Chris Taylor (Virginia)
Chris Taylor is a member of the Virginia Beach City Council, representing District 8. He assumed office on January 1, 2023. His current term ends on December 31, 2026.
Taylor ran for election for Mayor of Virginia Beach. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Taylor completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Chris Taylor was born in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He graduated from First Colonial High School. He attended Virginia Commonwealth University and earned a bachelor's degree from Virginia Wesleyan College in 2006. His career experience includes working as a small business founder and owner and city council member along with working in real estate, business development management, and hospitality sales.[1]
Elections
2024
See also: Mayoral election in Virginia Beach, Virginia (2024)
General election
General election for Mayor of Virginia Beach
Incumbent Bob Dyer defeated Sabrina Wooten, John Moss, Chris Taylor, and Richard Kowalewitch in the general election for Mayor of Virginia Beach on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Bob Dyer (Nonpartisan) | 41.1 | 80,084 |
 | Sabrina Wooten (Nonpartisan)  | 31.6 | 61,516 | |
 | John Moss (Nonpartisan) | 17.1 | 33,267 | |
 | Chris Taylor (Nonpartisan) | 7.6 | 14,757 | |
 | Richard Kowalewitch (Nonpartisan) | 2.4 | 4,756 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.3 | 573 | ||
| Total votes: 194,953 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Cheryl Turpin (Nonpartisan)
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Taylor in this election.
2022
See also: City elections in Virginia Beach, Virginia (2022)
General election
General election for Virginia Beach City Council District 8
Chris Taylor defeated John Andrews and Rona Marsh in the general election for Virginia Beach City Council District 8 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Chris Taylor (Nonpartisan) | 42.0 | 8,788 |
 | John Andrews (Nonpartisan) | 29.0 | 6,069 | |
 | Rona Marsh (Nonpartisan) | 28.4 | 5,949 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.6 | 117 | ||
| Total votes: 20,923 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Chris Taylor completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Taylor's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Councilmember Chris Taylor was elected in November 2022 as the District 8 representative. Born and raised in Virginia Beach, he is a graduate of First Colonial High School and Virginia Wesleyan University.
I am the 6th generation in my family to have grown up in the King’s Grant area of Virginia Beach. My great-great grandmother, Mary Jane Etheridge, lived to be 112 years old. My great grandmother, Charolette Ann Berry, and my best friend, lived to be 105 years old. They both lived their entire lives in King’s Grant.
My wife, Kimberly Taylor, and I were married in 2015. We have two young sons named Caleb and Christian, and a new born daughter, Charlotte. I am a family man at heart, but my duties as a City Councilman have helped me stay in touch with the community. I’ve learned a great deal about our city and my focus is on growth and supporting families throughout Virginia Beach.
I have been appointed to the Bayfront Advisory Commission, Community Criminal Justice Board and Hampton Roads Planning District Commission, and serves as a City Council liaison for the Atlantic Park Community Development Authority, Health Services Advisory Board, Housing Advisory Board, Military Economic Development Advisory Committee, Open Space Advisory Committee, Resort Advisory Commission and School Modernization Special Project.
- Making the Community’s voice my top priority.
- Ensuring tax payer dollars are stewarded responsibly. Providing transparency at every level of local government and within every city department.
- Leading with Integrity. Ensuring the City Manager is held accountable for all departments performance.
These are the issues I want to address. As a leader, I understand that it is my job to focus on the what is most important to the people.
Small business and responsible Economic Development.
Prioritizing our youth and actively promoting mental health initiatives that address the most pressing issues within our youth community.
Education- Support for pre-school and after-school programming while also working with parents to identify additional resources to better aid their children.
Continue mentorship expansion within our elementary and middle schools.
Public Safety- Work to support Police, Fire and EMT across the City while advocating for increased funding to hire, train, and retain top talent for these departments.
My Father and Great Grandmother. My father was born in Seatack community of Virginia Beach to a single mother. He worked hard to graduate high school and begin a career. As a result, my brother and I were the first in his family to graduate college (VCU and Virginia Wesleyan).
My great grandmother was born in 1909 in Princess Anne County. With only a 7th grade teacher education, she went on to raise a family, serve in the community, and lead her family. As a result of her hard work and sacrifice, my mother and her sisters were able to attend segregated schools in the early 1960’s. An opportunity that led to my Aunt Sandy Berry Copeland being the first African American female scholarship athlete at Virginia Tech in 1979.
I was taught by both to be genuine and work hard.
