Shurl Montgomery is a candidate for Norfolk City Council. His name will appear on the ballot on Nov. 8, 2022.

10 On Your Side reached out to all of the candidates running in this race. If you do not see a candidate listed with a profile, we did not receive one.

See who is on your ballot by viewing the candidate lists on the Virginia Department of Elections website.

Name: Shurl Montgomery

Race: Norfolk City Council

Biography: Shurl Montgomery is married to Nancy and has been for 38 years. His wife is a retired Emeritus faculty at Virginia Wesleyan University. They have three adult children and three wonderful grandchildren. Montgomery has resided in Norfolk since 1978.

Professional experience:

• CEO and executive director of the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority for 11 years
• Assistant city manager of Norfolk for 14 years, oversight of 9 departments
• Director of Parks and Recreation for 10 years
• Assistant director of Parks and Recreation for 2 years
• Liaison to numerous agencies, organizations, task forces, and the U.S. Navy

Service to others: Montgomery has served over 19 different citizen organizations and committees. he continues serving with several organizations, including:

• Cosmopolitan Club (member)
• East Beach Homeowners Association (vice president)
• East Ocean View Civic League (member)
• Greater Norfolk Corporation (member)
• Festevents (board member)

Education and training:

• Brigham Young University: Master of arts
• Fairmont State University: Bachelor of science
• University of Virginia: Senior Executive Insitute

Military service:

• U.S. Army, Vietnam veteran

Why should residents elect you to city council?

Our citizens no longer feel safe in their own neighborhoods, our police force is losing officers to other cities, and those that remain are being asked to do more with less. Nearly every day there is another story in the media about a young life lost to violent crime. All the while, our city council is making grandiose plans to spend money that our city does not have: It’s time for a change!

On Nov. 8, 2022, Norfolk citizens residing in Ward 5 have the opportunity to replace leadership that has lost focus on citizen priorities with the leadership of Shurl Montgomery, a candidate with proven leadership experience serving the city of Norfolk. He will focus on Ward 5 residents, Ward 5 business needs, and the city before any special interests.

What are the top three priorities you would tackle if elected?

1. The chaos and violent crime currently being visited on our city and our citizens must not be allowed to continue if we are to thrive as a functioning city. We need to enforce traffic laws and reduce opportunities for crime. In order to uphold the law, law enforcement must connect with the community, address crime responsibly, and protect the rights of the citizens. I also believe that communities need to feel comfortable reaching out to, connecting with, and helping our public safety workers whenever and wherever possible. There is no bigger challenge facing our city – crime.
2. Taxes are extremely high and are among the highest in Hampton Roads. Families are leaving Norfolk and businesses are as well, and Norfolk is moving backwards.
3. The community is speaking to our elected officials: Listen. The Ocean View area has been ignored by its councilman when it comes to flood mitigation. Money flows to downtown and other areas in the south part of the city while our concerns of bay flooding goes unheard. We must have a councilman who focuses on Ward 5. Every problem facing our city may look impossible but it can and will be solved.

What is the most pressing economic issue facing your community, and how would you address it?

Public safety is the number one economic issue. Businesses flee from nightly shootings and gang violence. We can’t continue electing a councilman who says they have no idea how to fix the problem. I have a plan to bring safe neighborhoods back to Norfolk and give businesses confidence to invest in Norfolk again. The plan will be a city-wide crime prevention outreach program.

What are your community’s biggest infrastructure needs, and how do you plan to fulfill them?

The city needs the following:

• Strategy for land use
• Sustainability of the environment
• Delivery of services
• Reasonable budgeting
• Fostering partnerships with the private sector
• Insisting on the best plan

When we look at the housing stock in the 5th Ward and in the city of Norfolk, we need to make educated decisions on what needs to be built and where it should go. The city of Norfolk must look at our neighborhoods and identify the needs of our changing population. These needs include but are not limited to schools and transportation, as well as other vital city services and with a poverty rate of approximately 17.8% (according to the 2020 U.S. Census), affordability must be a component of any housing proposal.

How is gun violence impacting your community, and how do you plan to address gun violence?

It’s destroying Norfolk. City council has destroyed neighborhoods across Norfolk with their failed leadership that has let violence go unchecked. The city has no plan other than shut bars down earlier, blaming innocent businesses while our police force is over 200 officers short. I have a plan to make Norfolk safe, and the first step is to defeat the councilman who has honestly admitted he doesn’t know what to do about crime. We need to take back our streets and neighborhoods and renew a sense of safety and community among all of our residents.