Voting in Petersburg? Here's all you need to know about who's on your ballot Tuesday

PETERSBURG — City voters head to the polls Tuesday as four of the seven City Council and School Board seats will be on the local ballot.

There still will be voting in the three wards where seats are not being contested, however. Everyone across the city will be voting for their next congressional representative.

Here is a complete list of who you will see on your ballots Tuesday:

Ward 1 City Council (Open Seat)

• Chioma Adaku-Griffin, who moved to Petersburg last year, is a community advocate who is running, she said, "to re-energize Petersburg." She has vowed to re-establish a Citizens Advisory Board for Ward 1 where residents can share directly with her what they feel the biggest ward needs are. She also is pushing for more awareness and addressing of mental-health issues in the city.

• Marlow Jones is no stranger to Petersburg politics, having run for council previously in Ward 2 before being redistricted into Ward 1. Jones has pushed for more attention on recreational activities for the city's youth. He also would like to see Petersburg stay tough on crime but also offer opportunities for criminals who have completed their sentences to become productive community citizens.

More:Get to know your Ward 1 candidates: Marlow Jones and Chioma Adaku-Griffin

Ward 3 City Council

• Mayor Sam Parham is seeking a third term on City Council. The spotlight on Parham has intensified this year thanks to the city's close alignment with Gov. Glenn Youngkin, and in particular, Petersburg's push to host one of Virginia's five casinos. Parham, though, said he counts the growth of the city's pharmaceutical industry as the top economic-development driver for Petersburg in recent years.

• Michael Storrs is making his first run for public office — one of several rookies in this year's slate of candidates. The clinician and social worker said he chose to run to bring more transparency to City Council business, especially when it comes to going behind closed doors to discuss certain matters. Storrs said in an interview that council has "shown a blatant disregard" for the closed-meeting process.

More:Petersburg mayor faces political newcomer in race to be Ward 3's councilor

Ward 5 City Council

• School Board member Lois Long has run a very unconventional campaign, opting to stay away from candidate forums and other joint appearances, and not raising any campaign funds. The reason, she said, is because she is running for the seat and not against the other two candidates. With her School Board background, Long said she would like the city to do more with funding education needs.

• Michelle Murrills, who moved to Petersburg from Alaska a few years ago, is also making her first foray into political office. A tour guide who currently is doing graduate work in city planning at Virginia Commonwealth University, Murrills has prided herself on accessibility to Ward 5, something she claims has not been seen in that area for a while. She also is running on more transparency in council business and has vowed to push for quicker action on the many blighted properties that dot Ward 5.

• Howard Myers has represented Ward 5 for 12 years and is a former mayor. Like Parham, Myers has been one of the more vocal proponents for a casino here, noting how the cash infusion of a gaming parlor here will help Petersburg continue to recover from teetering with bankruptcy years ago. But he also said the city needs to do better with addressing such internal needs such as blight and healthcare improvement.

More:Petersburg's Ward 5: Three candidates for the council seat; two are making the most noise

More:Low-key is the key: Lois Long chooses to maintain a quiet campaign for Ward 5 council seat

Ward 7 City Council

• Elsie Jarmon has made several forays into the Petersburg political arena, serving on the School Board and making an unsuccessful bid for the Ward 7 seat eight years ago. Jarmon, a former risk manager, said she sees crime, the lack of access to healthy food, and the inconsistency of trash pickup and water bills as some of the biggest challenges Ward 7 residents face, which extend to the city as a whole.

• Arnold Westbrook was appointed last November to fill the unexpired term of John Hart and is seeking election in his own right Tuesday. Coming from a family of educators, Westbrook said he sees a need to make sure Petersburg's youth have everything at their disposal in terms of education and recreation ... empowering them, he said, "to stay off the streets."

More:Get to know your Ward 7 candidates: Arnold Westbrook and Elsie Jarmon

School Board seats

Two of the four School Board seats on the ballot are not being contested. Running unopposed are Steven Pierce in Ward 1 and Ken Pritchett in Ward 3.

Ward 5 School Board

• Unique Luna moved with her family to Petersburg in 2019. She said she decided to run for School Board. She said she is very passionate about supporting students choosing trade school because the college experience may not be for everyone.

• Joyce Proctor, a former teacher and human-resources associate, has lived in Petersburg for 20 years. She describes herself as having a “natural idealistic temperament” that was largely shaped by her participation in a small church that preached social justice, and has vowed to ensure "the best education" for each student.

More:Meet your Ward 5 school board candidates: Unique Luna and E. Joyce Proctor

School Board Ward 7

• Adrian Dance has been in the Ward 7 seat for eight years. He said his vision "is to have all the schools fully accredited and to make Petersburg schools a great place to educate children and a great place to work.”

• Ronnie Watson is a retired principal of Vernon Johns Middle School so he has seen education at the ground level. He said he is running because "I love Petersburg, I love kids and just to see them be successful is pretty much the only reason I'm doing this because I'm retired now.”

More:Meet your Ward 7 school board candidates: Adrian Dance and Ronnie Watson

4th Congressional District

• Leon Benjamin, a Richmond pastor, unsuccessfuly sought the 4th District seat two years ago. Benjamin is running on closing the borders, protecting the 2nd Amendment and the right to bear arms, protecting life, and lowering taxes and inflation.

• Donald McEachin has been the 4th District incumbent since 2017 and defeated Benjamin two years ago with 61% of the vote. In the rematch, McEachin has run on his progressive record while in Congress and championing environmental issues in Virginia.

More:Meet your congressional representative candidates: Donald McEachin and Leon Benjamin

Remember that the polls in Petersburg are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. If you are in line by 7 p.m., you will be allowed to vote.

The following are Petersburg's polling places:

• Ward 1: Blandford Academy, 816 Bank Street

• Ward 2: Good Shepherd Baptist Church, 2223 South Crater Road

• Ward 3: Petersburg High School gymnasium, 3101 Johnson Road

• Ward 4: Union Train Station, 103 River Street

• Ward 5: Tabernacle Community Life Center, 444 Halifax Street

• Ward 6: Cool Springs Elementary School multipurpose room, 1450 Talley Avenue

• Ward 7: Pleasants Lane Elementary School multipurpose room, 100 Pleasants Lane

Stay with progress-index.com for thorough Election Day coverage Nov. 8.

Joyce Chu, an award-winning investigative journalist, is the Social Justice Watchdog Reporter for The Progress Index. Contact her with comments, concerns, or story-tips at Jchu1@gannett.com or on Twitter @joyce_speaks.

Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist and daily news coach for USA TODAY Network's Atlantic Region which includes Virginia. He is based in Petersburg, Virginia. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com.

This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Petersburg local election: Here's who's on the ballot