The mayor of Virginia Beach is the head of the municipal government in Virginia Beach, Virginia, which has a council-manager system of government. The mayor presides over city council meetings and serves as the ceremonial head and spokesperson of the city. The mayor is elected to a four-year term through direct election and the office has no term limits. These elections are nonpartisan, as are all municipal elections in Virginia Beach. Prior to 1988, the mayor was appointed from among city council members elected to represent the city's various boroughs. The mayor's office is located within the City Clerk's office in the Virginia Beach Municipal Center. The current mayor is Bobby Dyer. The longest serving mayor of Virginia Beach was Meyera Oberndorf who served for over 20 years from 1988 to 2008, until she was defeated for reelection by Will Sessoms. Dyer was elected in a special election in 2018 to fill the remainder of Will Sessoms's term following his resignation. Dyer was re-elected in 2020 running against former Virginia Secretary of Finance Jody Wagner. Electoral history 1988 general election Starting with the fall 1988 election, the city's mayor was chosen directly by voters. Previously, the mayor was appointed from among city council members elected to represent the city's various boroughs. In that election, Meyera Oberndorf became the city's first female mayor and first to be directly elected. Sessoms' 2014-15 conflict of interest case On November 8, 2014, The Virginian-Pilot published an investigative article wherein it examined how Mayor Will Sessoms had voted dozens of times with the City Council on matters directly benefiting developers who borrowed at least $140 million from TowneBank where Sessoms was still employed as a president. The votes violated Sessoms' pledge not to allow his responsibilities to the bank conflict with his public duties and were speculated to also possibly violate state law. The votes taken by Sessoms were reported to have occurred from the beginning of his first term in January 2009 up until as recently as October 2014. The next day, city councilman John Moss publicly called on local, state, or federal law enforcement officers to investigate whether Sessoms broke the law by repeatedly voting on issues affecting clients of TowneBank while continuing to serve as that company's president. On November 12, 2014, Sessoms issues a public statement on the allegations saying, "I have been made aware of the recent stories and am