All three Newport News City Council incumbents up for re-election in May will face at least one challenger.
The School Board will see two new faces as incumbents in the North and South districts are not seeking re-election. Central District incumbent Shelly Simonds will not encounter a challenger.
Here’s a look at all the candidates on the ballot May 3:
City Council candidates
North District
*Rob Coleman, incumbent. Coleman has been on the council since 2012 and has been vice mayor since July 2014. He is a captain with the Newport News Sheriff’s Department.
*Marcellus Harris III. Harris is an academic counselor and head football coach at Denbigh High School. His father, Marcellus Harris Jr., is the pastor at First Baptist Church Morrison. He lost to Councilwoman Sharon Scott in 2014 by 179 votes.
Central District
*Patricia Woodbury, incumbent. Woodbury has been on the council since 2008 and is a former School Board member. She is a licensed counselor and the retired director of the diagnostic clinic at Hampton Universtiy. She also serves on the board for Hampton Roads Transit.
*Mike Mullin. Mullin is an assistant commonwealth’s attorney for the City of Suffolk. This is his first run for office.
South District
*Tina Vick, incumbent. Vick was first elected to the council in 2008. She has a real estate firm and has been serving as the interim director for the Hampton Roads Community Action Program (formerly called the Office of Human Affairs), which assists low-income families.
*Nicole AllmondJoy. AllmondJoy is a former deputy Circuit Court clerk who lost her job after she filed to run against Circuit Court Clerk Gary Anderson. Anderson went on to win the November election, and Councilwoman Sharon Scott came in second.
*Hakima Muhammad. Muhammad works at Eastern Virginia Adult Care. She has lived in the South District for 30 years, and has served as a mentor for youths by creating several programs.
School Board candidates
North District
*Curtis Bethany III. Bethany is a 2009 graduate of Woodside High School and is the financial manager of the Focus Center, a Norfolk-based nonprofit. He ran for an at-large seat on the board in 2014, placing a distant second to Gary Hunter.
*Marvin Harris. Harris is an Army veteran who works at Ft. Eustis as a civilian employee of the Department of the Army. He sought the North District seat on City Council in 2012, losing to Rob Coleman by 432 votes.
*Valerie Young. Young is a community resource officer for the Newport News Police Department’s North Precinct. Young ran for the seat in 2012, losing to Darian Scott by 225 votes.
Incumbent Darian Scott is not seeking re-election.
Central District
*Shelly Simonds, incumbent. Simonds, a former educator who now rehabs and rents houses, was first elected to the board in 2012. Last year, Simonds ran for the 94th House District, losing to incumbent David Yancey.
South District
*Sheryl Holmes Abbott. In 2014, Abbott was a senior sales representative for a health insurance company. She unsuccessfully ran for a South District City Council seat in 2008, 2010 and 2014. Multiple attempts to reach Abbott Tuesday were unsuccessful.
*Terri Best. Best is an assistant principal at An Achievable Dream Academy. School Board policy bars employees from also serving on the board, but it does not preclude them from running. Best said Tuesday she would resign from the division if she is elected. This is her first run for office.
*John Eley. Eley is a Southeast Community native and owner of Your Hair Boutique in Hampton. This is his first run for office.
*Bethany Martin. Martin is a student working on a certificate in international affairs from Texas A&M University. She previously worked as an adjunct instructor at ECPI University. This is her first run for office.
*Yugonda Sample. Sample is an account representative for EGS Inc. and founder of nonprofit My EmPowerment. She has three children in the school system. This is her first run for office.
Incumbent Everette “Teddy” Hicks Sr. is not seeking re-election.
Clift can be reached at 757-247-7870. Hammond can be reached by phone at 757-247-4951.
