City & town

Hampton City Council

Vote for: 3
Term: 4 years
Candidates: 6
Election: Nov 3, 2026

What this office does: The city council sets City of Hampton's budget, tax rates and ordinances and appoints the city manager.

Candidates Compare by issue

Chris L. Bowman

No party listed

Retired director of operations, Eastern State Hospital

The gist

Proposes a 3-cent property tax reduction.
Supports incentives for first-time homebuyers.
Proposes building smaller homes to expand ownership.
Proposes public-private partnerships for child care facilities.

More about Chris

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Proposes a 3-cent property tax reduction.
Meet the candidates: Hampton City Council
Candidate questionnaire · The Daily Press and The Virginian-Pilot (via Yahoo News) · yahoo.com
“If elected, I will propose a 3-cent reduction in property taxes.”
Supports incentives for first-time homebuyers.
Meet the candidates: Hampton City Council
Candidate questionnaire · The Daily Press and The Virginian-Pilot (via Yahoo News) · yahoo.com
“There must be incentives provided to first-time buyers to assist them.”
Proposes building smaller homes to expand ownership.
Meet the candidates: Hampton City Council
Candidate questionnaire · The Daily Press and The Virginian-Pilot (via Yahoo News) · yahoo.com
“Developing smaller homes, 700 -800 square feet, would help with improving home ownership and lower rents.”
Proposes public-private partnerships for child care facilities.
Meet the candidates: Hampton City Council
Candidate questionnaire · The Daily Press and The Virginian-Pilot (via Yahoo News) · yahoo.com
“The city of Hampton needs to engage the private sector and enter into public /private partnerships”

Aaron T. Weaver

No party listed

Production planner and scheduler, Newport News Shipbuilding

The gist

Proposes requiring affordability in publicly subsidized housing deals.
Supports down payment help and vacant home rehab.
Proposes setting clear goals and reporting results.
Proposes helping safe child care providers open or expand.

More about Aaron

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Proposes requiring affordability in publicly subsidized housing deals.
Meet the candidates: Hampton City Council
Candidate questionnaire · The Daily Press and The Virginian-Pilot (via Yahoo News) · yahoo.com
“If public money, tax breaks or other incentives are part of a housing deal, affordability should be a requirement, not a suggestion.”
Supports down payment help and vacant home rehab.
Meet the candidates: Hampton City Council
Candidate questionnaire · The Daily Press and The Virginian-Pilot (via Yahoo News) · yahoo.com
“help with down payments, repair programs that keep existing homes livable and programs that buy and rehab vacant homes”
Proposes setting clear goals and reporting results.
Meet the candidates: Hampton City Council
Candidate questionnaire · The Daily Press and The Virginian-Pilot (via Yahoo News) · yahoo.com
“Set clear goals. Make decisions that move us toward them. Show residents the results.”
Proposes helping safe child care providers open or expand.
Meet the candidates: Hampton City Council
Candidate questionnaire · The Daily Press and The Virginian-Pilot (via Yahoo News) · yahoo.com
“Help safe providers open or expand, connect families to existing assistance, go after state and federal dollars”

Joseph M. "Joe" Griffith

No party listed

Technical artist and interactive museum designer, Transtecs; Hampton Planning Commission member

The gist

Proposes fewer permitting delays and updated zoning rules.
Supports waiving zoning permits for child care in offices.
Pledges a more accessible and responsive City Council.

More about Joseph

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Proposes fewer permitting delays and updated zoning rules.
Meet the candidates: Hampton City Council
Candidate questionnaire · The Daily Press and The Virginian-Pilot (via Yahoo News) · yahoo.com
“reducing unnecessary permitting delays, reviewing outdated zoning and parking requirements and making better use of vacant properties”
Supports waiving zoning permits for child care in offices.
Meet the candidates: Hampton City Council
Candidate questionnaire · The Daily Press and The Virginian-Pilot (via Yahoo News) · yahoo.com
“Virginia has given Hampton the ability to waive zoning permit requirements for licensed child care programs operating in office buildings”
Pledges a more accessible and responsive City Council.
Meet the candidates: Hampton City Council
Candidate questionnaire · The Daily Press and The Virginian-Pilot (via Yahoo News) · yahoo.com
“I'll get to work on day one making City Council more accessible and responsive”

Martha M. Mugler

No party listedIncumbent

Hampton City Council member; assistant vice president, TowneBank

The gist

Supports funding youth and gun violence prevention.
Supports competitive pay for police and firefighters.
Supports narrower lots and infill housing construction.
Supports before- and after-school care at every elementary school.

