When voters go to the polls Tuesday, they will see five candidates vying for three at-large seats on the Hampton City Council ? two of whom are incumbents Chris Snead and W.H. “Billy” Hobbs.
Snead and Hobbs are seeking third terms on the seven-member panel.
Joining them on the ballot are Chris L. Bowman, A.C. Cardoza and Lance “Woo” Jones ? all of whom are making their first try at public office.
City Council members are elected to four-year terms. Below are the candidates:
Chris L. Bowman
– Original Credit: Chris Bowman
Chris Bowman is a first-time candidate but isn’t new to working in government.
A Hampton native, Bowman has devoted a 32-year career to working in state government, spending most of his career working the mental health field. He has been an advocate for the mentally ill and the elderly. Additionally, Bowman served three years on the local level in York County, working in facilities.
Bowman is running on a platform called “Citizens First,” and seeks to decrease violent crime and gangs, address sea level rise and flooding, create safer neighborhoods and increase economic development.
He says public safety can improve with more community policing, involving citizens, gathering feedback from officers and ensuring Hampton police is fully staffed.
“I see violent crime and gangs as a continuing issue in Hampton. (Police) are doing a pretty good job, but we have to take it to the next level,” Bowman said. “Retention and recruitment have a lot of moving parts. It could be compensation. It could be benefits. It could be the 12-hours shifts. It could be the management structure?”
On the topic of sea level rise and flooding, the candidate said support from architects from the Netherlands, who have been working with Hampton under so-called “Dutch Dialogues” is crucial to the city developing ways to slow the water, store it, redirect it and adapt.
“In the next (decade) sea level will rise 10 inches in Hampton. The result is many of our areas will be under water if we do not react quickly to mitigate this,” he said.
Age: 66
Occupation: Retired, former director of operations at Eastern State Hospital
Family: Wife, children, grandchildren
Education: Bachelor of Arts, Old Dominion University, Master’s, Golden Gate University
Previous elected office: None
Boards: Hampton Newport News Community Service Board
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A.C. Cordoza
– Original Credit: Handout courtesy Aijalon Cordoza
Among the reasons that A.C. Cordoza is running for City Council is to add a voice for residents that he feels is not being heard.
“I’m just a citizen who is concerned about what is going on with our City Council,” Cordoza said. “I believe the City Council needs newer and fresher ideas, people who are going to come in and look out for the average person.”
A veteran of the Air National Guard, Cordoza is a supporter of Second Amendment rights. He wasn’t convinced the council really listened to the will of the people during two council meetings on the topic, he said.
One thing Cordoza said he would do if elected is to revamp the city’s existing gun permit laws.
Public safety also is a key concern among residents, something Cordoza said he would better fund.
“My plan for helping the police department ? I am going to give them a raise,” he said. “By eliminating a lot of wasteful programs that we have in the city and use that money.”
A big environmental issue in Hampton is the flooding, the health and cleanup of the Chesapeake Bay, Cordoza said.
“When I first moved here the waters at Buckroe Beach were absolutely clear and now it’s very dirty. I wouldn’t even swim in it,” he said. “We definitely have to fix it as a community.”
Cordoza believes a lot of Hampton’s money is being spent in the wrong areas, such as spending money on renaming signs, he said. Hampton should prioritize funding to high crime areas first and he would do that as a council member, he said.
Age: 30
Occupation: Network systems engineer at Newport News Shipbuilding
Family: Single
Education: Military Air National Guard, A.S. in Information Technology, Thomas Nelson Community College, attended Norfolk State University candidate for Bachelor’s, Information Systems Technology
Previous elected office: None
Boards: None
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Lance “Woo” Jones
Lance Jones seeks to inject youthful ideas to the Hampton City Council, whose current members have an average age north of 50.
“Fresh eyes with a clear perspective are needed,” Jones said in an email.
Jones says he is running to ensure Hampton is a place where his generation will want to come back, can find jobs, afford to live and have interesting things to do. Among his concerns are neighborhood revitalization, bringing in more businesses and establishing a mental health juvenile court. (A Hampton behavioral health docket already is in the works).
Doing social services for the city, Jones said he has worked with many who are less fortunate. He is in Hampton court regularly “recommending options. I know that many troubled youth aren’t ‘bad’ kids. Youth (need) mental health resources when being locked up,” he said.
