Election Guide 2025: Fredericksburg
FXBG Advance introduces our election guides. From candidates to issues to registration to Election Day, these election guides will deliver what you need to know from primaries to final results.
By Martin Davis
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Updated January 6, 2024
Overview | Demographics | Key Dates | Office of Elections Updates | City Council Race | School Board Race | Local Committees | Voter Information
In the event of errors or omissions, please send a note to the editor.
Overview
Four seats are up for both City Council and the School Board. The odds that either body will undergo a major ideological shift in this election is moderate. Two of the three seats will not have an incumbent, and a third seat may not have an incumbent, depending on whether the individual selected to fill the now-empty Ward 3 seat decides to run.
Elections in Fredericksburg this coming November are likely to be the most contentious in our region. The city is facing financial challenges, and part of the citizenry has become vocal in their dissatisfaction with a move toward higher housing density, the arrival of data centers, and the significant challenges facing the school system.
At the same time, the city’s population is skewing younger and more diverse, and this population is confronting a community where housing is not just hard to find but increasingly unaffordable. Transportation is a challenge, whether people work in the city or commute north. And there’s a sizeable population of people entering their childbearing years, which will likely mean even more pressure on a school system that is already stretched to the limit in terms of space.
There is one House of Delegates race in Fredericksburg—HD 65., currently represented by Democrat Josh Cole. The Advance will take a closer look at this race next week.
Demographics
Fredericksburg’s demographics are changing. Following significant population increases in 2010 and 2011, growth has fluctuated—sometimes significantly.
Fredericksburg is a majority white city. Growth is fueled by its white, Black, and Hispanic populations. From 2010-2022, the white population has grown 9.5%, the Black population has grown 22.5%, and the Hispanic population has grown 34.9%.
Income inequality in Fredericksburg has improved in recent years; however, it remains significantly higher than in surrounding counties, which are seeing income inequality rise. (See Spotsylvania and Stafford Election Guides.) The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis measures income inequality by defining the ratio of the mean income for the highest quintile (top 20 percent) of earners divided by the mean income of the lowest quintile (bottom 20 percent) of earners.
The severity of income inequality in Fredericksburg is most evident in the city’s large ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) population. According to United for Alice, the percentage of households living below the ALICE threshold in Fredericksburg was 45% in 2022, the last year for which data is available. That’s down from 2019, when the percentage of households living below the ALICE threshold was 52.6%.
Fredericksburg’s population skews young. This is due in large measure to the students attending the University of Mary Washington.
Key Dates
Primary
June 17, 2025
Election Day
November 4, 2025
Certificate of Candidate Qualifications
Deadline to file is 5 p.m. April 3, 2025, for primary candidates for local offices
Deadline to file is 7 p.m. June 17, 2025, for nonprimary party and independent candidates
For more detailed information
Virginia Department of Elections’ How to Run for a Local Office
Office of Elections
The Advance contacted the Fredericksburg Office of Elections to see if any individuals have taken steps toward running for office. As of press time, no response has been received.
City Council
The following seats are not up for election this cycle:
Mayor — Kerry Devine
At-Large — Will Mackintosh
At-Large — Jannan Holmes
The following seats will be contested in November. The Advance has reached out to each candidate to see if they have made a decision about running. Responses, if received, are noted.
Ward 1 - Currently held by Jason Graham. Per an announcement via Facebook on December 27, 2024, Graham is not seeking re-election
Ward 2 - Currently held by Jon Gerlach. Per a YouTube announcement in early December, Gerlach will not be seeking re-election.
Ward 3 - Currently Vacant. A new council member will be seated by a vote of sitting council members early in 2025.
Ward 4 - Currently held by Charlie Frye.
Potential Candidates
Ward 1 — Matt Rowe. Via text message with the Advance on January 2, 2025, Rowe said that he remains focused on the School Board (where he currently serves) and has no announcement at this time. He added that he will announce his intentions in mid-January.
Ward 2 — There are currently two candidates who’ve announced an intention to run.
Anne Little. Per an email with the Advance on December 9, 2024, Little will be seeking to fill the seat in Ward 2.
Christian Zammas. Per his announcement on Instagram.
Ward 3 — The Advance is aware of three individuals who have filed to be considered to replace Tim Duffy, who earlier in December stepped away from City Council.
Matt Kelly. Via text message with the Advance on December 29, 2024.
Rene Rodriguez. Via text message with the Advance on December 29, 2024.
Guy Gormley. Via phone call with the Advance on January 5, 2024.
School Board
The following seats are not up for election this cycle:
At-Large — Jarvis Bailey
At-Large — Molly McFadden
The following seats will be contested in November. The Advance has reached out to each candidate to see if they have made a decision about running. Responses, if received, are noted.
Ward 1 — Currently held by Matt Rowe. Via text message with the Advance on January 2, 2025, Rowe said that he remains focused on the School Board (where he currently serves) and has no announcement at this time. He added that he will announce his intentions in mid-January.
Ward 2 — Currently held by Katie Pomeroy. Via an email with the Advance on January 3, Pomeroy has said that she will run for re-election.
Ward 3 — Currently held by Jennifer Boyd. Per an email on December 27, 2024, with the Advance, Boyd is not going to run.
Ward 4 — Malvina Rollins
Local Committees
The Advance emailed both the Stafford Democratic and Republican committee chairs for their thoughts on the upcoming elections.
Ken Lecky - Chair, Fredericksburg Democratic Committee
In an interview with the Advance on December 27, 2024, Lecky said that the City Council race is going to be “interesting…. We didn’t know until recently it’s going to be a new councilor for three of the seats. Going to be interesting to see who is drawn in to this moment to see what their perspectives are.”
Lecky went on to say that the issues around “data centers, density, and growth” are going to be front-of-mind for many voters.
Regarding the School Board races, Lecky said that “one of the nice things about wards is that people can easily engage. I’m hoping people will get engaged with them on education.”
Scott Vezina - Chair, Fredericksburg Republican Committee
In his interview with the Advance, Vezina said that “I really endorse the independence of City Council. Therefore, I have no plan to promote or endorse any candidate across the city.”
However, he does “encourage my committee members to research the candidates and get behind the people who reflect their values.”
The main concern he has is to ensure that seats are contested. Noting a high number of uncontested elections in Fredericksburg, Vezina said, “When seats go unopposed, that silences any debate. That’s not what we want.”
“Let’s find good people who are involved in the city, have good ideas, and make sure there’s at least two people running in every single race. If that doesn’t happen, then City Council doesn’t have to listen to its citizens.”
Local Obituaries
To view local obituaries or to send a note to family and loved ones, please visit the link that follows.
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