Hampton City Council: Candidates spotlight
There are five city residents who are seeking election to three open seats on the Hampton City Council.
Two are council incumbents, James A. “Jimmy” Gray Jr. and Steven L. Brown, while the three others are seeking their first chance to sit on that dais. Former Hampton School Board member and House of Delegates representative, Martha M. Mugler, a U.S. Army contractor named Marlin M. Manley and former aircraft mechanic named Christopher R. Mathews each want to be elected to one of the three available four-year term seats.
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Christopher R. Mathews
Age: 32
Occupation: Former aircraft mechanic and Virginia Peninsula Community College student
Previous office held: None
Education: Virginia Peninsula Community College
How would you assess Hampton’s efforts to attract more residents and improve the city’s quality of life?
I would work on improving city infrastructure — such as our current stormwater management it is in need of repair before our resiliency plan can be put into action. Safety- I believe one way to improve safety is to build tighter communities, that’s why I focus so much on volunteering as it brings neighbors closer together.
Keeping city cost of living low — our residents deserve a break in the face of inflation, I will put my efforts into eliminating waste and finding creative solutions to lower our overall cost to the taxpayers.
What is another pressing issue you believe Hampton is facing and what will you do to address the issue?
At the moment I see a divide between our youth and adults, whether its ineffective communication or generational divide. In order to fix this I am piloting a volunteer tutor/mentorship youth program to be carried out by veterans. The program is currently being developed in conjunction with the Veteran Students Association at Virginia Peninsula Community College.
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James A. “Jimmy” Gray Jr.
Age: 66
Occupation: Retired from Hampton city government, former fire chief and assistant city manager
Previous office held: Hampton City Council
Education: Tidewater Community College, Troy University
How would you assess Hampton’s efforts to attract more residents and improve the city’s quality of life?
Two things that contribute to a good quality of life for families are schools and housing. We have made significant investments to ensure our schools division has the resources to be successful. Thanks to great leadership of our School Board and administration, we are now offering families a world class school division with schools that are 100% accredited, graduation rates that are higher than the state average, and an education model that ensures students are college or career ready when they graduate. We are also attracting new residential developments that offer a diverse mix of apartments and single-family homes that are affordable for working families. Many military families are occupying many of the units in these new developments. We are also attracting new investment in some of our older neighborhoods.
What is another pressing issue you believe Hampton is facing and what will you do to address the issue?
Violent crime is our most pressing issue. We know that crime and public safety is a concern to our citizens and visitors, and we are equally as concerned. That’s why we have invested heavily in innovative programs to reduce violent crimes and we are seeing promising results. We committed five percent ($2.4 million) of our American Rescue Plan Act funding to fund violent crime prevention programs. This is in addition to funding that was already budget for such initiatives. I believe that if we continue to provide resources for intensive intervention and prevention programs, we will see a downward trend in our crime rates.
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Marlin R. Manley
Age: 39
Occupation: Contractor for U.S. Army
Previous office held: No
Education: University of Texas-Pan American, Howard University
How would you assess Hampton’s efforts to attract more residents and improve the city’s quality of life?
One thing about the City of Hampton is it sells itself with its deep history, people, vibrant culture, and activities. The military along with one of the most prestigious universities in the country, Hampton University, is deeply entrenched in our city’s history. As a result, Hampton is never short of new residents. Many troops and students fall in love with our city, adopt our local culture, and ultimately decide to make Hampton home. Where I think we can improve is with the quality of life. Though Hampton is one of the oldest cities, it doesn’t need to look that way. I believe new short-term beautification and modernization projects of existing spaces are long overdue. It’s also unfortunate that far too often desired entertainment, “fine dining” restaurants, and businesses are located in other cities within Hampton Roads. I plan to change much of that once elected.
What is another pressing issue you believe Hampton is facing and what will you do to address the issue?
Infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure! We need to start reinvesting in us to renovate and revitalize our city. These projects are to include beautification projects, restoration of existing buildings, and upgrading our community facilities. These projects should each include short term execution timelines. This will allow potential investors to visualize their projects and our vision for the future. Ultimately this will attract more businesses, which in turn will introduce “new” funds to reinvest into our communities. Communication is something which also needs to be addressed. Residents have numerous issues the city may not be tracking, but unfortunately do not have the time nor the forum to express them. Having a young family of my own, I understand not everyone has the ability to make a 6:30 p.m. meeting due to work or family commitments. It is my plan to meet our residents where they are and provide them this forum.
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Martha M. Mugler
Age: 61
Occupation: Executive administrative assistant at Old Point National Bank
Previous office held: Hampton School Board, House of Delegates 91st District
Education: Radford University
How would you assess Hampton’s efforts to attract more residents and improve the city’s quality of life?
The city capitalizes on its’ natural assets and has built upon existing assets with additional creative community amenities. Hampton has a robust website offering special links that provide relocation information to help acclimate new citizens to available city services. Hampton has engaged in projects to improve the quality of life for its' citizens, investing in recreation and leisure. The city has beautiful parks like Sandy Bottom Nature Park for example, with beautiful walking and running trails, camp sites, and paddle boat rentals. Hampton offers arts and museums, municipal golf courses, a tennis center, fishing, and beautiful beaches for citizens & visitors. Hampton also sponsors concerts and activities in public spaces for all to enjoy. The Boo Williams Sportsplex offers athletic opportunities for our youth and brings visitors for AAU athletic competitions. The new state-of-the-art aquatics center will serve as a community wellness center and site for youth sports travel events.
What is another pressing issue you believe Hampton is facing and what will you do to address the issue?
Hampton faces violent crime that threatens safety, well-being, and peace of mind. Gun violence is a serious concern and loss of life is tragic and unacceptable. If elected, I will partner with colleagues on council to address the issue. It will be necessary to engage in a multifaceted approach by supporting law enforcement with support and resources to meet the challenge. In addition, the city will need to partner and support mental health resources and ensure ease of access to these services. Identifying the causes of violent behavior with specific focus on youth violence and working with our young people to determine where violent behavior begins is paramount. As a Virginia legislator, I was able to obtain an $800,000 grant for youth violence prevention to address this very issue. As a City Council member, I will commit support and resources to all efforts to reduce violent crime in our community.
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Steven L. Brown
Age: 63
Occupation: Senior pastor of Faith Temple Ministries in Suffolk
Previous office held: Hampton City Council
Education: Carolina University of Theology
How would you assess Hampton’s efforts to attract more residents and improve the city’s quality of life?
Hampton has a rich history and many amenities that new residents find appealing such as our natural resources and our very attractive shoreline. In addition we have attracted several new businesses to our community namely the new Amazon distribution facility, Huntington Ingalls unmanned facility, Virginia Tech AREC research facility. Also the academy’s of Hampton are recognized for being a cutting edge model that promotes academics and career training opportunities so when students graduate they will have various certifications and skills needed to compete into today’s global economy. These are very attractive when people consider Hampton to live, work, play and raise their families. We are a diverse community that see diversity as a strength that binds us together because of our various experiences, race and cultures. As a community we strive to offer any and all residents the housing choices they desire ranging from affordable to high-end.
What is another pressing issue you believe Hampton is facing and what will you do to address the issue?
Hampton is facing major flood issues in all of our low line communities and where there is a low water table. We see flooding in neighborhoods after a few inches of rain. This presents a major erosion problem for our neighbors who cannot afford to raise the foundation of their homes. I am committed to making sure we fund the Resilient Hampton initiative that will focus on flooding and sea level rise which possess another problem because we lose our natural shoreline. I am supportive of keeping money in our budget to help mitigate flooding and combat sea level rise. Hampton does offer builders and homeowners a discount on their insurance if they build a certain height to help mitigate flooding. This is a gigantic expense and it has to be done in many budget cycles and must involve local and regional partners if we are going to see progress.
