Taylor, in first year on Virginia Beach City Council, will run for mayor, joining Moss in challenging Dyer

VIRGINIA BEACH — City Councilmember Chris Taylor, a small business owner serving in his first term on the council, says he is running for mayor next year.

Taylor, who represents District 8, confirmed his plans to challenge Mayor Bobby Dyer during an interview Thursday, Nov 30. Taylor said he planned to speak with Dyer today about his decision to challenge him.

Taylor, who has held public office for less than a year, is the third candidate to declare his candidacy in the race. 

Dyer is seeking reelection to what would be his second full term as mayor, the office he first won in a 2018 special election following years on the council. He defeated a first-term council member, Ben Davenport, to become mayor then.

Former Councilmember John Moss, who served for years with Dyer, is also a candidate in the 2024 race to be mayor. Moss lost a bid to be reelected to the council this past year, but he has remained outspoken about city issues — and even hosts a social media program on local matters.

Taylor addressed his lack of political experience during an interview, noting that he sees his family’s long Virginia Beach history and his own professional experience as strengths. He has worked in areas such as affordable housing, hospitality and small business, and he said these are key areas for the city.

“Although I have one year of public service, when you look at the 20 years of experience I’ve had as an adult, in a lot of those areas, I fit the mold,” Taylor said. “I have experience. For me, it’s not how long someone has served. It’s what are the capabilities, what are the qualities and how can they lead?”

“I have an opportunity in my own city to run for a position that has the ability to influence the direction we’re going in for my children,” Taylor said. “Why would I sit back and not do anything?”

Dyer has served as mayor since winning a 2018 special election following the resignation of former Mayor Will Sessoms, who left during a term. Dyer won his first full term in 2020, defeating two candidates. 

That year, amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, a run for mayor announced by a then first-term member of the council, Aaron Rouse, was abandoned. Rouse in now a state senator.

“We have a process where anybody can run,” Dyer said about Taylor’s candidacy during an interview on Thursday, Nov. 30. “We welcome the opportunity.”

Dyer, a physical therapist who teaches government classes at a local university, represented the former Centerville District on the City Council for 14 years before becoming mayor.

“I feel I have a long-established reputation of achievement,” Dyer said, “and I’m going to be looking forward to taking Virginia Beach to the next level.”

This past year, he lost a reelection bid to remain on the council. He has sometimes spoken critically about Dyer, with whom he served on the council for many years, as someone who has “lost his way” by placing special interests above the needs of everyday citizens. 

Moss was sometimes a lone voice on council votes, and he said he shares that with  Taylor, who has been in that position this year.

“I’ve always been a proponent for competition,” Moss said Thursday, Nov. 30, about Taylor’s candidacy. “I think it will add some robustness in the debate for the public. … It will be an interesting campaign for the public, and I think the public benefits.”

Added Moss, “I believe I can offer better leadership, and a large number of the public – people across the community – have asked me to run.”

Justin Burns, who has sought local office in the past, remains listed as a candidate for mayor by the Virginia Public Access Project after opening a campaign account two years ago. However, it is unclear whether he still intends to seek the office. Burns could not be reached for comment.

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