Manassas City Council Appoints Ralph Smith as Interim Mayor: Term Begins October 27 in Prince William County, Virginia, Runs Until Certification of November 2027 Election
Manassas, Prince William County, Virginia — The city council on October 26 unanimously appointed Council Member Ralph J. Smith as interim mayor, with his term beginning October 27 and running until certification of the November 2027 mayoral election. The mayor's office had been vacant since former mayor Michelle Davis-Younger's resignation took effect on September 30, during which time Vice Mayor Mark D. Wolfe performed the mayor's duties; Wolfe also presided over the October 26 meeting. Davis-Younger had initially said she would leave at the end of 2026, then moved her departure date earlier. Smith, Wolfe and Council Member Tom Osina each made their case at a special meeting on October 5, but no vote was taken that night. Smith joined the council as an interim member in August 2019, replacing Ken Elston, was elected in 2020 and re-elected in 2022, and has decided not to run in the November 3, 2026 election. A longtime Manassas resident and a former senior executive at the Social Security Administration, he previously served as president of the Prince William Branch of the NAACP and as a longtime election official. His move to the mayor's office will leave his council seat vacant, to be filled separately.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：弗吉尼亚州马纳萨斯市中心（资料图）。Harrison Keely 摄，CC BY 4.0，来源：Wikimedia Commons / Photo: Downtown Manassas, Virginia (file photo). By Harrison Keely, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
