Va. Beach School Board member running to represent 84th District

Kim Melnyk, vice chair of the Virginia Beach School Board, will make a run this year to represent the 84th District in the House of Delegates, she announced Tuesday.

The Virginia Beach Democrat is a longtime resident of the city who attended Brandon Middle School and Green Run High School growing up. She taught first grade in Virginia Beach Public Schools for more than a decade and is now on the School Board, to which she was first elected in 2014.

“I’m running for Delegate because I have the proven track record of delivering meaningful results for Virginia Beach on our School Board,” she said in a statement.

“As Delegate, I will continue to put the needs of my constituents first, prioritizing job growth, our public schools, and affordable health care for every Virginian.”

Glenn Davis, who’s held the seat in the 84th House District since 2013, announced last year that he was running for lieutenant governor, his second campaign for the position. He came in third in the 2017 contest, trailing Jill Vogel, who got the Republican nod, and Bryce Reeves. Democrat Justin Fairfax won the general election. But Davis held on to his General Assembly seat that fall and was reelected in 2019.

While on the School Board, Melnyk, 54, lists raising teacher pay, boosting funding for school modernization and improving the student-to-counselor ratio as achievements.

She said she will focus her campaign on rebuilding Virginia from the pandemic, expanding access to affordable health care and boosting funding for public schools.

She and her husband own a Virginia Beach-based manufacturing company, Premier Millwork. She said she has seen firsthand how small businesses have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and would push for additional low-interest loans for business owners.

Neil Smith and Tracie Liguid are also running for the Democratic nomination. The primary is on June 8.