
On Friday, March 26, three shooting incidents were reported in a violent night at the Oceanfront. In one of the shootings, 28-year-old Deshayla Harris, a bystander, died after being shot in the 300 block of 19th Street. Donovon Lynch, 25, was shot and killed by a city police officer in an incident on the 300 block of 20th Street. According to police, Lynch brandished a firearm, but Lynch’s family has disputed the account and has filed suit against the city and the officer.
Holloway on Monday, Oct. 25, said people are angry that neither Harris not Lynch have had justice and because, as her voting lawsuit attests, not everyone has had the right to participate in government.
“There are entire populations of our city – and that’s not me saying that, that is the ruling of the federal courts stating that the city of Virginia Beach has been discriminatory regarding not only it’s political system, but its voting system,” Holloway said. “So it has been unjust, it has been unfair and we are demanding justice. Mayor Dyer can do us all a service by simply resigning like some of the other failed leadership in the city of Virginia Beach.”
She said she will represent all residents when she is mayor, not just some.
Dyer, responding to questions about the recall, reiterated that all are welcome to seek office, but he intends to remain serving as mayor and run again in 2024.
“Welcome to everybody who wants to throw their hat in the process,” Dyer said during an interview on Tuesday, Oct. 26. “I have a record to run on, and it just strengthens my resolve to run for another four-year term. With all the changes we’re going to be confronting, either the new voting system and bringing home a new era of positive economic development, now is not the time for on-the-job training for mayor.”
Dyer said the city has taken steps to address community concerns following shooting incidents at the Oceanfront in March.
“The incident was indeed unfortunate,” Dyer said. “We had a Black police officer who unfortunately was involved in a loss of life with another Black citizen, but let’s also remember a stray bullet from another firearm – not police – killed an innocent 28-year-old woman. Virginia Beach is not immune to the scourge of gun violence that’s going on nationally.”
Dyer and city leaders have faced criticism for the decision by Williams not to hold the Something in the Water festival over what he called “toxic” energy and an inadequate response related to the shooting. Lynch is Williams’ cousin.
Dyer said the city responded to concerns about gun violence at the Oceanfront.
Additionally, he said the City Council has grown more diverse since Holloway filed her suit in 2017.
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