Marcellus “B2” Harris defeated Vice Mayor Rob Coleman in the North District Tuesday – the only challenger to unseat an incumbent in this Newport News election.
Harris received 53.4 percent of the vote to Coleman’s 46 percent.
“There were a lot of odds against us,” Harris said, after the results came in. “We had a lot of people that were working hard, behind the scenes. All the credit goes to the people in our community who trusted me and believed in me. I have a passion to serve them. I’m a good listener, and they know I care about them.”
In 2014, Harris narrowly lost to longtime incumbent Sharon Scott, by only 179 votes.
He learned some things from that race, and did a few things differently this time around, he said.
Harris, an academic counselor and head football coach at Denbigh High, has said he wants the city to fund more youth athletic programs and open small entertainment venues in the North District, perhaps in some of the district’s vacant shopping centers.
Coleman has been billing himself as the council’s problem solver, emphasizing his ability to find a compromise when his colleagues disagree.
Coleman, who is the Judicial Services Bureau chief with the Newport News Sheriff’s Office, was first elected to the City Council in 2012, and has been vice mayor since 2014.
This year, the city will extend its Youth and Gang Violence prevention initiative to a section of Denbigh, instead of just the South District. Coleman and Harris both said they would continue to push for that program and others to be extended to Denbigh, which also suffers from crime.
Mayor McKinley Price endorsed Coleman, while Andrew Shannon, president of the local chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Committee, is a supporter of Harris.
Harris’ father, Marcellus Harris Jr., is the pastor at First Baptist Church Morrison and a longtime community activist.
Coleman won in three precincts: Windsor, Oyster Point and Jenkins. Harris won in the remaining eight.
Harris’ term will begin July 1.
Complete unofficial results
Marcellus “B2” Harris: 1,323 (53.4%)
Rob Coleman: 1,141 (46.1%)
Source: State Board of Elections
