Newport News City Council
To read more about local regulations (such as limitations on regulatory power) around coal dust, see Local Regulations.
To read about Norfolk City Council, see: Norfolk City Council
The Newport News City Council (NNCC) is the elected legislative body that governs Newport News, Virginia. Operating under a council-manager form of government, the Council includes a mayor and six other members who are responsible for setting municipal policy, passing local laws, approving budgets, and overseeing land use and development. The Council wields considerable influence over issues related to economic development, environmental regulation, and public health, making it a key player in addressing community concerns about coal dust pollution. It also has jurisdiction over two of the three coal terminals in the Port of Virginia, Dominion Terminal Associates and the Kinder Morgan Terminal.
Council Members (in 2025)
- Mayor: Phillip Jones (Term: Jan 01 2023 - Dec 31 2026) [1]
- Vice Mayor: Curtis D. Bethany III (Jan 01 2023 - Dec 31 2026)
- Councilman Robert Coleman (Jan 01 2025 - Dec 31 2028)
- Councilman John R. Eley III (Jan 01 2023 - Dec 31 2026)
- Councilman Marcellus L. Harris III, D. Div. (Jan 01 2025 - Dec 31 2028)
- Councilman Cleon M. Long, P.E. (Jan 01 2023 - Dec 31 2026)
- Councilwoman Tina L. Vick (Jan 01 2025 - Dec 31 2028)
Relevant Meetings
The city council has heard numerous complains about coal dust, and listened to activist solutions of coal dust mitigation. Further records are available on their site.[2]
All council meetings are open to the public (but not all allow public comment). Placards, banners, and signs are banned at meetings. “Citizen comments on matters germane to the business of city council” are allowed as part of the prescribed agenda on every regular meeting, but not special meetings or work session meetings.
- January 23, 2024[3][4]
- Meeting Minutes:
- 9 citizen comments total (6 were about the coal dust)
- Ms. Yugonda Sample-Jones
- Mr. Malcom Jones
- Interjection from Mayor Jones
- Mr. Adam Morrow
- Captain Patrick Wright
- Ms. Ann Creasy
- Reverend Lathaniel Kirts
- Feb 13, 2024
- Sept 12, 2023
Documents
Minutes of Regular Meeting. January 23, 2024.