Voter guide · Nov 3, 2026

Suffolk City Council Election 2026

4 of 8

council seats up

4 contests

8 candidates

Updated Oct 3, 2026. Every claim links to its source. How we check →

The candidates

Listed alphabetically by last name. Every position links to its source.

City Council Chuckatuck Borough · 1 seat

Shelley S. Butler BarlowIncumbentChuckatuck Borough council member since 2021 who farms at Cotton Plains Farm in Chuckatuck. Served 4 years as President of the Board of Directors for the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and 4 years on the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.10sourced
Mary Ellen HillOyster harvester at Barretts Neck Seafood and U.S. Air Force veteran. Says she has served as a state-appointed Environmental Justice Advisory Council commissioner.4sourced

City Council Cypress Borough · 1 seat

City Council Holy Neck Borough · Unopposed

Timothy J. JohnsonIncumbentHoly Neck Borough council member since 2014 and owner of Johnson's Gardens Inc., his family business. Holds a degree in ornamental horticulture from Virginia Polytechnic Institute.9sourced

City Council Suffolk Borough · 1 seat

Four of the seven borough seats are on this ballot (Chuckatuck, Cypress, Holy Neck and Suffolk); each borough elects one member to a four-year term, and the mayor is not on this ballot.

1 note on these statements

Timothy J. Johnson is running unopposed in the Holy Neck Borough. Suffolk News-Herald · Jun 17, 2026

Already on the council, not on the ballot

Whoever you elect will govern alongside these members.

Michael D. DumanMayor; reelected in November 20247sourced Lue R. Ward, Jr.Vice Mayor and Council Member, Nansemond Borough; term ends December 31, 20287sourced LeOtis L. WilliamsCouncil Member, Whaleyville Borough; term ends December 31, 20287sourced Ebony N. WrightCouncil Member, Sleepy Hole Borough; term ends December 31, 20287sourced

Officeholders' pages compare what they've said with how they've voted, with sources.

Start here

Match quiz4 questions · answers stay on your phone Seat the CouncilPick winners, see the council What council decidesData centers, ICE facility, Growth and rezonings Key datesDeadlines and vote centers

Next date

Voter registration and mailed-ballot application deadline

Fri, Oct 23, 2026

All key dates

What the next council decides

Data centers

Where it standsSuffolk's Planning Commission voted 8-0 on Sept. 15, 2026 to recommend banning data centers as a primary use in every zoning district; City Council is scheduled to consider it Oct. 21.

What's on the tableThe next council decides whether the ban stays in place and whether to write permanent rules that would allow data centers anywhere in Suffolk.

City Council voted 7-0 on June 17, 2026 to have the Planning Commission draft an amendment prohibiting data centers in all zoning districts. City of Suffolk · Jun 17, 2026
Under the proposed amendment, a data center meeting the city's new definition could not be processed and would have no conditional-use or other exception process. Suffolk News-Herald · Sep 29, 2026
The city would also amend warehouse and distribution definitions so a data center could not be characterized as a warehouse. Suffolk News-Herald · Sep 29, 2026
Data centers are not mentioned in Suffolk's ordinances, and planners warned parts of the rules could be construed to allow them wherever warehouses are allowed. WHRO · Jun 18, 2026

ICE facility

Where it standsIn April 2026, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was considering leasing about 9,000 square feet of office space at SimIS Inc. off Wilroy Road; the city had already written to large property owners opposing immigration detention uses.

What's on the tableThe council decides how the city applies its zoning rules and conditional use permits to any proposed federal immigration facility.

City Council sent letters to more than 40 large property owners expressing opposition to local facilities being used for immigration detention. The Virginian-Pilot · Apr 14, 2026
At a March 18, 2026 work session, the city manager said notices would go to owners of warehouses over 100,000 square feet in M-2 districts. City of Suffolk · Mar 18, 2026
Properties that could be converted to detention facilities are in the M2 Heavy Industrial District and would still need a conditional use permit from the city. The Virginian-Pilot · Apr 14, 2026

Growth and rezonings

Where it standsThe council decides residential rezonings case by case; in 2026 it approved a Manning Road rezoning 6-2 and voted 7-0 to deny a North Main Street residential rezoning.

What's on the tableThe next council decides which new housing developments to approve and whether to tighten subdivision rules.

The council approved rezoning 494 Manning Road from agricultural to low-medium density residential by a 6-2 vote on January 21, 2026. City of Suffolk · Jan 21, 2026
The council voted 7-0 on April 15, 2026 to deny rezoning 1700 and 1802 North Main Street from general commercial to residential; Mayor Duman recused himself. City of Suffolk · Apr 15, 2026
In July 2026 the council voted 8-0 to put on its agenda a request for the Planning Commission to review minor subdivision standards, including road frontage and a ban on flag lots. City of Suffolk · Jul 15, 2026

Farmland and solar farms

Where it standsThe council has asked staff to evaluate a farming and agritourism grant program, and it rules on solar farm permits one at a time.

What's on the tableThe next council decides whether to fund farmland programs and how to rule on new solar farm applications under state limits.

In July 2026 the council voted 8-0 to seek a staff report on a Farming and Agritourism Resiliency and Marketing Grant Program proposed by the Agricultural Advisory Committee. City of Suffolk · Jul 15, 2026
The council voted 8-0 in July 2026 to deny a conditional use permit for a solar energy facility on Old Myrtle Road. City of Suffolk · Jul 15, 2026
The city attorney's office told council that to deny a solar farm, the state requires localities to outline the facility's non-compliance with the local comprehensive plan. City of Suffolk · Jun 3, 2026

Taxes and budget

Where it standsThe FY 2026-2027 budget, adopted 8-0 in May 2026, lowered the real estate tax rate to $1.06 per $100 of assessed value.

What's on the tableThe next council sets the FY 2027-2028 budget and real estate tax rate.

Suffolk City Council approved a budget that lowers the real estate tax rate to $1.06 per $100 of assessed value, down from $1.07. WTKR · May 13, 2026
The city manager told council that a one-cent tax rate reduction results in $1.7 million in lost revenue. City of Suffolk · May 6, 2026
The real property tax ordinance adopted with the budget reflects a 2.69% increase in the citywide assessment. City of Suffolk · May 6, 2026

Who matches you?

Answer any of these questions. We compare your answers with each person's sourced record, and nothing is stored. Questions where no one has a sourced record yet are left out. Tap a selected answer again to skip it.

1. How should Suffolk handle data centers?
2. What should the city do about a possible ICE facility in Suffolk?
3. How should Suffolk handle new residential development?
4. How should Suffolk protect farmland?

Seat the Council →

Pick a winner for each open seat and see where the resulting council stands on each issue.

Key dates

Early in-person voting beginsVirginia Department of ElectionsSep 18, 2026
Voter registration and mailed-ballot application deadlineVirginia Department of ElectionsOct 23, 2026
Last day of early in-person votingVirginia Department of ElectionsOct 31, 2026
Election DayVirginia Department of ElectionsNov 3, 2026

The seat math

4 stay (not up this year): Michael D. Duman, Lue R. Ward, Jr., LeOtis L. Williams, Ebony N. Wright4 on this ballot

8 council seats. The council decides by a 5-vote majority.

Each of Suffolk's seven boroughs is represented by one council member. City of Suffolk
The Virginia Department of Elections lists the Chuckatuck, Cypress, Holy Neck and Suffolk borough council seats as four-year terms, with every candidate running as an Independent. Virginia Department of Elections
A conditional use permit needs five affirmative votes; a 4-4 vote on January 21, 2026 left one denied. City of Suffolk · Jan 21, 2026

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