Darryl Moore, who lost re-election to the Berkeley City Council four years ago when Cheryl Davila defeated him, was elected this week to another city council — in Manassas Park, VA.
Moore won the most votes of any of the town’s candidates, including the incumbent mayor, according to the Prince William Times. The town, about 35 miles from Washington, D.C. in northern Virginia, has about 16,000 residents.
“To be elected in two cities 2,000 miles apart has been a fascinating and wonderful thing,” Moore told Berkeleyside.
Moore and his husband, Bradley Johnson, left Berkeley for Virginia about 18 months ago. They have two sons and eight grandchildren in the area and wanted to be closer to them, Moore said. Johnson is from Virginia and the couple had lived in California for 26 years.
Moore served 12 years on the Berkeley City Council and lost his seat in 2016 when Davila and Nancy Armstrong-Temple ran against him and urged their supporters to rank them #1 and #2. It was the first time an incumbent had lost their seat in a Berkeley election in 19 years.
Moore said he still keeps a hand in Berkeley politics. He endorsed Mayor Jesse Arreguín in the 2020 election, as well as two of Davila’s challengers, Terry Taplin and Alex Sharenko. While votes are still being tallied, it appears that Taplin has defeated Davila.
The entire town of Manassas Park is about the same size as District 2, said Moore. It’s a fairly progressive city, just like Berkeley, he said.