VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – David Nygaard, candidate for Virginia Beach City Council, filed a petition September 18 with the Circuit Court of Virginia Beach to introduce a measure adding a referendum on the way Virginia Beach elects its city council.
The campaign was approved by the clerk of court to begin gathering signatures, with the intent of having the referendum or question brought to the citizens of Virginia Beach in November 2019.
Roy Bey, executive director for civil rights for the Coalition for Equal Justice, stated, “We support the effort of representative government and freedom on the good citizens of Virginia Beach terms.”
David Nygaard, candidate for Virginia Beach City Council, Beach District and the principle behind the referendum, said, “If we want to stop corruption, we need to change the system. The citizens of Virginia Beach deserve a more local representative government, and I believe this is the answer.”
Nygaard also released a statement containing his reasons for the referendum, which read in part:
We are the only city in America where we vote for everyone’s representative, whether we live there or not. We were supposed to change this system when we were first incorporated as a city in 1963 and given seven years to accomplish it. 55 years later, nothing has changed and the flawed system remains in place.
Concerned citizens and civil rights groups will hold a press conference at 11 a.m. Monday at the Virginia Beach Court House to answer questions and discuss the referendum. The group will also be on hand forTuesday’s city council meeting.
