VIRGINIA BEACH — David Hutcheson, the city’s former fire chief, won a special election in January to represent the vacant District 1 seat on the City Council. He defeated two others, attorney John Napier and retired federal worker Teresa Gladney, both of whom had sought GOP backing.
A number of endorsements in a nonpartisan race went to Napier, but both Repubicans stayed in. A crowded field may have contributed to Hutcheson’s victory in the race.
The seat is on the ballot again in November, this time for a full four-year term, and Hutcheson is running, though he said this past week he doesn’t plan to seek endorsements from any political party.
One other candidate, Ryan Gilliam, president of the Brigadoon Civic League, has filed some of his paperwork to run, and two others, Gladney and School Board Vice Chairperson Jennifer Franklin, also might challenge Hutcheson for the council seat.
“I hope they all get in,” Hutcheson quipped during an interview this past week.
Local elections for City Council and School Board are nonpartisan affairs, but political party endorsements influence outcomes. Politics in the city have been changed by the new 10-district voting system, which in the 2022 election cycle led to a more diverse City Council and a much different School Board, where a conservative bloc grew and a decisive Republican-backed majority may result from this year’s elections.
Each of the three people who may run against Hutcheson told The Independent News the GOP’s backing will influence whether they seek the District 1 council seat.
Gilliam, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and military contractor, considered running in the earlier contest for the seat after experiencing a political awakening amid a controversial rezoning vote by the council.
Gilliam said he plans to run now, and he is awaiting the outcome of a party endorsement process, which he hopes to win.
“I also intend on defeating both of them and going after Hutch,” Gilliam said during an interview.
He noted that he’s aware of the potential dilution of votes should more than one candidate who appeals to Republicans runs. He also said he is waiting to see whether a recent leadership change will make a difference in any process. Laura Hughes, a former member of the School Board recently defeated former city GOP head Bill Curtis to become the new party chair in Virginia Beach.
“We need to back off and let one person take on the other candidate, and I think I’m the best person to do that,” Gilliam said.
“I am entertaining the thought of running again,” she said during an interview. “I haven’t made a final decision.”
Getting an endorsement from the party is part of the decision process, she said, noting that she and Napier combined had more total votes than Hutcheson in January.
“We don’t want to have the same outcome and debacle that we had,” Gladney said, speaking of two Republicans running in the same race and splitting up the vote.
Franklin said she is considering whether to run for the council seat rather than School Board, but, at present, she has paperwork filed to seek reelection to the School Board.
“There’s a few things that need to happen or I need to figure out before I make a decision,” Franklin said about the council seat.
What the city GOP does will matter in considerations of candidates for local offices, and Franklin said that endorsement is important for those in the council race.
Of course, it is still early in the year, and it is not yet certain which – or how many – folks will end up on the District 1 ballot for the City Council seat.
“In June, we’ll know who I’m up against, and we’ll work hard to come out on top again,” Hutcheson said.
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