PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Vote counters, observers, attorneys and a panel of three judges huddled in a courtroom for hours Tuesday to determine the final count of the last open seat on city council, and the result didn’t come until midnight.
Political newcomer William Dodson, Jr. posted Wednesday morning on social media his claim of victory by 33 votes, with the comment “Let’s get some work done!” 10 On Your Side confirmed the result with City Registrar Alexandra Abell.
After the Nov. 5 election, incumbent councilman De’Andre Barnes trailed Dodson by just 21 votes. The two candidates garnered more than 23,000 votes combined. Barnes requested the recount.
Barnes was unavailable Tuesday afternoon for an interview.
Dodson said he knows what his prime objective will be.
“The first thing we need to address in our first meeting is crime,” Dodson said. “And we need to start immediately.”
Dodson’s plan to cut crime in Portsmouth involves filling positions that he said are already provided for in the budget.
“We have got to have full staff right now,” Dodson said. “The last estimate was 90 people short. That’s a lot.”
An endodontist with a successful dental practice, Dodson said he was compelled to run because he saw too many poor candidates and too much poor leadership.
“What is our purpose? What is our vision,” Dodson said, asking rhetorically.
“I’ve been following the city council for the last four years and was very disappointed in the quality of candidates,” Dodson said. “I was seeing a lot of people that just didn’t seem to know what they were doing.”
Barnes sent a statement to 10 On Your side late Wednesday afternoon:
“Congratulations to all the new council members elected on November 5th, and let’s continue to move the city forward. In the last 4 years, Dr. Whitaker and I were able to give a voice to communities like Dale Homes, Southside, and other low income housing. We were able to give a voice to our kids, giving jobs to teenagers, free summer camp to all kids, and fully funding education giving our teachers a 15% increase in their pay.
“Moreover, we were able to invest $25 million dollars into public safety, giving raises to our police and fire departments, to include the sheriffs and paramedics. Lastly, we were able to cut crime in this city by over 19%. Growing up as a kid from Dale Homes, I always wanted to make a difference and in my time in office, I was able to do that. Although, I didn’t agree with the policies that some of the candidates elected ran on, I’m hoping a positive outcome because it’s critical in the future of our city. I’m Portsmouth first and for that reason, I’m rooting for the new council to do good! Thank you to the citizens of Portsmouth for allowing a kid from Dale Homes to serve this city and give back to the very communities I came from. Peace out!”
“We’ve had a council that hasn’t communicated well or gotten along well,” Dodson said following the victory. “They have people that know how to get things done, but weren’t able to get things done. We need to change direction on that because we have a whole lot of really intelligent people, really motivated people from diverse viewpoints.”
Dodson’s swearing in ceremony, along with Yolanda Edmonds Thomas and Kathryn Kitty Bryant, is set for Friday afternoon in City Council Chambers.