On December 28, 2015, Sessoms pleaded no contest to a single misdemeanor charge of violating the state's Conflict of Interest Act. As part of a plea agreement offered by the special prosecutor, the four other charges he faced were dropped. 2016 general election On February 22, 2016, Will Sessoms announced he was running for re-election for a third term as mayor. He claimed to have spent months deliberating over the decision following his recent conflict of interest conviction and that he made up his mind after receiving support from the majority of the city council. On June 2, 2016, it was reported that Richard "RK" Kowalewitch would be challenging Sessoms a second time for the mayor's office. Kowalewitch cited Sessoms' recent conviction as an issue of concern in his announcement. Following the filing deadline on June 14, 2015, it was reported that former city councilman Don Weeks and George Furman III were also challenging Sessoms. On October 29, 2016, The Virginian-Pilot reported the results of a poll conducted by Christopher Newport University that they had produced in connection with WVEC earlier that month. In the poll, 43 percent of 706 likely voters said they favored Sessoms with closest challenger Weeks receiving 11 percent support. On November 8, 2016, Sessoms was elected to a third term. 2018 special election On April 18, 2018, Will Sessoms announced he was resigning as mayor of Virginia Beach after serving less than a year and a half of his third term. A day later, city council member Bobby Dyer announced his intention to run for the office. On May 1, 2018, it was announced that the Virginia Beach City Council had decided in 9–0 decision to appoint former mayor Louis R. Jones as interim mayor until a special election could be held on November 6, 2018. A day later, city council member M. Ben Davenport announced his intention to run for the office. On November 6, 2018, Dyer defeated Davenport and became the most recent mayor of Virginia Beach. 2020 general election On February 27, 2020, city council member Aaron Rouse announced his intention to seek the office. When reached by The Virginian-Pilot for comment on the announcement, Bobby Dyer confirmed that he would be seeking re-election. On May 30, 2020, Rouse announced that he was dropping out of the race citing the coronavirus pandemic as the reason for ending his campaign. On June 9,