Hampton Mayor Donnie Tuck won’t seek reelection; vice mayor plans to run for seat
Hampton Mayor Donnie Tuck is not planning to seek another term as mayor.
Tuck, 69, said that after eight years in the role, he wanted a better work-life balance. He said he wanted to spend more time with his wife and that he also wanted there to be “an opportunity for somebody else to come along and have a shot at it.”
Tuck, now retired, has served the Hampton government since winning a council seat in 2010 and again in 2014. He was elected mayor in 2016 in a victory that unseated incumbent George Wallace. He said that after 14 years of serving the city on council, he wants to “try to do something different.”
Under his leadership, Tuck said the city and the region made more of an effort to try to prevent gun violence — particularly among the city’s young Black men. Tuck said he helped get the city involved with Bloomberg Philanthropies, which led to Hampton becoming one of 25 cities to join the Bloomberg American Sustainable Cities initiative — a three-year effort that will use federal funding to address climate change and racial wealth inequity. During his time as mayor, the city also launched Hopeful Hampton — a youth violence prevention program — and secured $4.6 million to establish resource centers in neighborhoods with the greatest concentration of firearm-related violence as part of a community-based public safety plan.
Tuck said that Dec. 31 will be his last day as mayor. He still plans to stay in the city and said he would like to serve as a mentor for city youth.
Vice Mayor Jimmy Gray is the only candidate to have filed to run for mayor so far, according to the Hampton voter registrar. The deadline to file for November elections in local city council races is June 18.
Gray said once Tuck informed him he didn’t plan to seek another term, Gray consulted with friends and family about running for the position.
“I think (with) the strong relationships I have here in Hampton and throughout the region, I think I’m a good candidate to serve the city in the position of mayor going forward,” Gray said
Gray, 68, has served on the council since 2016 and as vice mayor since 2018. Now retired, he previously served as the Hampton fire chief and Hampton assistant city manager.
He said addressing poverty and homelessness and working on initiatives to move people into self-sufficiency are among his top priorities. He also wants to continue to support and seek funding for efforts that identify people who are most likely to be either a victim of a violent crime or a perpetrator of violent crime and then get them the appropriate resources to try to intervene before incidents occur. Gray believes the city has recently had success in attracting new development, new housing and new retail, but said “there’s still a lot of work to be done” and that he “has what it takes” to bring more strategic development to the city.
Gray said on council, he’s been most proud of efforts to improve city employee pay and benefits, including a public safety step plan implemented in the current fiscal year. As mayor, he wants to ensure the city remains competitive and that understaffed departments have positions filled.
Tuck said he plans to endorse Gray this year, saying he “knows” he will be a good mayor. He said Gray is even more involved with the city than he is.
“He has a lot of connections,” Tuck said. “I think he also has the city’s heart at mind. I think he wants to do good for the city. He listens to people.”
Hampton’s charter requires council members to resign from their seats to run for mayor. Voter Registrar Tara Morgan said Gray needs to submit his notice to resign 10 days before June 18, the filing deadline for candidates. She said Gray can remain on council until Dec. 31 of this year.
Gray’s council seat is not among those up for election this November. His term expires in 2026. But with Gray seeking the mayor’s office, a special election for his current seat will coincide with the other council races in November. Council seats currently held by Billy Hobbs, Hope Harper and Chris Bowman are also up for election this year.
Josh Janney, joshua.janney@virginiamedia.com
