Six seats on the Virginia Beach City Public Schools Board of Education were up for general election on November 4, 2014. The districts of Bayside, Beach, Lynnhaven and Princess Anne were up for re-election, in addition to two at-large seats.

For the at-large seats, incumbents Dorothy Holtz and Robert Melatti sought re-election against four challengers. They were Alvenia Leboeuf, Ashley McLeod, Gregg O’Neil and Osmay Torres.

In the Bayside (District 4) race, incumbent Carolyn Weems faced challenger Clenise Platt. In the Beach (District 6) race, incumbent Samuel Reid competed against Sharon Felton. Lynnhaven (District 5) incumbent Emma L. Davis did not file for re-election; three candidates sought her seat. They were Michael Kelly, Carolyn Rye and Gregory Strangways. Two candidates, Kimberly Melnyk and Frances Thompson challenged incumbent William Brunke for the Princess Anne (District 7) seat.

Holtz and McLeod won election to the at-large seats. Weems, Felton, Rye and Melnyk won their respective district seats.

About the district[edit]

See also: Virginia Beach City Public Schools, Virginia

Virginia Beach City Public Schools is located in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Virginia Beach City Public Schools is located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Virginia Beach is home to 437,994 residents, according to the United States Census Bureau.^[1] In the 2011-2012 school year, Virginia Beach City Public Schools was the third-largest school district in Virginia and served 70,978 students.^[2]

Demographics[edit]

Virginia Beach City underperformed in comparison to the rest of Virginia in terms of higher education achievement and median household income in 2012. The United States Census Bureau found that 32.3 percent of Virginia Beach City residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree compared to 34.7 percent for Virginia as a whole. The median household income in Virginia Beach City was $65,980 compared to $63,636 for the state of Virginia. The poverty rate in Virginia Beach City was 7.4 percent compared to 11.1 percent for the entire state.^[1]

Racial Demographics, 2013^[1]
Race	Virginia Beach City (%)	Virginia (%)
White	67.7	68.6
Black or African American	19.6	19.4
American Indian and Alaska Native	0.4	0.4
Asian	6.1	5.5
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0.2	0.1
Two or More Races	4.0	2.9
Hispanic or Latino	6.6	7.9

Presidential Voting Pattern^[3]
Year	Democratic Vote (%)	Republican Vote (%)
2012	48.0	50.5
2008	49.1	49.8
2004	40.2	59.1
2000	41.6	55.9

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Voter and candidate information[edit]

The Virginia Beach School Board consists of eleven members that serve staggered four-year terms. Three members are elected at-large, and eight members are elected by specific geographic district. There was no primary election, and the general election was held on November 4, 2014. Six seats, including two at-large seats, were up for election in 2014.^[4]

The filing deadline for school board candidates to get on the ballot in this election was August 15, 2014.^[4]

Elections[edit]

2014[edit]

Candidates[edit]

At-large (two seats)[edit]

	2016 → ;
	2014 Virginia Beach City Public Schools Elections
General Election date:
	November 4, 2014
Table of Contents
	About the district ; Method of election ; Elections ; What was at stake? ; Key deadlines ; Additional elections ; External links
See also
	Virginia ; Virginia Beach City Public Schools ; Local ballot measures, Virginia

Dorothy Holtz
- Incumbent
- Graduate, Fordham University and Old Dominion University
- Retired educator
Alvenia Leboeuf
- Retired instructional specialist
Ashley McLeod
- Graduate, Indiana University
- Communications and membership director, Virginia Maritime Association
Robert Melatti
- Incumbent
- Graduate, Old Dominion University
- Program director, Beachevents
Gregg O’Neil
- Graduate, Salem University and Troy University
- Lieutenant, Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office
Osmay Torres
- Veteran, United States Navy
- Graduate, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Regent University and Florida State University
- Continuous Improvement Manager, LifeNet Health

Bayside (District 4)[edit]

Clenise Platt
- Graduate, The College of William and Mary and Old Dominion University
- Financial consultant
Carolyn Weems
- Incumbent
- Graduate, Clemson University
- Volunteer, Virginia Beach City Public Schools

Beach (District 6)[edit]

Sharon Felton
- Staff, Old Dominion University's Perry Research Library
Samuel Reid
- Incumbent
- Veteran, United States Navy
- Committee member, Virginia Beach Transit Extension Study Citizens Advisory Committee, the Headquarters Hotels Taskforce and the Oceana Land Use Conformity Committee

