The City Council has appointed Prescott Sherrod to fill a vacant seat on the council formerly occupied by Rita Sweet Bellitto. The appointment was made Tuesday night, effective Aug. 1, and will continue until a successor is elected and qualified after the Nov. 8 special election.
Sherrod is president and owner of PEMCCO, a technology company based in Virginia Beach. He is also a member of the Virginia Beach Development Authority. Sherrod earned a bachelor’s degree from Virginia State University and a master’s degree in engineering management from The George Washington University.
The council appointed Sherrod to the at-large seat by a 9-1 vote after interviewing six candidates in a televised, open session in the council chamber Tuesday afternoon. The council then discussed the candidates in a closed session and voted in open session to appoint Sherrod.
The seat came open when Bellitto submitted her resignation May 2, effective June 18. She left the City Council to accompany her husband to Seattle, where he took a new job. Bellitto was appointed to the City Council in February 2010 to fill the unexpired term of Ron Villanueva, after his election to the Virginia House of Delegates. Bellitto was elected to a four-year term in November 2010.
A judge has ordered a special election be held Nov. 8. The person elected on that date will serve out the remainder of Bellitto’s term, which ends Dec. 31, 2014.
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