WAVY.com

Candidate Profile: Dr. Ella Ward (Chesapeake City Council)

Adrienne Mayfield

Dr. Ella Ward is a candidate for Chesapeake City Council. Her name will appear on the ballot on Nov. 8, 2022.

Dr. Ella Ward is a candidate for Chesapeake City Council. Her name will appear on the ballot on Nov. 8, 2022.

10 On Your Side reached out to all of the candidates running in this race. If you do not see the candidate listed with a profile, we did not receive one.


See who is on your ballot by viewing the candidate lists on the Virginia Department of Elections website.

Name: Dr. Ella Ward

Race: Chesapeake City Council

WAVY.com November 8 Voter Guide

Biography Chesapeake Councilwoman Dr. Ella P. Ward served 35 years as a Portsmouth Public School teacher and administrator, 16 years on the Chesapeake City Council, six years on the Chesapeake School Board, eight years on the Virginia Board of Education (five of the eight years as vice president), 14 years on the HRPDC (two years as chair), 13 years on the HRTPO, and eight years on the Board of Visitors of Christopher Newport University.

Elected and professional experience

Formal education

Awards and honors

Community service

Active membership in many organizations

Family

She has been happily married to Herman L. Ward for 57 years, and they have one son, Torilus O. Ward (Sharron), a retired U.S. Navy commander and assistant director of facilities at Norfolk State University.

Why should residents elect you to City Council?

Residents should re-elect me to Chesapeake City Council because experience is important during these challenging times. I have a proven track record of having served the citizens of Chesapeake as an elected official for the past 22 years (six years on the school board and more than 16 years on the Chesapeake City Council).

For the past 14  years, I have represented the city of Chesapeake on two regional boards (Hampton Roads Planning District Commission and the Hampton Roads Transportation Organization) that have worked together  to bring more than $20 billion dollars in infrastructure projects to the 757/Hampton Roads Region.

What are your top three priorities you would like to tackle if elected?

  1. Securing funding for public safety officers, to include a source of funding for annual raises and the completion of the public safety training facility.
  2. Completing all of Chesapeake’s transportation projects, to include the High Rise Bridge and getting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to widen the Deep Creek Bridge.
  3. Restoring curbside recycling with a minimal trash Fee.

What is the most pressing economic issue facing your community, and how would you address it?

The most pressing economic issue facing my community is the major increases in real estate taxes and personal property taxes due to increases in assessments that resulted from rapid increase in home sales and the buyers offered more than the asking price of new homes. Home sales soared during the pandemic and this resulted in more homes sold at higher rates and the increases in assessments which resulted in higher real estate taxes for home owners.

Increased values for used cars and the difficulty in getting new cars due to supply chain shortages resulted in huge increases in personal property taxes on all vehicles. I would work to actually reduce the real estate taxes to $101.1 rather than the rebates awarded to Chesapeake’s citizens, and I would work with my council colleagues to continue with the reduced personal property tax rate, which was reduced to 75% of the vehicle’s value for at least another year.

What are your community’s biggest infrastructure needs, and how do you plan to fulfill them?

Connectivity and transportation are two of the biggest infrastructure needs in Chesapeake. If re-elected, I will continue to work with my council colleagues to make sure that Chesapeake continues with its financial commitment to support broadband and the fiber optic cable system that will provide greater connectivity for our number one school system and to help our residents in distressed communities, as well as southern Chesapeake so that they can avoid dropped calls.

I would continue to work with my council colleagues to ensure the completion of the High Rise Bridge and work with the Army Corps of Engineers to get the Deep Creek Bridge replacement accomplished. I would also work with my colleagues on council to secure more state and federal funding for enhanced “walkability,” more green space, and more support for protecting the environment.

How is gun violence affecting your community, and how do you plan to address gun violence?

Gun violence is having a negative impact on our Chesapeake city, as well as around the region, and it will take a unified coalition of community groups, political groups, and public safety groups to help address gun violence. If re-elected, I will work with my council colleagues and the city manager to get the entire community engaged, including community leaders, public safety officers, faith communities, business leaders, schools, young adults, public health leaders, mental health professionals, students, and parents to help tackle this problem which has reached epidemic heights, especially within the last few years.

I will work with my colleagues to provide adequate affordable housing, more jobs that provide a” living wage,” and more recreational facilities and activities that keep youth engaged and working during the summer. I would work with colleagues to demand that our state and federal leaders vote for sensible gun legislation. I would work with city, state, and federal leaders to provide resources to help eradicate poverty, areas with food deserts, public health deserts, and mental health deserts in Chesapeake.