Lynnhaven (District 5)[edit]

Michael Kelly
- Clinical associate professor, Virginia Tech
Carolyn Rye
- Graduate, The College of William and Mary and Fairleigh Dickinson University
- Substitute teacher, Virginia Beach City Public Schools
Gregory Strangways
- Graduate, Virginia Tech and the University of Richmond
- Director, LifeNet Health

Princess Anne (District 7)[edit]

William Brunke
- Incumbent
- Graduate, Dominican College of Blauvelt
- Certified public accountant
Kimberly Melnyk
- Graduate, Longwood University
- Former educator and current volunteer, Virginia Beach City Public Schools
- Part owner, Premier Millwork and Lumber Company
Frances Thompson
- Graduate, Hampton University and Old Dominion University
- Retired educator and counselor

Election results[edit]

**Virginia Beach City Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2014**
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Dorothy Holtz Incumbent	24.8%	34,749
	Nonpartisan	Ashley McLeod	22%	30,823
	Nonpartisan	Robert Melatti Incumbent	20.1%	28,261
	Nonpartisan	Alvenia Leboeuf	12.9%	18,146
	Nonpartisan	Osmay Torres	11.1%	15,528
	Nonpartisan	Gregg O’Neil	8.7%	12,182
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	0.4%	579
Total Votes				140,268
Source: Virginia Department of Elections, "Official Election Results," accessed December 29, 2014

**Virginia Beach City Public Schools, Bayside District General Election, 4-year term, 2014**
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Carolyn Weems Incumbent	67%	53,625
	Nonpartisan	Clenise Platt	32.7%	26,160
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	0.3%	273
Total Votes				80,058
Source: Virginia Department of Elections, "Official Election Results," accessed December 29, 2014

**Virginia Beach City Public Schools, Beach District General Election, 4-year term, 2014**
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Sharon Felton	60.6%	47,325
	Nonpartisan	Samuel Reid Incumbent	39%	30,408
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	0.4%	297
Total Votes				78,030
Source: Virginia Department of Elections, "Official Election Results," accessed December 29, 2014

**Virginia Beach City Public Schools, Lynnhaven District General Election, 4-year term, 2014**
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Carolyn Rye	43.9%	33,493
	Nonpartisan	Michael Kelly	43.6%	33,271
	Nonpartisan	Gregory Strangways	12.1%	9,242
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	0.4%	274
Total Votes				76,280
Source: Virginia Department of Elections, "Official Election Results," accessed December 29, 2014

**Virginia Beach City Public Schools, Princess Anne District General Election, 4-year term, 2014**
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Kimberly Melnyk	37.6%	29,379
	Nonpartisan	William Brunke Incumbent	36%	28,147
	Nonpartisan	Frances Thompson	26%	20,301
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	0.4%	276
Total Votes				78,103
Source: Virginia Department of Elections, "Official Election Results," accessed December 29, 2014

Endorsements[edit]

The Virginia Beach Education Association PACE (Political Action Committee of Educators) endorsed incumbent Dorothy Holtz and Alvenia Leboeuf for the at-large seat, Clenise Platt for the Bayside (District 4) seat, Sharon Felton for the Beach (District 6) seat, Carolyn Rye for the Lynnhaven (District 5) seat and Kimberly Melnyk for the Princess Anne (District 7) seat.^[5]

In an October 22, 2014, editorial by The Virginian-Pilot, the staff endorsed incumbent Robert Melatti and Osmay Torres for the at-large seats, incumbent Carolyn Weems for Bayside (District 4), Sharon Felton for Beach (District 6), Michael Kelly for Lynnhaven (District 5) and incumbent William Brunke for Princess Anne (District 7).^[6]

Campaign finance[edit]

Candidates received a total of $85,316.86 and spent a total of $56,562.86, according to the Virginia State Board of Elections.^[7]

In the at-large race, candidates received a total of $36,109.31 and spent a total of $22,832.16.

Candidate	Contributions	Expenditures	Cash on hand
Dorothy Holtz	$2,500.00	$258.00	$2,242.00
Alvenia Leboeuf	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Ashley McLeod	$7,469.82	$5,486.72	$1,983.10
Robert Melatti	$15,859.00	$7,493.66	$8,365.34
Gregg O’Neil	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Osmay Torres	$10,280.49	$9,593.78	$686.71

In the Bayside (District 4) race, candidates received a total of $5,009.00 and spent a total of $5,001.42.

