CHESAPEAKE

Voters on Tuesday re-elected all three School Board incumbents and added a first-time politician from Great Bridge.

Newcomer Tina Pullen came in third, joining Jeff Bunn, Brenda Johnson and longtime member Thomas Mercer Sr. - the highest vote-getter - to fill the board's four at-large seats.

Ann Wiggins, who has served since 2000, decided not to run for re-election.

"I really had a good feeling about it," Pullen said of the election. "I worked hard during this campaign."

Top fundraisers Melvin Marriner and George Van Laethem were defeated Tuesday.

Bunn, who placed second, said the results show that residents are happy with how the board is run.

"Overall, the citizens are very pleased with our schools," he said.

Managing growth, maintaining safe schools and keeping teacher pay at the national average were among the priorities of all six candidates seeking a spot on the School Board.

Through late April, Marriner, 46, raised the most of all the candidates, with about $15,000. Van Laethem, 55, was next with more than $9,000.

A senior pastor at Portsmouth's Grove Baptist Church, Marriner supported reducing classroom sizes and eliminating overcrowding.

He, along with Pullen, also emphasized the importance of early childhood education programs.

Van Laethem, a senior business leader for Computer Sciences Corp., called for renovating and upgrading school buildings in need of repair. He also said the School Board needed to better communicate its needs with the City Council and General Assembly representatives.

Bunn, 44, a Chesapeake Conference Center sales manager, was appointed to the board in 2006 after Ella Ward was elected to City Council.

He focused on safety, noting the success of the division's gang awareness programs and social outlets that keep students out of trouble.

Johnson, 60, a retired merchandiser with Revlon, expressed concern about budget shortfalls and overcrowding.

She has served four years on the board.

Mercer, 52, pastor of Hickory United Methodist Church, said he would like to see a new high school built at Centerville Turnpike and Elbow Road as soon as possible. Mercer, a 12-year board member and current chairman, also promoted the continued integration of technology into school curriculum.

Pullen, 40, a data analyst contracted by the U.S. Justice Department, supported full-day kindergarten for all students and expanding the division's academic and career-centered specialty programs.

Staff writer Mike Saewitz contributed to this report.

Hattie Brown Garrow, (757) 222-5562, hattie.brown@pilotonline.com