Council votes to add election precinct on Hampton U. campus

Dec. 10, 2025 -- With an overflow crowd packing the chambers at City Hall, the City Council on Wednesday evening voted unanimously to create a new election polling place on the campus of Hampton University.

The speakers in support of the ordinance included Del. Jeion Ward, Delegate-elect Virgil Thornton, Hampton School Board chair Richard Mason and Hampton University President Darrell K. Williams.

The new polling place, which will be located at the Convocation Center, will improve voter access in East Hampton but will not affect the boundaries of any Congressional or General Assembly district. The current East Hampton precinct covers more than 4,200 residents; the new polling place on the Hampton U. campus will take more than 2,000 of them.

Also at the evening legislative session, the council deferred a re-zoning application for construction of a single-family residence on Pembroke Avenue, and it approved a use permit for a restaurant and lounge in the Coliseum Central district.

The City Council also voted to revoke the use permit for a downtown restaurant and lounge for a failure to comply with the terms of the permit.

At the start of the legislative session, Mayor Jimmy Gray recognized the owners of Simply Pastiche and Mango Mangeaux as the popular Phoebus eatery prepares to close at the end of the year.

"The Simply Panache brand is instantly recognizable around Phoebus as a symbol of high quality, positive energy and community engagement," Mayor Gray said. "And that's something that's not going to change at the end of the year.

The mayor also recognized students from each of the city's four public high schools whose artwork will be on the City Council's holiday cards this year - Bethel senior Naima Gregory, Kecoughtan sophomore Aliyah Boyce, Phoebus freshman Jaelyn Harris and Hampton junior Anastasia Ivanenciuc.

The afternoon legislative session included a briefing on the comprehensive financial report for Fiscal Year 2025, which ended on June 30.

The council began its day with a closed session meeting to discuss the upcoming General Assembly session in Richmond.

Minutes and full video of the work and legislative sessions will be posted here.

These were the final meetings scheduled for 2025. The next City Council meeting is scheduled for Jan. 14.

A full house crowds into City Council chambers for Wednesday night's meeting.