In Suffolk’s city council election, Ebony Wright defeated incumbent Roger Fawcett for the Sleepy Hole Borough seat becoming the first Black woman elected to the city’s governing body.
WHRO caught up with Wright to talk about her victory, and plans for office.
This interview was edited for time and clarity.
NICK MCNAMARA: You’re the first Black woman elected to council in Suffolk. Up north, Ayanna Williams became the first Black woman elected to council in Williamsburg. What does this say to you about Hampton Roads?
EBONY WRIGHT: What it says to me is that women are progressively gaining positions that impact their communities.
So, I'm not a native of Suffolk. I'm a native of California. The military brought me here, and I've been here over 20 years. When I started off and started my run for city council, I didn't even think about that. Like, I was running because I wanted to make some meaningful change in my community.
But as I ran, people made that comment. I'll tell you, it was a little shocking to me that there hadn't been an African American woman on city council. There are quite a few, I believe we have three African American men on City Council and the city has seen a black mayor, Johnnie Mizelle – but I didn't know, because I'm not a native from here. All I wanted to do was impact change.
It didn't change my race. I'll tell you it is an honor to be the first, but I didn't set out to be the first.
NM: What do you think this year’s election results spell to city officials about the direction that residents want to see Suffolk move in?
EW: The main thing is building an effective communication plan with constituents that focuses on transparency, community engagement and community consensus. A lot of the development that has happened, the rapid growth that has happened in our city, has caused our quality of life to change significantly.
Now, some things could have been avoided. Some things could have been more strategically planned, especially where infrastructure is in place on rezoning and items that have been rezoned before – like previously rezoned maybe 10 years ago or before the current administration. But what could have been done differently was the infrastructure and ensuring that we take a look at how things have been rezoned before we approve zoning applications going forward.
The biggest thing for this election is the ability for the city to communicate what can be done, what has been done and to take some ownership when there have been some issues or some decisions that were poorly made.
NM: On the topic of growth and development, I’m curious what you think Suffolk can do to safeguard its Villages?
EW: To safeguard its villages, again, I think we have to be careful in how we plan and develop. We have to ensure we fix some of the infrastructure with our villages. They have made some recent improvement to the village plans, which I think is going to move us in the right direction, but I feel that there is still much to be desired.
NM: What needs do you think need to be prioritized for Suffolk Public Schools in the next year?
EW: I think the immediate things that need to be taken care of are the things that we can. There's a mold issue at John Yeates Middle School; that doesn't require you rebuilding a school, but it does require some type of mediation, mold remediation for that school.
And to make sure we have safety measures in place to ensure that our kids are safe. We had an issue this past year, but I believe Suffolk Public Schools is working to improve the safety. I think they're doing a good job at working to improve the safety of our schools.
But the key things are health and safety for me. Because when it comes to building and things that are in the capital improvement plan, many of those things are much further down the line and require money that we may or may not have. But the things we can fix are the safety and health type issues that I think we should take close look at.
NM: Is there anything else you think Suffolk voters or residents should know about you to understand your perspective that you'll take with you into office?
EW: My perspective is we are voted in by the people, and we work for the people.
And it is my desire, my hope, and I will do as best as I can to govern with honor, courage, commitment and integrity and ensure that I carry their voice to the table.
I may not get it right every time, and I may not be perfect, but what I will be is honest and walk with integrity and be honorable.
