This morning at 9 AM in Norfolk City Council Chambers, the latest in several firsts for the City of Norfolk took place when Nicole Carry was sworn in by Judge Everett A. Martin as a temporary City Council person representing Ward 1.
Carry, 46, is a Navy veteran and local activist. She has served on the Board of Hampton Roads Business Outreach (HNRBO), been an active volunteer with and supporter of Hampton Roads Pride, and is a contributor to Outwire757.com. Her appointment follows the election of Kenny Alexander as the first African-American mayor in Norfolk’s history.
She replaces Andy Protogyrou, who served on the council for six years but had to step down in the middle of a term because he ran, unsuccessfully, for mayor.
An information-technology consultant who has lived in Norfolk for more than 20 years, Carry has advocated for city government to be more innovative in education and technology.
She hopes to get Norfolk schools to partner with Code Virginia, a group that trains teachers on how to instruct students in computer science and coding. And she has been pushing the city for about three years to create an information-technology commission that she says would spur technological innovation.
Carry is expected to serve for less than two months and participate in, at most, three meetings. A special election is scheduled for Aug. 23 to let voters choose someone to represent Ward 1 until June 2018. Carry does not plan to run for the seat.
Said fellow council member Andria McLellean, “I couldn’t be more excited for Norfolk’s future right now. Nicole was definitely the best choice on many levels, and I’m proud of my fellow Council members for selecting our first Navy veteran and openly gay member of Council.”
