Cleon Long emerged as the apparent winner in Newport News’ Central District, positioning him to continue council work with an emphasis on housing and neighborhood stability. His engineering background provides a practical foundation for considering how plans become useful improvements.
An engineer’s connection to his hometown
A Newport News native, Long earned degrees from Morehouse College and Georgia Tech and has professional engineering experience. Earlier Planning Commission service adds familiarity with development review and residents’ participation in it.
He has emphasized homeownership, housing quality and the condition of existing neighborhoods, including help for buyers, resources for home repairs and attention to blighted properties.
Supporting the people already living there
Those priorities reach beyond the number of new homes being built. An established homeowner may need repairs to remain safely in place; a first-time buyer may need a clearer route to ownership; nearby households may be affected by a neglected property.
Long has also connected police recruitment and retention with prevention programs and opportunities for young people. His result puts those priorities back in focus as the next term approaches, with budgets, housing programs and neighborhood decisions offering concrete ways to follow the work.
Stay connected
Contact and participation information.
Cleon M. Long received 9,244 votes. The lead over Andrea R. Diggs was 2,035 votes. Figures are from Virginia ELECT’s unofficial November 4, 2026, 1:34 p.m. EST export; canvassing and certification remained pending.
_(4004696189).jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
