Ed. — Archived from the Sunday, Feb. 18, print edition.
THE INDEPENDENT NEWS
VIRGINIA BEACH — Virginia Beach School Board Member Victoria Manning had filed paperwork to seek the at-large seat on the board that is up for election this year, but she announced this past week that she has decided against seeking reelection.
“After much consideration with her family, Victoria has decided that she will not seek a third term on the Virginia Beach School Board,” according to a statement released on Monday, Feb. 12. “However, she will continue to stay involved and is excited to announce her support for another candidate who has just filed to run for the at-large School Board position.”
Prior to her announcement, Manning had been poised to face her former colleague on the board, Sharon Felton, in the at-large race. Manning was first elected to the board in November 2016 to an at-large seat and later reelected under the former local voting system. She has played an active – and sometimes controversial – role on the board as part of a minority bloc that gained seats during the 2022 local elections and is poised to seek a majority this year.
Felton in 2022, running for reelection in the new District 6 seat, was one of the incumbents who lost seats in the local elections. She was defeated by School Board Member Mike Callan, then a political newcomer.
Manning was unavailable for an interview, but confirmed via text message that she will support Monty Ashliman Jr., who is the only other candidate who has filed paperwork in addition to Felton as this edition of The Independent News went to press, according to the Virginia Beach Voter Registration and Elections Office.
During an interview, Ashliman confirmed he is seeking the at-large seat, which is the only citywide seat on the board under the new 10-district local voting system in Virginia Beach.
Ashliman is a retired U.S. Navy captain who graduated from the Naval Academy and was a career aviator, including an assignment as an instructor at what folks know as “Top Gun.” He now works as a standardization officer and coach for a firm that provides leadership and safety consulting to high-risk industries.
“ I strongly feel students and their development are first,” Ashliman said, adding that he wants to ensure educators, staff and parents feel valued by the city schools.
“It’s always been important to me that public schools are an asset and a value to the community,” he added.
Felton, with eight years of experience on the board, has prioritized advocating for a “nurturing and inclusive” education for students, transparency and supporting educators and staff in her campaign to rejoin the body.
State Del. Barry Knight, R-98th District, made headlines this past week after he unexpectedly was removed from his assignment on the House of Delegates Appropriations Committee by the Democrats running the House these days.
Knight, a businessperson and farmer, lives in Back Bay and represents a district that includes much of this newspaper’s main coverage area. He is a longtime leader in budget processes in Richmond, and he served as chairperson of the committee under GOP control of the House, which ended after this past election cycle.
His removal from the committee on Wednesday, Feb. 14, was announced on the floor of the House without advanced warning to Knight, a political move Knight told The Independent News he cannot quite explain because those who decided the step have not done so. It was first reported by The Virginian-Pilot’s Katie King, who noted the clerk announced the change for Speaker Don Scott, D-88th District. Reasons – such as partisan sparring over a bill about abortion – have been suggested but not confirmed.
“It’s speculation,” Knight told The Independent News on Thursday, Feb. 15.
“I had no heads up whatsoever,” he said. “Neither the Speaker nor the Appropriations chair have come to me.”
Knight noted he has deep knowledge of the budget process, and he will keep a close eye on the process from outside the committee while representing his constituents back home.
“I’m still going to represent my people to the best of my ability,” he said.
U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-2nd District, opened her reelection campaign office in Virginia Beach recently, welcoming guests included Richard Hudson, chairperson of the National Republican Congressional Committee.
Kiggans, a nurse practitioner and former naval officer and state senator, is seeking her second term in what is expected to be a closely watched race. She unseated U.S. Rep. Elaine Luria two years ago.
Two Democrats are lined up to seek the party nomination to challenge Kiggans. They are Missy Cotter Smasal, a former naval officer and business owner who ran unsuccessfully for the Virginia Senate in 2019, and Jake Denton, an attorney.
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