COURTHOUSE — Rocky Holcomb, the chief deputy of the Sheriff’s Office and a former state delegate, will be the next Kempsville District representative on the Virginia Beach City Council.
The City Council voted to appoint Holcomb to the vacant Kempsville seat until the result of a special election is determined. That will probably happen in November 2022.
Holcomb is expected to be sworn in tomorrow and join his new colleagues on the dais next week.
“I’m humbled by the trust the council has put in me, and I’m certainly going to pay it down to the citizens of Kempsville and Virginia Beach,” Holcomb said during an interview this evening.
“It’s just my honor and privilege to be in this position,” he added. “I’ll certainly work hard.”
The vote by the council was unanimous, 9-0, though City Councilmember Aaron Rouse, who holds an at-large seat, was not present. The decision followed a public comment session in which many people spoke on behalf of three finalists for the appointment.
A relatively brief closed session discussion came after the comments, and then the council returned to the chamber to make its pick.
Vice Mayor Jim Wood, who represents the Lynnhaven District, made the motion to appoint Holcomb. City Councilmembers John Moss and Rosemary Wilson, both of whom hold at-large seats, seemed to second the motion in unison.
“I would like to thank all of the people that put their hat into the ring,” Mayor Bobby Dyer said after the vote to appoint Holcomb. “The three finalists – it was a tough decision.”
The other finalists were Naomi Estaris, the founder of a nonprofit organization that fights human trafficking and the former chief operating officer for Operation Smile, and former City Councilmember Dr. Amelia Ross-Hammond, a retired professor who represented the Kempsville District on the council and serves as the chairperson of the Virginia African American Cultural Center.
The Kempsville District seat has been vacant since the Friday, July 2, resignation of Jessica Abbott due to a health matter. Abbott, who left office early in her second four-year term, joined the City Council after defeating the then-incumbent Ross-Hammond in 2016 and becoming the youngest person elected to City Council. Abbott won reelection this past year.
Holcomb represented the 85th House District for a year and now serves as the chief deputy in the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office. He served as a U.S. Marine before becoming a deputy.
“I have lived behind a badge for 30-plus years, serving this community that we all love and enjoy,” Holcomb said during remarks to the City Council on Tuesday, Aug. 10, when he was one of nine people in the running for the seat to which he is now appointed.
“And that same fighting spirit is exactly why I got into politics,” Holcomb continued, “and became the first-ever full-time law enforcement officer elected to the oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere, the Virginia General Assembly.”
Holcomb, running as a Republican, in 2017 defeated Democrat Cheryl Turpin in a special election to serve the unexpired term of former U.S. Rep. Scott Taylor, R-Virginia Beach, in the 85th House District after Taylor went to Congress.
However, Turpin defeated Holcomb later that year in the general election for the same seat.
Holcomb ran again for the 85th District seat in 2019, but he lost to Democrat Alex Askew, who ran after Turpin unsuccessfully sought a Virginia Senate seat rather than reelection as a delegate.
In remarks to the City Council this week, Holcomb said key issues facing the city include public safety matters, such as pay and training for first responders. He would support creating jobs in a “business-friendly city” and efforts to improve education.
Additionally, he said he would abstain from voting on issues involving the Sheriff’s Office.
Ed. — More information will appear in the Sunday, Aug. 22, print edition.
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