Virginia Beach local election preview: Sheriff, Commissioner of the revenue, treasurer

Virginia Beach Sheriff Ken Stolle, a Republican, and Democrat Antonio Passaro Jr. are facing off.

Stolle is seeking a third term in office. Before becoming sheriff, he was a sergeant in the Virginia Beach Police Department, a lawyer in private practice and a state senator.

Passaro is making his first bid for elected office. He’s a former trooper and special agent with the Virginia State Police and serves as a professor and chair of the Criminal Justice Program at Tidewater Community College. He earned a doctorate in higher education with a specialization in criminology and criminal justice from Old Dominion University last year.

When Stolle ran for reelection in 2017, he said it would be his last term. He said he decided to run again because he doesn’t feel his work is done. Among the accomplishments he listed are creating a reentry program that provides inmates with the tools they need to improve their lives and be successful once released. He also developed a mental health program he says has a 97% success rate. And he said he’s expanded his office’s footprint in the community to ensure residents know they have an open line of communication with him and his deputies.

If elected, Passaro said he’d work to end political influence in the Sheriff’s Office, which he believes has been rampant under Stolle. He also wants to improve the office’s engagement with the community and make it more transparent. And he’d like to revamp the way deputies are educated and trained. As for inmates, he said his focus would be on addressing mental health concerns and finding more ways to rehabilitate them and reduce the recidivism rate.

Stolle has claimed repeatedly on his campaign website and in social media posts that Passaro is unfit to serve, and has included numerous documents to back up his assertions. The documents were filed in Chesapeake Circuit Court during a grievance case Passaro pursued against Virginia State Police.

Stolle says the documents prove Passaro was fired for poor performance and questionable actions. Passaro said he pursued the court case because he believed he was being treated unfairly by some of his Virginia State Police supervisors.

The case eventually made its way to the federal 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. Passaro’s attorney, Kevin Martingayle, said it was resolved with both sides agreeing Passaro’s status would be listed as resigned. Passaro produced documents showing that.

Martingayle said Stolle has been made aware of this, but has continued to tell only part of the story, leaving out how the case actually ended.

Stolle, however, denied knowing that the case went federal. He also argued that it doesn’t take away from what happened on the state level.

Democrat Phil Kellam is running for reelection, facing Republican opponent Ben Loyola in the commissioner of the revenue race. Kellam, who has served in the position since 1998, has said he wants to suspend property taxes on new businesses and reduce the license tax on small businesses. He also wants to reduce personal property tax for seniors. Loyola is a retired U.S. Navy captain who owns an engineering service contracting firm. Loyola wants to eliminate the business license tax.

Two candidates are running for treasurer. Incumbent Leigh Henderson, the Republican candidate, won a 2019 special election to become the first woman elected to the office. She faces Democrat Laura Habr, a community activist and restaurant owner. Habr wants to end tax lien auctions.

Republican Colin Stolle is running unopposed for reelection for commonwealth’s attorney. He has served in the position since 2013.

Virginia Beach residents will also vote on a bond referendum, which will determine whether the City Council should increase the real estate tax rate to fund the first phase of flood protection projects.

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Sheriff

Antonio Passaro Jr., Democrat

Age: 45

Occupation: Professor and department chair of criminal justice program at Tidewater Community College

Previous office held: None

Education: Bayside High School, Class of 1995; Old Dominion University, Doctorate in Higher Education with specialization in criminology and criminal justice

Website: passaro4sheriff.com

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Ken Stolle, Republican

Age: 67

Occupation: Sheriff

Education: Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Berry College. Admitted to the Virginia State Bar in 1983

Website: www.kenstolle.com

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Commissioner of the revenue

Phil Kellam, Democrat

Age: 65

Occupation: Commissioner of the revenue for Virginia Beach

Previous office held, if any: Commissioner of the Revenue for Virginia Beach, Jan. 1, 1998 - present

Education: Elon University, 1980

Website: VotePhil.net

If re-elected, what would be your top priority and how would you get it done?

If given the opportunity to continue to serve, I will build upon the improved online services and customer friendly access we have built for the taxpayer. At the height of the pandemic, my office initiated online car tax appeals that were the first of their kind in Virginia and I am proud of the work we have accomplished during this time. Working with taxpayers and lawmakers, we have accomplished a great deal including: eliminating the recreational boat tax, ending the admission tax at school events, instituting DMV registration services and getting rid of those old city stickers! My current proposals of suspending business property taxes on new businesses, reducing business, professional and occupational license taxes on small businesses and eliminating personal property taxes on seniors will not only boost growth but also provide relief for our most vulnerable citizens. As always, my top priority will be looking out for you!

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Ben Loyola, Republican

Age: 59

Occupation: President/CEO, Loyola Enterprises Inc.

Previous office held: Commissioner, Virginia Beach Arts and Humanities Commission, 2012–2018; vice chairman, Commonwealth of Virginia Public School Authority, 2012-2018

Education: U.S. Naval Academy, B.S. in Marine Engineering, 1983

Website: www.BenLoyola.com

If elected, what would be your top priority and how would you get it done?

My top priority would be to bring the office of commissioner to the people. As a veteran and a small business owner, I relate to citizens of Virginia Beach, and I know the problems we can solve by engaging with businesses rather than threatening audits and imposing outdated taxes that require countless hours of paperwork to comply with every year. We still pay a tax to pay for the War of 1812. We still pay a car tax that we voted to end in 1997. Virginia ranks 49th in the country in small business creation and success. We rank only above Connecticut. It’s crazy. Small businesses are where most new jobs are created. I will be a pro-veteran, pro-small business commissioner and take the politics out of the office. Twenty-four years of control by the politically well-connected is enough. I will bring leadership, accountability, transparency, and advocacy to the office.

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Treasurer

Laura Wood Habr, Democrat

Age: 51

Occupation: Civic leader

Previous office held, if any: None

Education: Associate’s degree

Website: www.VoteLauraWoodHabr.com

If elected, what would be your top priority and how would you get it done?

On my first day in office, I will order an independent audit to identify critical reforms and overdue improvements. The treasurer’s office needs to usher in a new era of transparency and accountability. I’ll also order a moratorium on tax lien auctions. The treasurer for our state’s largest city should be a big-picture leader who understands how the position can be a positive rather than a detriment to the city of Virginia Beach and its citizens. When I’m elected, we will never forget our mission of providing taxpayers with the best service possible. Doing business in Virginia Beach should be straightforward, fair and predictable, and I pledge we will have a treasurer’s office that removes roadblocks, helps all citizens and is a faithful steward of the cash and assets of this great city. I know what it takes to inspire team members, and to develop, lead and operate successful organizations.

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V. Leigh Henderson, Republican

Age: 43

Occupation: City of Virginia Beach treasurer

Previous office held: City treasurer, 2019 - present

Education: Old Dominion University, B.S. in accounting and B.S. in finance, both in 2000.

Website: www.voteleighhendersonvb.com

If re-elected, what would be your top priority and how would you get it done?

When reelected, I will continue to enhance technologies in the city treasurer’s office that will add efficiency and accessibility to the citizens of Virginia Beach. This will include expanding online options and working with other city departments to assist with billing and collection services. I will continue to work with citizens and businesses on the collection of taxes as our community navigates rough economic times by continuing open lines of communication and payment agreements allowable under the applicable state and local laws. As the treasurer’s office is often the first point of contact for citizens trying to traverse the city’s regulations on multiple issues, I will continue to educate taxpayers on the roles and responsibilities of the office and also provide guidance for other city-related issues.