VIRGINIA BEACH — A small businessperson who is seeking public office for the first time is running for the Virginia Beach City Council in the new District 8.
Chris Taylor, a founding partner in the local Smoothie Stop Café chain, announced this past month that he will seek the seat. It is currently represented by longtime City Councilmember Louis Jones, who was elected to represent the Bayside District under the former at-large local elections system and lives within District 8 under the new local voting system in Virginia Beach.
Taylor on Wednesday, May 4, told The Independent News he plans to bring his business background and local ties to the council while running a campaign with civility. “I was born and raised in this district,” he said. “I have a lot of friends living in the district, and I’m going to run.”
Taylor faces Rona Marsh, a Thalia resident with a background as a bank auditor and financial fraud examiner. However, it is not yet certain whether Jones will seek reelection.
Earlier this year, Jones said he is considering making another run for office, but he wants to focus on the city budget process, which is scheduled to conclude this coming week, before making an announcement.
“I’m definitely not going to say anything until after the budget passes,” Jones said during an interview on Wednesday, May 4.
Taylor said his family has deep roots in the local community, having been in the area since the late 1800s. He attended Kings Grant Elementary School, Lynnhaven Middle School and First Colonial High School before graduating from Virginia Wesleyan College, now Virginia University.
He played basketball in college and graduated with a business management degree in 2006.
As a candidate, he said he offers perspective on local schools and has experience in community work through coaching and mentoring.
“I was doing the service and serving our community before I decided to run for office,” he said.
Taylor’s business experience includes working in property management before a position with Dupont in which he traveled to help companies on safety issues.
He and his wife later decided to start a business. He now is running the Smoothie Stop Café local chain, which has five locations, including three in Virginia Beach.
“We survived Covid,” Taylor said, speaking of the business. “It was tough. We were only in our first year and we had just signed our deal for a second store, and six weeks later everything was shut down.”
Taylor said the business was fortunate to keep a core group of employees, and efforts to weather the times of Covid included proactively communicating with landlords, cutting back on costs and adapting to delivery service.
Speaking of his decision to run, he said, “This summer, just seeing what was taking place locally, regionally and nationally, and we said we don’t see a lot of young people stepping up or people who reflect our values.”
Issues of concern include city staffing, such as recognizing and retaining the employees who do the work while working on recruitment. He said he wants to help the city improve processes that impact small businesses, such as permitting.
“I think community engagement is going to be a big component of my race,” he said, adding that he plans to speak with citizens about issues and focus on matters such as transparency and helping people understand the budget process.
“They try their best to work together,” he said, speaking of the current City Council, “but I believe there is room for more collaboration. … I am willing to compromise if it makes sense for the city.”
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