Copyright Norfolk Virginian-Pilot
Four Norfolk constitutional officers won uncontested reelection efforts Tuesday, while challenger Jodi Slaughter was poised for victory in a School Board race. Slaughter led with about 62% of the vote in the Ward 3 School Board race, compared to current Norfolk School Board member Jason Inge with around 37%, with nine out of 10 precincts reporting unofficial results. During the campaign, Inge partly oversaw the creation of a school closure plan that will shutter nine Norfolk Public Schools locations by the end of 2034. He also voted to remove former Superintendent Sharon Byrdsong in a contentious 4-3 decision. Slaughter, a Virginia Beach behavioral health worker, criticized a preliminary closure plan authored partly by Inge and said the School Board should have chosen not to extend Byrdsong’s contract rather than terminate it. Meanwhile, Norfolk Sherriff Joe Baron, Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi, Treasurer Daun Sessoms Hester and Commissioner of Revenue Blythe Scott each won reelection in uncontested races. Fatehi faced a contentious primary challenge from former federal prosecutor John Butler, who was backed by prominent Norfolk Democrats like Mayor Kenny Alexander, Baron, Hester, Scott and several City Council members.