Candidate	Contributions	Expenditures	Cash on hand
Clenise Platt	$5,009.00	$5,001.42	$7.58
Carolyn Weems	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00

In the Beach (District 6) race, candidates received a total of $3,174.34 and spent a total of $3,029.56.

Candidate	Contributions	Expenditures	Cash on hand
Sharon Felton	$3,174.34	$3,029.56	$144.78
Samuel Reid	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00

In the Lynnhaven (District 5) race, candidates received a total of $15,831.99 and spent a total of $8,044.02.

Candidate	Contributions	Expenditures	Cash on hand
Michael Kelly	$10,418.00	$5,874.46	$4,543.54
Carolyn Rye	$1,913.99	$1,232.22	$681.77
Gregory Strangways	$3,500.00	$937.34	$2,562.66

In the Princess Anne (District 7) race, candidates received a total of $25,192.22 and spent a total of $17,655.70.

Candidate	Contributions	Expenditures	Cash on hand
William Brunke	$21,642.22	$16,069.10	$5,573.12
Kimberly Melnyk	$3,550.00	$1,586.60	$1,963.40
Frances Thompson	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00

Past elections[edit]

Information about earlier elections can be found by clicking [show] at the right.

2012

**Virginia Beach City Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2012**
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Independent	Beverly M. Anderson	18.6%	45,165
	Independent	Elizabeth E. Taylor	17.2%	41,943
	Independent	Ashley McLeod Incumbent	15.9%	38,731
	Independent	Sharon R. Felton	13.5%	32,820
	Independent	D. Scott Seery Incumbent	13.2%	32,210
	Independent	Stephen A. Johnston	6%	14,541
	Independent	Alex F. Kalasinsky	6%	14,510
	Independent	J. Michael Camden	5.5%	13,359
	Independent	Sidney T. Moore	3.8%	9,153
	Independent	Write-in votes	0.4%	996
Total Votes				243,428
Source: Virginia Beach, Virginia, "November 6, 2012 General and Special Elections," accessed October 14, 2014

**Virginia Beach City Public Schools, At-Large Special Election, 4-year term, 2012**
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Independent	Robert Melatti	56.4%	77,116
	Independent	Stephen F. Randolph	43.1%	58,985
	Independent	Write-in votes	0.5%	658
Total Votes				136,759
Source: Virginia Beach, Virginia, "November 6, 2012 General and Special Elections," accessed October 14, 2014

**Virginia Beach City Public Schools, Centerville General Election, 4-year term, 2012**
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Independent	Leonard C. Tengco	54.7%	73,795
	Independent	Eric Wray Jr.	44.9%	60,659
	Independent	Write-in votes	0.4%	531
Total Votes				134,985
Source: Virginia Beach, Virginia, "November 6, 2012 General and Special Elections," accessed October 14, 2014

**Virginia Beach City Public Schools, Kempsville General Election, 4-year term, 2012**
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Independent	Daniel D. Edwards	99.1%	127,058
	Independent	Write-in votes	0.9%	1,126
Total Votes				128,184
Source: Virginia Beach, Virginia, "November 6, 2012 General and Special Elections," accessed October 14, 2014

**Virginia Beach City Public Schools, Rose Hall General Election, 4-year term, 2012**
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Independent	Joel McDonald Jr.	59.8%	79,764
	Independent	Chris D. Arney	39.8%	53,058
	Independent	Write-in votes	0.4%	468
Total Votes				133,290
Source: Virginia Beach, Virginia, "November 6, 2012 General and Special Elections," accessed October 14, 2014

2010

Virginia Beach City Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2010
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Independent	Dorothy Holtz	36.8%	46,369
	Independent	Todd Davidson	34.1%	43,070
	Independent	D.S. Seery	28.6%	36,072
	Independent	Write-in votes	0.5%	640
Total Votes				126,151
Source: Virginia Beach, Virginia, "November 2010 General and Special Elections," accessed October 14, 2014

Virginia Beach City Public Schools, At-Large Special Election, 4-year term, 2010
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Independent	Ashley McLeod	71.3%	60,298
	Independent	G. Waugh	28.3%	23,905
	Independent	Write-in votes	0.4%	367
Total Votes				84,570
Source: Virginia Beach, Virginia, "November 2010 General and Special Elections," accessed October 14, 2014