No. Both of my campaigns have been grassroots. I have worked with all sides of the political spectrum and desire to represent all the citizens of Virginia Beach, regardless of their political views/beliefs.
This is no time to be partisan. We must elect leaders that desire to serve the people and not special interests.
Trustworthiness and Character. Elected leaders must respect the citizen’s voice and do their best to vote the voice of the community.
Integrity is an important principle. What we say and how we say it matters. I meet people everyday, and when we take time to have a conversation we are able to move past politics and focus on what we have in common. Civility is missing in local government and citizens desperately need leaders that understand respect is required and not desired.
Collaboration and effective communication are also important characteristics of strong leadership. Finding common ground is only the first step. I realize now, more than ever, that keeping my word and following through is what the people of Virginia Beach really desire in a public servant.
The Mayor needs to be an effective listener and communicator. My diverse background in coaching, corporate sales, and small business prepare me well for the role.
The mayor is a member of the VB city council. He or she presides over council meetings and official city ceremonies. The mayor also represents the city on the state, national, and international levels.
We need a Mayor that is professional and represents are City with class and dignity.
Another primary responsibility is to set a clear agenda for the city council and staff. The Mayor must be impartial to special interests to ensure that the most pressing issues are addressed each week.
The Mayor must communicate clearly. The Vice Mayor and Mayor work together to guide the Council each week in deliberations. The Mayor must provide clarity not confusion.
A Mayor that made the people his top priority. A Mayor that listened to the community and took bold action to ensure the people’s voice was heard.
A city government that was the most transparent in City history.
9/11 as a Senior in High School. I was sitting in Marketing class when the news broke. We watched in awe on television as our nation was attacked my terrorists.
Very first job was as a busboy at a local restaurant. Pine Tree Inn. I learned how to be respectful in the dining room while watching closely the needs of patrons. I was on the job for 6-8 months.
The Slight Edge by Jeff Olsen- do today what others don’t and you will have tomorrow what others won’t. Our daily actions matter and we all get the same 24hr. Make them count!
I lost my mime three weeks before my Junior Year in college and my father on my 33rd birthday.
It was a struggle in my 20’s and 30’s to understand the nature of grief. Our parents are our heroes and losing both at an early age was challenging.
I’m thankful for a supportive community that pushed me to continue working and striving to reach my goals.
The Mayor in our council-manager form of government has no additional authority. The mayor must carry themselves in a respectful manner and be willing to take on the hard decisions.
As the ceremonial leader, it means the Mayor should be present and visible for key moments and available to meet with key stakeholders.
The Leader must be willing to engage with the citizens of the community when other elected officials refuse to do so.
The Mayor as leader should work to represent the people’s interests on local, national, and the international level.
The Mayor should be actively engaged and aware of any issues that impact the city. My top priority will be transparency and accountability to citizens.
The citizens should never be caught off guard by a vote or issue in the city.
If elected, I will ensure citizens know what the City Manager is doing and we will hold him accountable to produce results aligned with citizen input.
This is my hometown. I love the communities and people that make up our great city. I love the natural setting and open space Virginia Beach provides to residents.
Financial stewardship of tax payer dollars. Without effective oversight, the issues of flooding, public safety, and education will not be addressed in a manner that produces the best outcomes for citizens.
We need more collaboration with the State Government. Less partisanship and more partnership.
We need the state to realize the burden local governments carry when state leaders fail to govern effectively.
As the largest city by population in VA, there is plenty of opportunity for more collaboration with our federal agencies.
Whether housing or education, Virginia Beach stands out as a place ready for more collaboration with Washington.
As the next Mayor, I will commit to working with the Federal Government to create additional opportunities for our city. In order to build a better relationship, the Mayor must actively pursue opportunities to engage with both state and federal leaders.
Why did the Chicken cross the road?
Virginia Beach has a council-manager form of government. As Mayor, I will be clear to the City Council and the City Manager, my expectations for law enforcement.
As a council-member, I have communicated often and clearly any issues or concerns. Our police chief knows that Councilman Taylor is vigilant and engaged with our law enforcement team.
Government should always seek to be as transparent as possible. Government and especially our City Manager should always seek to be accountable for the results they produce.
I believe we should limit the amount of closed session deliberations and bring issues to the public as soon as possible. We must acknowledge when things go awry and accept proper responsibility for our performance.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
2022
Chris Taylor did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on August 25, 2024
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by - |
Virginia Beach City Council District 8 2023-Present |
Succeeded by - |
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