Tuck seeks 2nd term as Hampton mayor, faces challenge from planning commission official, retired fire captain

On Tuesday, Mayor Donnie Tuck will try for a second term against two challengers, each of whom has experience as city officials.

Joining Tuck on the ballot are the Rev. Chris Carter, the city’s planning commission vice chairman and Richelle D. Wallace, a retired captain with the Hampton Division of Fire and Safety.

Hampton voters want answers to common concerns: managing flooding and stormwater pollution, revitalizing aging housing and neighborhoods, crime, economic development and keeping youth engaged.

Mayors in Hampton are elected to four-year terms. Below are the candidates for Hampton mayor:

Donnie R. Tuck

Age: 65

Occupation: Mayor of Hampton, former contract writer and division manager Norfolk Department of Public Works

Family: wife, Robie, adult daughter, Elizabeth

Education: B.A. Public Policy, Duke University, Master of Public Administration, Old Dominion University

Previous elected office(s): Hampton Mayor (2016 to present) City Council (2010 to 2016)

Boards: Virginia Municipal League, National Advisory Board of Cities United, Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization

Website: tuck4mayor.com

Donnie Tuck’s interest in public service sparked at a tender age growing up near downtown Chapel Hill, N.C.

There were only three dirt roads in his community, he said. As his parents and neighbors lobbied local government, mightily, to get those roads paved, he watched and learned.

“I was 25 and had moved away from Chapel Hill before those streets were paved,” he wrote in a text. “Two cars could not pass on the streets at the same time. They were not designated as one-way until they were finally paved.”

A fixture in Hampton government for a decade, Tuck seeks another term, bringing a record of increasing economic development, supporting education and jobs for youth, improving resiliency efforts against sea level rise and creating initiatives to reduce gun violence, especially among young African American males.

"I think (my top concerns) still are the safety and reducing violence ... we have had an uptick in the past four months. I think people are concerned about what goes in their neighborhoods, so quality of life,” he said. “How do we continue to improve neighborhoods particularly some of those that have neglected for years? ... and the business environment and bringing in new businesses.”

Under Tuck’s watch, neighborhoods, including Phoebus, Coliseum Center and downtown Hampton have surged with private investments. They are either completed projects, such as Rosie’s Game Emporium in the Power Plant, projects simmering along such as the Monroe Gates apartments, or the “soon-to-come” enterprise from WVS Cos and Saunders + Crouse Architects, with its promise to bring mixed-used development downtown.

Hampton also is poised to build two new neighborhood centers, one in Fox Hill and Olde Hampton, an amenity that the City Council has been seeking for years. Tuck touts redevelopment investment in Olde Hampton that has revitalized the neighborhood, $10 million in Old Northampton, and $600K in Sussex communities.

Tuck said he wants to be around to see certain projects to fruition.

“We are getting this F-22 (Raptor) squadron coming out of Florida ... actually in the year 2022. Some 750 airman and planes are coming," he said.

Another is the Hampton Road Bridge Tunnel expansion, which he says was “one of the first mayors to say, ‘let’s do this.'

Tuck said there are many projects on the council’s radar that are shrouded because of Covid-19 restrictions, projects he can’t discuss just yet, Tuck said.

“We have a number of things that, had been on council (radar) in the pipeline," Tuck said. “They will change our economy and they will change our city. I’d like to be around to see them completed.”

This is Tuck third run for mayor. In 2012, he made an unsuccessful run for mayor against Molly J. Ward, but earned the seat in 2016, besting then-Hampton mayor, George E. Wallace.

Rev. Chris Carter

Age: 52

Occupation: Owner, C.C. Carter Funeral Home; pastor, New Hope Baptist Church.

Family: wife Anita and son Christopher Jr. (C.J.)

Education: Associates of Arts, Thomas Nelson Community College, Bachelor of Arts, Liberty University and a M. A management and leadership, Liberty University.

Previous elected office: None

Boards: Vice Chairman, Hampton Planning Commission

Website: www.chriscarterformayor.com

Chris Carter sees himself as an ambassador for Hampton and said he woul if elected would forgo the mayor’s salary.

Listed as $25,000 on the city’s website, Carter said he would put that money back to the community.

"I am committed to our citizens and have been for years, which I have demonstrated as a member of the faith community as well as a member of the business community,” Carter said in an email. “A trusted leader must first lead by example.”

Carter is pastor at New Hope Baptist Church and owns C.C. Carter Funeral Home, which he manages with his wife, Anita.

He has served on the Hampton Planning Commission since 2016.

While the City Council has final say on economic development or incoming businesses, most applications must first pass muster with the planning commission.

For that reason, Carter sees a lot before others do.

Recently, city planners approved new zoning to pave the way for a greater mix of businesses at the Langley Research Park and gave its blessing on Rosie’s Gaming Emporium, among other things.

Carter is running on a platform to make Hampton a “Smart City.” It focuses on redevelopment, information technology to drive economic growth, expanding the city’s tax base, improving public safety and giving citizens a greater voice in their future.

“I kicked off my campaign at the Tapestry Hotel (Hampton Marina Hotel). That hotel name has been changed three times. You could change it 10,000 times, but if you don’t have anything around you are not going to attract anyone,” Carter said. “I want to make sure there is something complimentary down there.”

He believes the three significant issues facing Hampton: economic development, flooding and crime.

“You need to have a task force to look at all crime. Not all crime is not gang-related," Carter said. “You just can’t just hone-in on gang-related crime."

Richelle D. Wallace

Age: 49

Occupation: Retired Fire captain

Family: Single, daughter Kiara

Education: B.S. Public Safety, Fire Administration, Hampton University

Previous elected office: None. Ran for Hampton City Council (2018)

Boards: Urban League Guild of Hampton Roads

Website: richelle4mayor.com

When retired firefighter Richelle D. Wallace decided to run, her high school daughter, studying at home since schools closed, pitched in to help.

“Campaigning during the pandemic has worked for me,” Wallace said in an email. “It has been therapeutic. I have my campaign manager, my 17-year-old daughter who is amazing. There is no one who inspires more."

With nearly two decades with Hampton Division of Fire & Rescue and retiring as a captain, this the Hampton native’s second run for public office. She wants to help end the racial and gender discrimination in the city, which she faced while working as a firefighter.

In 2015, Wallace sued Hampton for compensatory damages stemming from job discrimination. In documents obtained by the Daily Press through the Freedom of Information Act, Wallace settled with the city for $66,000.

“I’m not ashamed of my lawsuit,” she wrote in an email.

As mayor, running on a “Hampton First” agenda, some concerns are to keep neighborhoods safe, more investment in minority-owned businesses, resources for families and communities and the wellbeing of first responders.

Focusing on Hampton public safety, the city’s emergency staff and sworn officers, as mayor Wallace said she will ensure staffing levels are where they should be. She also cites that Hampton police officers sued the city over the issue of unpaid overtime.

“Our police department has been understaffed and unappreciated,” she said. “This type of work environment has our police department’s morale at an all-time low. My focus is to end that cycle and ensure our departments have the staffing, training, and leadership needed.”

Wallace seeks to ensure the city’s Economic Development Department grant and loan programs are offered and provided to all qualified businesses.

Another concern for Wallace is Hampton youth and ensuring they have places to go.

“Too many of our families are struggling financially and can’t afford to provide extracurricular activities for their children,” she said.

Lisa Vernon Sparks, 757-247-4832, [email protected]

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