Four candidates who campaigned on reining in growth and development have succeeded in flipping control of Smithfield’s Town Council.

First-time Smithfield Town Council candidates Mary Ellen Bebermeyer and Darren Cutler and incumbent Mike Smith won their bids to oust incumbents Jim Collins and Raynard Gibbs in a five-way Nov. 5 race for three available four-year terms.

According to complete but unofficial results from the Virginia Department of Elections the top three highest vote-getters in the five-way race were Bebermeyer with 3,071 votes, or 25.8%, followed by Smith with 2,848 votes, or just under 24%, and Cutler with 2,446 votes, or 20.6% based on results from all five polling precincts.

“I think the citizens of Smithfield have spoken and I’m happy to have their support,” Bebermeyer said. “I will continue to listen to them and follow their direction.”

“It’s a wonderful town; it deserves leadership that is supportive of the citizens,” Cutler said. “I want to thank the citizens of Smithfield for having faith and trust.”

Bill Harris, who ran unopposed in a separate special election for the two-year remainder of a term ex-Councilman Wayne Hall vacated last year, received 4,254 votes, or 97.6%, with 104 write-in votes accounting for the remainder.

“I feel like the numbers show that the people are interested in the message that we deliver,” Harris said. “Our group worked really hard; we did 10 or 12 meet-and-greets. We’re looking forward to serving the people in a more direct fashion.”

Collins finished fourth with 1,938 votes, or 16.3%, followed by Gibbs in fifth place with 1,495 votes, or just under 12.6%.

Citizens for Responsible Leadership, a Smithfield-based political action committee with the stated goal of “ensuring that development is managed responsibly,” endorsed Bebermeyer, Cutler, Harris and Smith.

“I was glad to be endorsed by CRL,” Smith said. “They were a powerful force to reckon with.”

All four of the CRL-endorsed candidates have spoken against an influx of approved and proposed housing developments. Smith cast one of two dissenting votes against the 2021 rezoning approval of Mallory Pointe, an 812-home development off Battery Park Road, and in 2023 against mixed-use zoning for the 267-home Grange at 10Main development slated for the western edge of the town’s historic district.

“We got our message across,” Smith said. “I feel that we are headed in the right direction.”

Mayor Steve Bowman, meanwhile, endorsed Collins and Gibbs, whom the council appointed last December in place of Hall and former Councilwoman Renee Rountree, respectively, when Hall resigned in the wake of a sexual assault charge and Rountree won her election last November for a seat on Isle of Wight County’s Board of Supervisors.

“The voters of Smithfield have spoken,” Bowman said. “I respect their judgement and look forward to working for the best interest of all of Smithfield when the new council is seated in January.”

Collins and Smith did not immediately respond to The Smithfield Times’ request for comments on the election results.

Gibbs issued the following statement at 11:12 p.m.

“I want to extend my sincere congratulations to Mike Smith, Mary Ellen Bebermeyer, Bill Harris and Darren Cutler on their victory in this election,” Gibbs said. “I believe they are dedicated to serving our town, and I wish them all the best as they take on the responsibility of representing us on the council. Though I’m disappointed by the results, I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who supported me throughout this campaign. Your belief in our vision for this town meant the world to me. I also want to thank my family, friends, and volunteers who gave their time and energy to make this campaign possible. As a candidate, my goal was always to listen to the concerns of our community and to promote solutions that would make our town an even better place to live. I will continue to support these values in my everyday life, and I look forward to working alongside the council and all of you to build a brighter future for our town. Thank you again for the opportunity to run, and I promise to stay engaged and active in our community.”

According to Isle of Wight County Electoral Board Secretary Geoff McFather, Harris, as the winner of the special election for the two-year term, will be eligible to be seated in place of Collins as soon as the board certifies the Nov. 5 results. Certification could occur as soon as Nov. 12, but that date depends on how quickly the state Board of Elections verifies any provisional ballots cast by voters who registered to vote on election day, McFather said.

The other three winners will have to wait until Jan. 1 or later to be seated. Gibbs, whose appointed term is set to expire Dec. 31, will be able to remain in office through that date.

The anti-development sentiments of the four winners could spell trouble for two proposed subdivisions likely to go before the council next year. Suffolk-based Quality Homes has a pending application for seven special use permits and a Planning Commission waiver for the 130-home “Cottages at Battery” development proposed for 14 acres behind the Royal Farms convenience store at Battery Park Road and South Church Street. Charlottesville-based Greenwood Homes, in 2023, also filed a rezoning application for “The Promontory,” which would add 262 homes and five commercial parcels off Benns Church Boulevard. That application is expected to reach the town’s Planning Commission, and later the council, in early 2025.

According to the Virginia Public Access Project, there were 12,112 early votes cast countywide in Isle of Wight, 5,355 of which were part of the town election. Voters, whether casting their ballots early or on election day, could select up to three candidates for the five-way race.

Early in-person and mail-in ballots accounted for 1,769 or 57.6% of Bebermeyer’s, 1,580 or just under 55.5% of Smith’s, 1,353 or 55.3%% of Cutler’s, 1,022 or 52.7% of Collins’ and 767 or 51.3% of Gibbs’ respective vote totals.

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 3:21 p.m. on Nov. 6 with comments by Mike Smith.