VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer has claimed victory in his bid for reelection.
With all 108 precincts reporting on Wednesday afternoon, Dyer holds 41% of the vote. Council member Sabrina Wooten follows behind at 31.65%; John Moss at 17.11%; Chris Taylor at nearly 8%; and R.K. Kowalewitch is under 3%. Provisional ballots are currently outstanding.
Dyer first took the helm as mayor in 2018, after representing the Centerville District for 14 years on the Virginia Beach City Council. Under his tenure as mayor, Virginia Beach was ranked by U.S. News this year as the number one place to live on the East Coast, and number eight overall for the country.
While Dyer credits that to the rest of the work from city council, he also boasts a pro-business agenda.
“We’re proud of the fact that since I've become mayor, we’re open for business. We brought in Amazon," Dyer said. "The Dome site and Rudee loop sat vacant for 30 years, and things are moving. Companies are coming here and other companies are expanding. Acoustical Sheetmetal just built a new factory, Stihl is putting in another $60 million. We have broadband cable coming... it's going to take our economic development to the next level and keep people's children right here in the city."
Around 7 a.m. Wednesday, Dyer's opponent Councilman Taylor said in a social media post that he accepted the results of the race and congratulated Dyer as the mayoral winner.
Hours later around 10:30 a.m., Moss also took to social media to thank his supporters and volunteers for their work on the campaign and congratulated Dyer on his reelection.