Three of Suffolk’s seven City Council seats are on the ballot this November.
The Nansemond Borough incumbent, Vice Mayor Lue Ward, is running unopposed. Sleepy Hole Borough incumbent Roger Fawcett will face Ebony Wright. Whaleyville incumbent LeOtis Williams is running against Jason Wooldridge.
The City Council operates by a nonpartisan borough system, in which the city is divided into seven voting boroughs.
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Nansemond Borough
Lue Ward
Age: 70
Occupation/job title: Founder and Publisher of Harambee Communications
Highest level of education: Some college at Chowan College
Previous elected offices): City Council member serving Nansemond Borough for three terms
If elected, what issue will be your top priority to address in Suffolk? The future. My eyes are totally on the future of our city. Suffolk is celebrating its 50th year as a united city, and the goal over the next four years is to position Suffolk as a viable partner in the Hampton Roads region as well as fulfilling our unique geographic placement regarding the Port of Virginia expansion.
What is the right level of development for Suffolk and how would you work in office to advocate for that? I believe in capitalism, and the theory of the supply chain. When you have more supply then demand, you are about to go out of business. On the other hand, when you have more demand than supply you have an opportunity. Suffolk, Chesapeake, and Virginia Beach basically all have the “green line” going south toward the North Carolina border. So, regional we have a central corridor and opportunities going north. We now have demand in our growth zone, and we are going to maximize on the planned development model, i.e. Harbour View and Hillpoint as the model going forward. The one thing I am going to work on is making sure that we remember the older communities like Pughsville and make sure that we maximize infill development.
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Sleepy Hole Borough
Roger Fawcett
Age: 72
Occupation/job title: retired, former Fire Chief at Norfolk Naval Base and former Virginia State Police Sex Crimes Unit Compliance Officer
Highest level of education: some college, took Fire Sciences courses at Tidewater Community College
Previous elected offices: Suffolk City Council from 2013 to present
Military service: U.S. Navy 1969-1972
Website: rogerfawcett.com/
If elected, what issue will be your top priority to address in Suffolk? Keep taxes low and maintain the City’s AAA (excellent) bond rating. Having strong city finances is vital to everything else the city does.
What is the right level of development for Suffolk and how would you work in office to advocate for that? Follow our city comprehensive plan. The city is developing a new 2045 Plan that will be debated and adopted in September or October. These documents provide our developmental plans.
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Ebony Wright
Age: 47
Occupation/job title: Management analyst at the Department of Defense
Highest level of education: Master of Business Administration from Saint Leo University
Military Service: U.S. Navy
Website: wrightforsuffolk.com/
If elected, what issue will be your top priority to address in Suffolk? Infrastructure development
What is the right level of development for Suffolk and how would you work in office to advocate for that?
The right level of development for Suffolk is well-developed infrastructure that balances smart economic growth with environmental protection to improve the quality of life for residents. Suffolk is the largest city in Virginia by land. I believe there is sufficient land to accommodate multiple purposes, to include but not limited to agricultural, residential and commercial. I will work to advocate for the right level of development through strategic planning, taking into account social, economic, and environmental factors. It’s important to me that residents are part of the development and decision-making process.
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Whaleyville Borough
Jason Wooldridge
Age: 50
Occupation/job title: Engineer III, Oceaneering International, Inc.
Highest level of education: Bachelor of Science in Electronics Engineering from Excelsior College
Military service: U.S. Navy
Website: jw4va.com
If elected, what issue will be your top priority to address in Suffolk? Protecting the loss of our agricultural land due to overdevelopment while still supporting the economic growth of our city.
What is the right level of development for Suffolk and how would you work in office to advocate for that?
Suffolk’s growth rate is outpacing our ability to support our basic needs. More schools, fire & police stations are needed for growth. We must improve the condition and capacity of our roadways & infrastructure systems. This is costly to taxpayers. The citizens have said they do not want expansion into our agricultural areas. Suffolk has clear agricultural ties, and we are losing farmland which has a negative economic effect. I am not against growth, but we need to focus on redeveloping areas of the city vs expanding into undeveloped land. Focusing on redevelopment in areas such as downtown should be a priority vs the current course we are on. This area can provide opportunities and affordable housing solutions compared to sacrificing the city’s valuable agricultural land and heritage.
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LeOtis Williams
Williams did not respond to this survey.
