Neptune’s Park at 31st Street at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront may soon be named for former Mayor Will Sessoms, who grew up surfing nearby and helped shepherd several major city projects during his time in office.
The City Council on Tuesday is scheduled to vote on a resolution naming it The William D. Sessoms Jr. Neptune’s Park. Several members of the council requested the resolution. The naming would be celebrated later.
“Will’s given a lot to this city,” Vice Mayor Rosemary Wilson told WHRO, noting his time on the council and as mayor and service with volunteer rescue.
After leaving office, he also raised funds behind the scenes in difficult times, including following the 2019 mass shooting at the municipal center and the line-of-duty deaths this year of two police officers.
“He’s never stopped giving to the community,” Wilson said.
Sessoms, now 71, served on the City Council from 1998 to 2002, including a decade as vice mayor. In 2008, he defeated longtime Mayor Meyera Oberndorf and served as mayor until 2018, when he resigned during a term to return to the private sector.
Sessoms also served as honorary King Neptune during the 1997 Neptune Festival.
“This park just seemed to be an ideal spot,” Wilson said.
Sessoms said he was surprised when Wilson told him about the potential honor.
“I was speechless,” he said. ”And then the other side of it is I’m grateful. I’m humbled.”
The park may be best known as a popular summertime performance venue and for the iconic King Neptune statue, which stands along the Boardwalk near the park entrance.
The property has a long, sometimes controversial history.
For decades, it was part of the Seaside Amusement Park. In 2000, faced with a choice between a hotel project and a park there, most Virginia Beach citizens wanted a park. A public-private redevelopment project instead delivered a Hilton, parking garage and park, according to The Virginian-Pilot.
“There was a big argument that the hotel will be built and there wouldn’t be any park,” Sessoms recalled. “Obviously, we promised that this hotel could be built and we could have a nice park. And that’s what resulted.”
Sessoms said he’s glad to see people use the park, including some who were concerned about the project.
“We allowed for development of the hotel, which generates a huge amount of money for our city,” he said. “And, also, we have a park that is helping be paid for by the hotel, and it was a beautiful park that was developed.”
Sessoms was also among the people who raised funds for the King Neptune statue, which was dedicated in 2005.
“There is no public money in that,” he said. “We gave that to the city.”
Sessoms said he understands not every resident agrees with the decisions he and the council made. That’s part of the job.
“But I hope everyone would acknowledge that they saw how much I love the city – because I love this city,” he said. “And I wouldn’t say that it’s the greatest city in the world, however many times I said it, if I didn’t really mean it.”