Davis-Younger Will Be Manassas's First Black, Female Mayor

MANASSAS, VA —Manassas Councilperson Michelle Davis-Younger (D) won the mayor's race, while Democrats swept the three city council seats up for grabs, according to unofficial results.

Davis-Younger, who defeated Republican Councilperson Theresa Coates Ellis, will succeed Hal Parrish, a Republican, as mayor of Manassas. Along with being the first African American and woman to serve as mayor, Davis-Younger is the first Democrat to win election as mayor of Manassas.

Incumbent Democratic Vice Mayor Pam Sebesky and City Councilman Mark Wolfe won re-election, while Democrat Tom Osina won the third seat on council, defeating incumbent Republican Ian Lovejoy.

The other Republican candidates, Lynn Forkell Greene and Harry J. Clark, finishing fifth and sixth in the city council race.

With all seven precincts reporting, Davis-Younger won 7,903 votes, or 51.2 percent of the ballots counted, compared to Ellis, who received 7,514 votes, or about 49 percent of the vote.

Lovejoy won the fourth-highest number of votes, with 6,562. He fell short of winning re-election by about 174 votes, according to unofficial results.