The candidate is also proposing energy efficient affordable housing as a part of a neighborhood revitalization plan, which would assist in attracting home buyers to Hampton.
“I often see families living in a home, but … they can’t afford to pay the light bill and utilities,” he said in an email. “Due to Hampton’s aging housing stock, this would be an opportunity to build on land that is vacant.”
With other issues such as crime and public safety, he advocates for increased pay for police, and retention and recruiting programs that use incentives such as home ownership or training through the Academies of Hampton.
Regarding Hampton’s initiatives to curb flooding and stormwater runoff, Jones said that the effort ultimately could save lives. Other programs he would like to create would help make Hampton more appealing to young professionals, including making it more pedestrian-friendly and improving transit.
Age: 38
Occupation: Senior family services specialist, Hampton department of social services
Family: Single
Education: B.A. Sociology-Criminal Justice, Norfolk State University
Previous elected office: None
Boards: Past president of the Kiwanis Club of Old Point Comfort
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W.H. “Billy” Hobbs
– Original Credit: Billy Hobbs
Eight years ago, when Billy Hobbs first ran for City Council, he made a pledge to increase Hampton’s sales tax base — a pledge he says he is still making good on.
“I’d like the see the business community get stronger and better and provide more income … things like sale tax, meals tax … and help us and keep the burden off the citizens,” Hobbs said. “So, we can continue to make Hampton a better place to live, work and raise our families safely.”
A lifelong Peninsula resident, Hobbs brought his experience as a local businessman to the seven-member council to secure businesses in Hampton. In the past eight years in his tenure, marquee brands — Guy Fieri’s Dive & Taco Joint, Sky Zone Trampoline and major hotel chains — the Hyatt Place and The Element by Westin have made the city their home.
Hobbs has been a major advocate for sports entertainment and tourism in Hampton and touts success in that area under the current leadership.
His focus for reelection includes continuing to develop Hampton’s business community and expanding the quality of life.
“I think we need more simple things, like dog parks and walking paths,” he said.
Hobbs said the city has done a good job funding police, increasing incentives and retirement payouts. He acknowledges that recruiting is a concern, noting “law enforcement faces some tough challenges now.”
Age: 68
Occupation: Manager, Pearson Toyota, Newport News
Family: Wife, Deborah; son, Nicholas, daughter, Kelly and granddaughter
Education: Newport News High School, The Dealer Academy
Previous elected office(s) : Hampton City Council (2012-2016) (2016 to present)
Boards: Past president, Coliseum Central Business Improvement District.
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Chris Osby Snead
– Original Credit: Chris Snead
Chris Snead, who studied accounting in college, likes to follow the money.
A 34-year veteran employee, Snead started as a clerk typist and moved up the ranks to become the city’s budget director.
“I like to joke that I know where all the money is,” Snead said. Joking aside, Snead says getting to the top job took “hard work and tenacity.”
“That is the same hard work and tenacity that I use when I am setting policy and hearing what citizens have to say. I promise you, I will continue to do that,” she said.
Running for her third council term, Snead said her main issues are: “housing — we have an aging housing stock; continue to work on water resiliency; economic development — we’ve done a great job with hotels; and public safety,” she said.
Her goals are to bring older homes up to code with repairs and rehabilitation programs that will improve curb appeal and property values, she said.
On the public safety front, Snead supports increased pay for officers and agreed the city needs to fill the ranks. She said the council approved increases in retirement funds and is offering hiring incentives.
Hampton has recurring flooding, something the city has begun to mitigate with its “Resilient Hampton” pilot program to redesign areas in the Newmarket Creek watershed, she said. She also stressed keeping the Chesapeake Bay clean.
“It’s where we get a lot of our seafood … it’s our livelihood. We have to do a lot of things to continue to keep it clean,” Snead said. “The city has been very responsive to (flooding issues and) the Dutch Dialogues … not where we try to take the water away, but actually learn to live with it.”
Age: 64
Occupation: Retired, served 15 years as Hampton’s budget director.
Family: Daughter, Samantha, and grandson
Education: A.A. Accounting, Thomas Nelson Community College, Saint Leo University
Previous elected office (s) : Hampton City Council (2012-2016) (2016 to present)
Boards: Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel Commission, past president Virginia First Cities.
Lisa Vernon Sparks, 757-247-4832, lvernonsparks@dailypress.com
