E.J. “Emmett Jay” Jafari wins 8th District School Board seat

In perhaps the evening’s most surprising result, E.J. “Emmett Jay” Jafari appears to have won the 8th District School Board seat by just over 300 votes.

Jafari will be a part of a new look School Board, with 5 new members and 1 starting their first full term. Matthew R. Percival (1st), Katie B. Ricard (2nd), Ali M. Faruk (3rd), Wesley E. Hedgepeth (4th), and E.J. “Emmett Jay” Jafari (8th) will be fresh faces, and Shavonda R. Dixon (9th) is starting her first full term after being appointed as interim representative in February. Stephanie M. Rizzi (5th), Shonda M. Harris-Muhammed (6th) and Cheryl L. Burke (7th) return.

According to The Richmonder, Jafari has worked as a paralegal and a school safety officer for Richmond Public Schools, and for “Richmond’s social services and parks and recreation departments, Goochland County’s Office on Youth, the former Virginia State Penitentiary and GRTC.” He also previously operated the African American Tours of Richmond company.

Jafari had previously unsuccessfully run for the 8th District School Board seat in 2000, sheriff in 2001, mayor in 2004, sheriff again in 2005, clerk of the court in 2011 and 2014 (his best, with 22% of the vote), sheriff in 2017, and mayor in 2020.