Ed. — Archived from the Friday, Feb. 28, print edition.
THE INDEPENDENT NEWS
VIRGINIA BEACH — Revisiting the city’s hybrid local election system was among the many topics mentioned during the recent Virginia Beach City Council retreat.
On Monday, Feb. 24, City Councilmember Jessica Abbott, who represents the Kempsville District, advocated for letting voters decide how they should best select representatives to the City Council and School Board. She urged colleagues to consider putting a question before voters via referendum this year, and she said her personal view is that district representatives should be selected by voters within the district.
City Councilmember John Moss, who holds an at-large seat, also has supported such a step, though he was not present during this particular discussion.
Local offices have been determined through a hybrid system of district and at-large representatives, though city voters can cast ballots for all seats that are up for election. Districts are geographic areas of the city, and candidates for those seats are required to reside within them, while at-large seats, similar to the office of mayor, can be held by anyone who lives within Virginia Beach regardless of the district they live in.
In 1996, voters rejected district voting. However, Abbott noted she was a child the last time city voters considered it.
“There is an entire generation that hasn’t gotten to weigh in,” she said.
City Councilmember Guy Tower, who represents the Beach District, said the pros and cons should be explored and explained to voters. The system can be confusing.
“I think it’s a close call,” he said. “I’m swayed mostly by the confusion that reigns.”
Mayor Bobby Dyer noted that neighboring cities use different systems, and there are tradeoffs to the various approaches.
The General Assembly, ultimately, would have to back a change that alters the voting system in the city.
“I think if we’re going to put a question (on the ballot), we would have to explain how it would work,” said City Councilmember Barbara Henley. She represents the Princess Anne District but, as she noted, is answerable to all Virginia Beach voters.
“I vote on every issue that comes before this body,” Henley said, “and I feel every person in this city should vote on me.”
Vice Mayor Jim Wood, who represents the Lynnhaven District, said voters would need to understand what they might be giving up through any change.
There was some discussion about how much voters care about district voting – whatever form it ultimately could take – but this has been a discussion during recent elections.
City Councilmember Aaron Rouse, who holds an at-large seat, said he has heard people ask about it, including in communities that feel underrepresented. “There does need to be more of a discussion about how we present the question,” he said.
“This is going to a have a long-lasting impact,” said City Councilmember Rosemary Wilson, who holds an at-large seat.
The Independent News includes a standard question about the voting system in candidate questionnaires published in our election guide. District voting could lead to a more diverse City Council, and it might make the cost of seeking office more reasonable for more candidates who want to run for local office, a point that Abbott and Moss, among others, have made in the past.
It also might change the standing of rural communities within one district – Henley’s – if future members of the City Council or School Board are less answerable to voters here. The Princess Anne District is the main coverage area of this newspaper.
Notebook is not taking a position one way or the other here. The current voting system can be confusing and has some drawbacks. Changing it is complicated and also may have drawbacks. Abbott, by the way, took office by beating an incumbent under the current system.
Here she is with the final word, if only for now:
“There is interest in the public. Hardly anybody asks me, ‘Hey, when are we going to spend some more money at the Oceanfront?’ That doesn’t mean it’s not important. … I think we owe it to the people of our city to give them the opportunity.”
Virginia Beach School Board Member Jessica Owens confirmed she will seek reelection in the Rose Hall District, the seat she won in a special election this past year after she was named in May as a temporary appointee to the board.
All that came after former School Board Member Joel McDonald’s seat was vacated after he acknowledged living outside the district during his term. And after an initial selection for the appointment, Michael Mullins, declined the nod after past offensive social media posts came to light. And then McDonald was among those to run in the special election. Owens won.
Look, 2019 was a pretty wild year for local politics in Virginia Beach.
In a recent text message, Owens, a state social service curriculum writer, confirmed she is running.
“I’m getting my signatures,” she wrote. “I will be filing before the deadline.” No other candidates have filed in the district to run for School Board, as of this writing.
Also in Rose Hall, Garry Hubbard, a retired construction contractor, has filed some paperwork to run for City Council. He would face City Councilmember Michael Berlucchi and Conrad Schesventer, both of whom ran in the November special election for the seat Berlucchi holds. Hubbard confirmed he is running on Friday, Feb. 28. Two years ago, he sought an at-large seat on the council.
Astute readers may recall Notebook expressing concern many months ago because Mayor Bobby Dyer had little art on the walls of his office at City Hall. Notebook even ran a picture of a lonely nail in the office wall.
Dyer revisited the topic during a recent interview — with prompting — noting that there is some new art: a beautiful VB Strong plaque from the Charlie Normile’s Turkey Trot Race for the Fallen, an annual tradition in Sandbridge held on Thanksgiving Day, and another VB Strong work by a local artist.
“I love them,” Dyer said.
Notebook runs announcements of endorsements, fundraisers and events as space allows. Email jhd@princessanneindy.com.
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