More about Martha

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Supports funding youth and gun violence prevention.
Meet the candidates: Hampton City Council
Candidate questionnaire · The Daily Press and The Virginian-Pilot (via Yahoo News) · yahoo.com
“I will continue to direct resources to the Office of Youth and Young Adult Opportunities.”
Supports competitive pay for police and firefighters.
Meet the candidates: Hampton City Council
Candidate questionnaire · The Daily Press and The Virginian-Pilot (via Yahoo News) · yahoo.com
“I will support investment in competitive pay for all public safety to include law enforcement and firefighters.”
Supports narrower lots and infill housing construction.
Meet the candidates: Hampton City Council
Candidate questionnaire · The Daily Press and The Virginian-Pilot (via Yahoo News) · yahoo.com
“Initiatives like considering narrower lot sizes and thoughtful infill housing construction will provide for additional housing stock.”
Supports before- and after-school care at every elementary school.
Meet the candidates: Hampton City Council
Candidate questionnaire · The Daily Press and The Virginian-Pilot (via Yahoo News) · yahoo.com
“ensure it is available at all elementary schools and ensure we are able to meet demand at each site”

Michelle Taylor Ferebee

No party listedIncumbent

Hampton City Council member; retired from NASA Langley Research Center

The gist

Supports infill and missing middle housing.
Proposes addressing flooding and aging infrastructure.
Supports child care partnerships with providers and employers.

More about Michelle

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Supports infill and missing middle housing.
Meet the candidates: Hampton City Council
Candidate questionnaire · The Daily Press and The Virginian-Pilot (via Yahoo News) · yahoo.com
“I will continue supporting responsible infill development, missing middle housing and redevelopment of underutilized properties.”
Proposes addressing flooding and aging infrastructure.
Meet the candidates: Hampton City Council
Candidate questionnaire · The Daily Press and The Virginian-Pilot (via Yahoo News) · yahoo.com
“expanding attainable housing, helping residents maintain their homes, addressing flooding and aging infrastructure”
Supports child care partnerships with providers and employers.
Meet the candidates: Hampton City Council
Candidate questionnaire · The Daily Press and The Virginian-Pilot (via Yahoo News) · yahoo.com
“I will continue using those partnerships to bring providers, employers and state partners together to expand capacity”

Steve L. Brown

No party listedIncumbent

Vice Mayor of Hampton; retired workforce development director

The gist

Supports funding flood mitigation programs.
Supports raising flood-prone roads such as Armistead Avenue.
Proposes grants to subsidize child care costs.

More about Steve

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Supports funding flood mitigation programs.
Meet the candidates: Hampton City Council
Candidate questionnaire · The Daily Press and The Virginian-Pilot (via Yahoo News) · yahoo.com
“I will continue to fund programs that assist in flood mitigation and management.”
Supports raising flood-prone roads such as Armistead Avenue.
Meet the candidates: Hampton City Council
Candidate questionnaire · The Daily Press and The Virginian-Pilot (via Yahoo News) · yahoo.com
“we are working to raise roads that are prone to flooding, such as Armistead Avenue”
Proposes grants to subsidize child care costs.
Meet the candidates: Hampton City Council
Candidate questionnaire · The Daily Press and The Virginian-Pilot (via Yahoo News) · yahoo.com
“the city should seek out more grants that will provide a subsidy to parents who need daycare in Hampton”

Challengers are listed first and incumbents last; otherwise candidates appear in ballot order. The Gist does not rank, rate or endorse candidates. Only positions backed by a cited source are shown; 8 issues covered in this race.