Virginia Beach City Public Schools, Bayside General Election, 4-year term, 2010
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Independent	Carolyn Weems	69.4%	61,013
	Independent	C. Banks Jr.	30.4%	26,743
	Independent	Write-in votes	0.2%	214
Total Votes				87,970
Source: Virginia Beach, Virginia, "November 2010 General and Special Elections," accessed October 14, 2014

Virginia Beach City Public Schools, Beach General Election, 4-year term, 2010
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Independent	Samuel Reid	99.2%	75,015
	Independent	Write-in votes	0.8%	594
Total Votes				75,609
Source: Virginia Beach, Virginia, "November 2010 General and Special Elections," accessed October 14, 2014

Virginia Beach City Public Schools, Lynnhaven General Election, 4-year term, 2010
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Independent	Emma Davis	99.2%	938
	Independent	Write-in votes	0.8%	8
Total Votes				946
Source: Virginia Beach, Virginia, "November 2010 General and Special Elections," accessed October 14, 2014

Virginia Beach City Public Schools, Lynnhaven General Election, 4-year term, 2010
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Independent	William Brunke	99.2%	881
	Independent	Write-in votes	0.8%	7
Total Votes				888
Source: Virginia Beach, Virginia, "November 2010 General and Special Elections," accessed October 14, 2014

What was at stake?[edit]

Issues in the election[edit]

Bribery claims[edit]

During a radio show on October 20, 2014, Princess Anne candidate Kimberly Melnyk claimed that three elected officials, including opponent William Brunke, bribed her with committee assignments and money to drop out of the race. She also mentioned Board Chairman Dan Edwards, but refused to name the third person. Brunke strongly denied the claims, saying that they had a conversation in July 2014, where Melnyk mentioned dropping out but that she wanted to get more involved in the community; Melnyk, however, denies telling Brunke that she ever wanted to drop out of the race. Upon being asked if Melnyk ever specifically mentioned dropping out, Brunke answered, "You know, we’re talking about a relatively benign conversation that took place four months ago. I just don’t have a minute by minute recollection of exactly what words were used and where.” Edwards said that he had met with all the board candidates to discuss ways they can serve the district if they aren't elected, but said he never offered appointments or money. No complaint has yet been made to the Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office.^[8]

Key deadlines[edit]

The following dates are key deadlines for the Virginia Beach City Public Schools election in 2014:^[4]

Deadline	Event
August 15, 2014	Filing deadline for candidates
October 14, 2014	Voter registration deadline
November 4, 2014	General election

Additional elections on the ballot[edit]

See also: Virginia elections, 2014

This election shared the ballot with general elections for U.S. House seats and one U.S. Senate seat. It also shared the ballot with other county and municipal elections.^[9]

Recent news[edit]

This section links to a Google news search for the term "Virginia + Beach + City + Public + Schools + Virginia"

Virginia Beach City Public Schools News Feed

External links[edit]

Suggest a link

Footnotes[edit]

[Census-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 United States Census Bureau, "Virginia Beach, Virginia," accessed August 14, 2014

[2] National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed August 14, 2014

[3] Virginia State Board of Elections, "Election Results," accessed August 14, 2014

[board-4] 4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 Virginia Beach City, "Candidates List for General Election," accessed August 14, 2014

[5] Virginia Beach Education Association, "Endorsed Candidates," accessed October 21, 2014

[6] The Virginian-Pilot, "Our picks for Beach school board," October 22, 2014

[7] Virginia State Board of Elections, "Campaign Finance Reports," accessed October 21, 2014

[8] WAVY.com, "Candidate claims bribery in Va. Beach school board race," October 23, 2014

[deadlines-9] Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named deadlines

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2014 Virginia Beach City Public Schools Elections
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Election date:	November 4, 2014
Candidates:	At-large: • Incumbent, Dorothy Holtz • Incumbent, Robert Melatti • Alvenia Leboeuf • Ashley McLeod • Gregg O’Neil • Osmay Torres Bayside (District 4): • Incumbent, Carolyn Weems • Clenise Platt Beach (District 6): • Incumbent, Samuel Reid • Sharon Felton Lynnhaven (District 5): • Michael Kelly • Carolyn Rye • Gregory Strangways Princess Anne (District 7): • Incumbent, William Brunke • Kimberly Melnyk • Frances Thompson
Important information:	What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot

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Virginia Beach City Public Schools Elections (2014)

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