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BRISTOL, Va. (WJHL) — On Tuesday evening, the Bristol, Virginia City Council welcomed Alex Littleton as its newest member.
Littleton steps into the role following the resignation of Becky Nave, who left the council to take on a new position with the Virginia Tourism Corporation.
A lifelong resident of Bristol, Littleton is the vice president and chief operating officer for Communities and Schools of the Appalachian Highlands. Her commitment to the community is further evidenced by her roles on the Bristol Regional Medical Center board and the City Planning Commission.
“Having grown up in Bristol and now raising my children here, my dedication to the community runs deep,” Littleton shared. “This new position is an exciting opportunity to serve my hometown. I’m particularly honored to have been one of three women considered for this role and look forward to collaborating with them during my tenure.”
The decision to appoint Littleton came after a nearly four-hour closed session by the city council, resulting in a 3-1 vote. Vice Mayor Neal Osborne cast the sole dissenting vote.
Mayor Jake Holmes said Littleton was elected due to her experience and willingness to learn.
“She’s got great experience, knows the community, lived her whole life, and just the work she does on a daily basis is just fantastic,” he said. “I’m excited to have her on board.”
Holmes added that it was a tough discussion once the interviews concluded.
“There were four of us on council until this moment,” he said. “Just like I said, we had some fantastic candidates. All three. Reverend Nophlin and Rebecca Reeves, Alex Littleton, all three would have done a fantastic job. And so it was incredibly difficult and time-consuming to get to a consensus on the top one.”
Littleton is joining the city council just as they prepare their yearly budget.
She said it is a moment she is looking forward to learning about and working with the rest of the council.
“There’s absolutely going to be a learning curve,” she said. “There is with any new thing that you take on, but like I said, I’ve got a lot of experience in organizational leadership, and so I think that’s going to really help me be able to dive in with the budget planning season and get caught up to speed on where we are at.”
Some residents were disappointed in the decision, telling the commission at the meeting’s conclusion that they made the wrong choice, one yelling, “November is coming.”
Holmes said while he understands some may be disappointed, it is important to come together as a community during the transition.
“We had so many folks reach out for all three candidates during this process,” he said. “We had so many folks that saw their person as the right one. And like I said, they all could have done a great job. I hope that everybody will give Littleton a chance. She’ll do a great job. I hope that we can all come together as a community and look to the next thing.”
The council selected Littleton from three finalists.
Littleton will serve the remainder of Nave’s term, which runs through December 2028. She will be formally appointed on Feb. 25.