George Cook Jr.
George Cook Jr. ran for election to the Norfolk Public Schools to represent Superward 7 in Virginia. Cook lost in the general election on May 19, 2020.
Cook was a candidate for the nonpartisan Super Ward 7 seat on the Norfolk City Council in Virginia. He was defeated in the general election on May 3, 2016. Cook previously ran for the Ward 4 seat on the city council in 2014.
Elections
2020
See also: Norfolk Public Schools, Virginia, elections (2020)
General election
General election for Norfolk Public Schools, Superward 7
Incumbent Rodney Jordan defeated George Cook Jr. in the general election for Norfolk Public Schools, Superward 7 on May 19, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Rodney Jordan (Nonpartisan) | 54.7 | 3,151 |
 | George Cook Jr. (Nonpartisan) | 44.9 | 2,588 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.4 | 25 | ||
| Total votes: 5,764 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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2016
The city of Norfolk, Virginia, held elections for mayor and city council on May 3, 2016. Two of the eight city council seats were up for election.[1] Incumbent Angelia Williams Graves defeated G.W. "Billy" Cook Jr., Kendrick Turner and Harry Candela in the Norfolk City Council Super Ward 7 general election.
| Norfolk City Council Super Ward 7, General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Angelia Williams Graves Incumbent |
58.27% | 7,646 |
| G.W. "Billy" Cook Jr. | 32.04% | 4,204 |
| Kendrick Turner | 4.69% | 615 |
| Harry Candela | 4.64% | 609 |
| Write-in votes | 0.36% | 47 |
| Total Votes | 13,121 | |
| Source: Norfolk, Virginia, "General Election May 3, 2015: Unofficial Results," accessed May 3, 2015 | ||
2014
Elections for the city council of Norfolk, Virginia were held on May 6, 2014. Incumbent Paul R. Riddick defeated G.W. "Billy" Cook, Jr. for the Ward 4 seat.[2][3]
| Norfolk City Council, Ward 4, 2014 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Paul R. Riddick Incumbent |
59.6% | 1,992 | |
| G.W. "Billy" Cook, Jr. | 40.2% | 1,344 | |
| Write-in | 0.2% | 7 | |
| Total Votes | 3,343 | ||
| Source: Virginia State Board of Elections | |||
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
George Cook Jr. did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2016
Ballotpedia survey
Cook participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of municipal government candidates. The following sections display his responses to the survey questions. When asked what his top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | Neighborhood/community development empowerment. Each neighborhood/community would have its own strategic plan developed by its residents and civic league.[4][5] | ” |
When asked what he would most like to change about the city, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | I'd like to change perception and performance of our school system. Many great things happen each day. The current curriculum under NCLB is flawed with a focus on testing and not teaching and learning.[4][5] | ” |
When asked what he is most proud of about the city, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | Cultural artistic offerings available to residents, region and visitors.[4][5] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the city, with 1 being the most important and 12 being the least important. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important:
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Crime reduction/prevention | |
| K-12 education | |
| Housing | |
| Environment | |
| Transportation | |
| Government transparency | |
| Unemployment | |
| Homelessness | |
| Civil rights | |
| City services (trash, utilities, etc.) | |
| Public pensions/retirement funds | |
| Recreational opportunities | |
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer four questions from Ballotpedia regarding issues facing cities across America. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column:
| Question | Response |
|---|---|
| Very important | |
| Federal | |
| Neighborhood/community development empowerment. This would develop an effective "first line of defense" against crime and violence in our communities leading to greater engagement and responsibility for policing one's own community. | |
| Focusing on small business development. Continue current efforts to improve our schools and offer more affordable housing, and focus more on small business development. |
See also
2020 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Media Calendar 2013-2017," accessed September 30, 2015
- ↑ City of Norfolk, "Qualified Candidates for May 6, 2014 General Election," accessed May 5, 2014
- ↑ Virginia State Board of Elections, "Official election results," accessed May 6, 2014
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Ballotpedia's municipal government candidate survey, 2016, "George Cook's Responses," April 16, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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