The Ballot Brief
Newport News city, Virginia

Member City Council - Seat B, South District

3 candidates are tracked for Member City Council - Seat B, South District on the November 3, 2026 ballot: John R. Eley III, Clifton J. Atkins and Devon P. Hamilton. Candidate information follows official Newport News City election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.

About this race

3 certified candidates for Member City Council - Seat B, South District on the November 3, 2026 ballot; John R. Eley III is listed as the incumbent by the Department of Elections, per the Virginia Department of Elections' certified local candidate list (updated September 3, 2026). Virginia local offices are nonpartisan on the ballot unless a candidate was nominated by a party; the number of seats filled and the district lines come from the locality's own ballot. Only the seats for your town, ward or district appear on your ballot.

What this office does

City council member. The council is the city's legislative body. It adopts the city budget and tax rate, passes ordinances on zoning, public safety, utilities and local services, and hires the city manager where the charter provides one. Members may represent a district or the whole city.

This race. The sitting officeholder, John R. Eley III, is on the ballot.

Virginia › Newport News City › Member City Council - Seat B, South District

John R. Eley III

Independent Incumbent

Top priorities
  • Working with local businesses and higher-education partners to expand access to good-paying jobs and career opportunities

Per the campaign site.

Biography

John R. Eley III owns Your Hair Boutique and works as a marketing consultant, per a WAVY.com candidate profile. A lifelong resident of Southeast Newport News, he previously served on the Newport News School Board before his election to the city council's South District Seat B, per the same profile. His campaign site, johneley.com, frames the 2026 race as a re-election bid.

Campaign site (opens in a new tab)

Clifton J. Atkins

Independent

Top priorities
  • Supports eliminating real estate taxes for senior homeowners and expanding first-time homeownership opportunities
  • Supports cleanup and revitalization of older neighborhood structures and expanding adult and vocational education programs
  • Supports directing more city construction bids to local small contractors and small businesses

Per the campaign site.

Biography

Clifton J. Atkins has lived in Newport News for almost fifty years and holds a Virginia Class B contractor's license after training in the building trades, per his candidate questionnaire response to WAVY-TV. He organizes an annual eight-mile run from the MLK Plaza to the Emancipation Oak at Hampton University marking Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth, and previously ran for city council in 2024. No campaign website was found as of September 27, 2026.

Devon P. Hamilton

Independent

Top priorities
  • Says his top priorities are jobs, education, transportation and public safety
  • Supports limiting the influence of large corporate donors in local elections and wants city government to be more transparent and accountable to residents
  • Opposes allowing new data centers to be developed in the city

Per the campaign site.

Biography

Devon P. Hamilton is a lifelong resident of Newport News who works for the city's Parks Facility Maintenance Division, per his candidate questionnaire response to WAVY-TV. No campaign website was found as of September 27, 2026.

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Questions about this race

Who is running for Member City Council - Seat B, South District in 2026?

3 candidates are tracked for Member City Council - Seat B, South District on the November 3, 2026 ballot: John R. Eley III, Clifton J. Atkins and Devon P. Hamilton. Candidate information follows official Newport News City election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.

When is the Member City Council - Seat B, South District election in Virginia?

Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Registration deadlines, early voting dates and mail ballot rules for Virginia are on the Virginia election hub at theballotbrief.com.

How do I see my exact Newport News city ballot?

Enter your ZIP code in the lookup at theballotbrief.com for the statewide and congressional races, or a full street address to add the county, city and district contests for that location.

Verify this race

Candidate roster from official Newport News city and state election office filings. Bios and priorities carry their attribution inline.

Cross-check with the official Virginia election office, or see the full Newport News City sample ballot and your exact ballot by address.

The rest of your Newport News city ballot

8 tracked races in Newport News city, Virginia. Landed here from another county's search? Look up your own ballot below.

Also on your ballot
Member School Board, North DistrictMember School Board, South DistrictMayor, Newport News CitySee all 8 Newport News city races
Candidate profiles
John R. Eley III, full profileClifton J. Atkins, full profileDevon P. Hamilton, full profileOfficial Virginia election office