W&M law professor and Mayor Doug Pons appear to clinch Williamsburg City Council seats
With most of the ballots counted, Mayor Doug Pons and newcomer Stacy Kern-Scheerer appear to be the winners in the race for two Williamsburg City Council seats.
According to unofficial results from the state Department of Elections, Kern-Scheerer received 2,548 votes — or 33.69% of the vote, leading the four candidates. She was followed by Pons with 2,036 votes, or 26.92%.
The remaining ballots are provisional or absentee. Official results won’t be announced until Monday after a canvass of provisional votes, according to the Williamsburg registrar’s office. Provisional ballots are designed to ensure that all voters have a chance to cast a ballot even if their eligibility to vote is uncertain.
If the results hold, Pons would be elected to his fourth term. Kern-Scheerer would replace Ted Maslin.
Unofficial results show Maslin with 19.62% of the vote, with 1,484 votes, and Rick Overy with 18.89%, or 1,429 votes.
Kern-Scheerer said Tuesday night by phone that she was grateful to her supporters, volunteers and friends in town who have helped get her to this point.
“I’m thrilled,” she said. “I can’t even believe it. I’m really proud of how, with me and Doug and Ted and Rick, we’ve had such an amazing experience together, running together, and it’s been a real pleasure.”
Once she takes her seat on council, Kern-Scheerer, an attorney and associate professor at William & Mary Law School, said she is looking forward to working with the other members as she works toward fulfilling the visions she ran on.
“I’ve run my entire race on a platform of making sure that the city is always thinking about all of the communities and the residents that are here,” she said. “I really believe in the platform of working for all of Williamsburg, and that’s what I intend to do — and to work with the other members of council to do that.”
Pons has served on the Williamsburg City Council since 2010 and was selected to serve as mayor in July 2020.
Before the election, Pons said that his hope was to “continue the work and build on the positive accomplishments” he has helped achieve during his tenure, including economic development and diversity, downtown vibrancy, finding innovative housing options and bringing awareness to challenging issues.
Following the election, Pons said he was “humbled and honored to have the continued support and confidence of the residents of Williamsburg.”
“Being able to continue working with my colleagues of City Council, city residents and city staff towards our collective best interest is a responsibility that I do not take lightly,” Pons said. “I am also looking forward to working with councilwoman-elect Kern-Scheerer as she is extremely talented on so many fronts, bringing much to council and the city.”
Maslin served one term on Williamsburg City Council after being elected in 2018. On Wednesday, he said he appreciated the widespread support he has received from the Williamsburg community.
“During the past four years, my commonsense focus and insisting on exploring options resonated with voters who are engaged with local governance issues,” said Maslin, who pointed to actions including blocking the expansion of the police station at its current site, developing a community-responsive plan for the fourth softball field at Kiwanis Park and being the initial voice to question the proposed $3.7 million parking system.
“I look forward to joining a distinguished group of former City Council members.”
Sian Wilkerson, sian.wilkerson@pilotonline.com, 757-342-6616
