John Eley, III is a candidate for Newport News City Council. His 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 a 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: John Eley, III
Race: Newport News City Council
Biography: As a lifelong native of Southeast Newport News, I have witnessed first hand the rapid growth of our city, as well as the strong spirit of our citizens. A graduate of Menchville High School in Newport News, I am a current member of the Newport News School Board, an active member of the community, a local business owner, and director of What’s Next Foundation.
My passion as an advocate of career and technical education and arts education helped to enable me to be elected to the School Board in May 2016. I was born and raised in Newport News and reside in the South District as an elected official. I am a positive influence in the lives of people in the Southeast Community and throughout the region. My interests in providing jobs, affordable housing, youth programming economic development and quality education will help to continue the growth and success of our city.
As an elected official, I have led the integration of Arts into the S.T.E.M curriculum across elementary, middle, and high schools producing a S.T.E.A.M-focused educational program for the city of Newport News, pioneered the introduction of new courses including, music production engineering and entrepreneurship into our schools.
I passionately advocate for all employees of Newport News Public School system to continue to see consistent increase in annual salaries and wages to meet the needs of the rising cost of living, as well as ensured that all high schools in Newport News met or exceeded the state accreditation standards for Virginia. I have initiated anti-gang violence programs throughout the city to make our communities safer through the iCount Program with focuses on mentorship, team building, youth development, and career placement, and developed relationships with local small business which allowed me to create strong partnerships in the school systems which help bridge the gap between education and business.
During my tenure on the school board I have been instrumental in implementing policies that directly increase our graduation rate to 93.4% and decrease our dropout rate to 2.2%. As lifelong citizen of Newport News I plan to continue to move this city forward and make sure Newport News is one of the top places to live.
Why should residents elect you to City Council?
My commitment to the city of Newport News to make sure the citizens of the community have a voice and representation that represents the needs of the community.
What are the top three priorities you would tackle if elected?
- Education and youth recreation expansion
- Workforce development
- Public safety
What is the most pressing economic issue facing your community, and how would you address it?
The most pressing economic issue in the city is workforce. I will continue my efforts to work with local businesses and higher education partners to make sure citizens have excess to good paying jobs and career opportunities.
What are your community’s biggest infrastructure needs, and how do you plan to fulfill them?
Schools are one of the biggest infrastructure need in our city the average age of our school buildings are over 50 years old . Partnership with state and local government to solve the problem of aging school buildings will help close the gap of aging school facilities in Newport News.
How is gun violence impacting your community, and how do you plan to address gun violence?
I plan to address gun violence by addressing the following:
- Youth and recreation engagement
- Workforce development
- Mental health support
- Re-entry programs
- Prevention initiatives
The city is on the right track by partnering with grass root organizations to be partners with solving the problem. By allowing the community to be a part of the process data shows that these efforts would close the gap with gun violence in our community.