Manassas School Board, City Council Races Remain Close

MANASSAS, VA — Most of the votes have been counted for local races in the City of Manassas. Unofficial results show close races for at-large seats on the Manassas City Council and the Manassas City School Board.

With eight of the city's nine precincts reporting, Theresa Coates Ellis, Ralph Smith, and Sonia Vasquez Luna hold leads in the city council race. In the school board race, Lisa Stevens, Jill Spall, and Sara Brescia are ahead, according to unofficial results.

The votes left to be counted are absentee and mail-in ballots that were sent before polls closed on Election Day. Mail-in votes can be counted as long as they are received by 12 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 14.

Refresh this page for the latest election results. See live results at the bottom of this story.

The following candidates are running for the local seats:

• Manassas City Council
  • Democrat Dheeraj Jagadev
  • Democrat Sonia Velasquez Luna
  • Democrat Ralph Smith
  • Republican Rick Bookwalter
  • Republican Theresa Coates Ellis
  • Republican Lynn Forkell Greene
• Manassas City School Board
  • Sara Brescia
  • Samuel Gross
  • Abraham "Alex" Iqbal
  • Mel Kent
  • Jill Spall
  • Lisa Stevens

For local races in the City of Manassas, voters selected up to three candidates for the at-large seats on the school board and city council.

Therese Coates Ellis, Ralph Smith, and Lynn Forkell Greene are the incumbents seeking re-election on the Manassas City Council.

On the school board, Lisa Stevens, Jill Spall, and Alex Iqbal are incumbents.

Unofficial election results are available on the Virginia Department of Elections website now that polls have closed.

REAL-TIME RESULTS FOR MANASSAS CITY

Be sure to refresh this page for the latest results. Can't see the widget below? Click here for results from the Virginia Department of Elections.

City Council Candidates

The city council candidates have focused their campaigns on issues like increased housing opportunities, public transportation, renewed cooperation with the school board, and empowering local businesses.

Jagadev is a local educator who notes on his campaign website that he "understands the importance of ensuring that our schools are funded at appropriate levels even when the Commonwealth pushes unfunded mandates on our communities."

Velasquez Luna notes on her website that she wants to bring inclusiveness to the city government and invest in local infrastructure to build the economy.

Smith, an incumbent, did not outline specific policy goals on his website. "I am proud of our progress, but there is still more work to be done," Smith wrote.

If elected, Bookwalter says he would focus on supporting small businesses, prioritizing public safety, and empowering local educators.

Coates Ellis told Patch that she would continue to help the city rebound from the pandemic, if she is re-elected. "I will continue to fight against higher taxes and wasteful spending and will support safety for our City of Manassas community, residents, businesses, families, and students. I have been a champion to our small businesses and future workforce, and I will continue to help them to recover from COVID-19, grow, and thrive for the future," Coates Ellis wrote in her candidate profile.

Forkell Greene's re-election campaign is focused on preventing tax increases on city residents, the councilwoman said on Facebook. She hopes that her re-election could maintain "balance" on the city council.

School Board Candidates

Kent, Gross, and Brescia, the Republican challengers, all mentioned that they would like to raise the academic standards for students in the city. "I do not believe that lowering academic expectations sets students up for success," Brescia says on her campaign website.

Iqbal, Stevens, and Spall, the Democrat incumbents, support initiatives to meet students where they are. "We must meet children where they are in order to make learning possible," Spall wrote on her campaign website. "I believe an educated youth is the foundation of a thriving community."

Related:

• Candidate Profile: Jill Spall For Manassas City School Board
• Candidate Profile: Samuel Gross For Manassas City School Board
• Candidate Profile: Mel Kent For Manassas City School Board
• Candidate Profile: Theresa Coates Ellis For Manassas City Council
• Candidate Profile: Lisa Stevens For Manassas City School Board
• Candidate Profile: Sara Brescia For Manassas City School Board