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Spotsylvania County
Lawrence A. DiBella III
School Board — Berkeley
Republican
RESOLUTE Citizen Score
6
/ 100
—
Raw: 6 of 6 dynamic max
· 3 of 30 answered
Local tier30 of 50 rubric questions apply at this office level — federal-only questions are marked N/A and excluded from the dynamic max. How tier grading works →
Last verified: · scorecard-level timestamp
✝ God First
4/ 70
🏛️ Local First
2/ 30
National Rank
#4,571 of 8,944 · bottom 48.9% among candidates with at least one scored answer
See the full rankings →Contact This Official
Reach out directly. Your voice matters. Proverbs 29:2 — When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice.
Official Profile
Religion: NO PUBLIC EVIDENCE FOUND of self-declared denomination or church. (A Phyllis DiBella serves as Assistant Principal at Fredericksburg Christian School per public LinkedIn, but the family relationship is NOT publicly confirmed; flagged as a lead, not a claim.)
Education: NO PUBLIC DISCLOSURE — neither campaign site, official board bio, FXBG Advance questionnaire, nor iVoterGuide profile state college credentials.
Background: First Sergeant, Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office (18 years); 13-year veteran School Resource Officer; assigned to Riverbend HS in October 2015 where his investigation was credited with thwarting a planned mass-shooting plot (CNN 2015-10-25; Spotsy Sheriff's Office). Lost the Nov 7 2023 Spotsylvania SB Battlefield District race to Nicole Cole by ~3 points (campaign domain dibellaforbattlefield.com). Won Nov 4 2025 Spotsylvania SB Berkeley District 58.56% (4,909) vs Amanda M. Monroe 40.13% (3,364) for the open seat vacated by April Gillespie. Sworn in January 2026 at the Stevenson Ridge ceremony alongside Jennifer Craig-Ford (Battlefield) and Rich Lieberman (Lee Hill); 4-year term ends Dec 31 2029. Endorsed by Spotsylvania County Republican Committee + Rappahannock Conservative Women's Coalition + Fredericksburg Area Young Republicans (April 2026 public thanks). iVoterGuide rated 'Leans Conservative' but he did NOT complete the questionnaire — most culture-war positions remain unsignaled.
[2026-06 RESOLUTE refinement] Roster verified: Spotsylvania SB Berkeley District, sworn January 2026, term ends 12/31/2029. PARTY FIX: ballot Independent (nonpartisan SB) → real-world R-coalition (Spotsy GOP endorsement + Spotsy GOP Committee contributions + Rappahannock Conservative Women's Coalition + Fredericksburg Area Young Republicans April 2026 public thanks for 'expanding Career and Technical Education opportunities and advocating for drug testing of those with direct contact for our students'). Per scorecard convention (parallel to Yakabouski/Frazier/Goosman tagged R/D rather than I despite Independent ballots): party set to R. RELIGION: not publicly self-declared — null (Phyllis DiBella at Fredericksburg Christian School is a lead but not confirmed family relationship). EDUCATION: not publicly disclosed. CAREER: 18-year Spotsy Sheriff's Office First Sergeant + 13-year SRO; 2015 Riverbend HS active-shooter-plot foil (CNN cite). CRITICAL CONTEXT: Sworn Jan 2026 → did NOT vote on 2021-2024 Spotsy SB flashpoints (Twigg 'burn books' 2021, Mark Taylor hire/firing 2022-24, Aug 2023 Youngkin VDOE model-policy adoption, May 2023 'sexually explicit content' definition, Jan 2024 book restoration, 2024 opt-out form rejection, 2024 transgender policy). All those cells null on his record — not scored from later coalition. HARD TRUE public_justice q0: 13-year career SRO + Riverbend HS active-shooter foil + 'School Safety' top campaign priority + Fredericksburg Free Press 2025-10-24 quote 'we need to do everything we can to make our schools safer, including working more closely with law enforcement partners, ensuring we have the best safety equipment and updating appropriate policies' — multi-vector affirmative LE advocacy, clears the FXBG-discipline high-bar. SOFT TRUE economic_stewardship q2: led motion to cut ~20% from top-of-market admin / principal / central-office pay to redirect to teacher salaries — 'There are several categories where we are well above market, particularly with our assistant principals, our principals, and some of the central office level staff' (motion failed; majority rebuffed). Fiscal-restraint instinct on board governance even if outvoted. SOFT TRUE refuse_state_overreach q3: May 12 2026 on Policy BHA-R (board-member-school-visits requiring Superintendent approval) said 'This is absolutely not OK' and accused Supt Clint Mitchell of altering the policy post-April-20 board review — local-board-control assertion against superintendent overreach (q3 subsidiarity direction on board-versus-administrator authority). NOT scored sanctity_of_life q0/q1, biblical_marriage q0/q2/q4 (no votes on Pride / pronouns / trans-bathroom since sworn; pre-2025 votes predate tenure), family_child_sovereignty q0/q1/q2 (drug-testing-teachers push is workforce-vetting not parental-notification on minors' interventions; CTE expansion not specifically a school-choice or anti-CRT vote — declined iVoterGuide on all parental rights items), christian_liberty q0/q2/q3/q4 (no statements on prayer/invocation, Christian-club access, religious-liberty defense; church affiliation undisclosed), election_integrity q0/q1/q4 (N/A), public_justice q1/q2/q3/q4 (only q0 SRO cleared), refuse_state_overreach q0/q1/q2/q4 (no VDOE/COVID/ESG-refusal statement), border_immigration q1/q2 (N/A school office), self_defense q0/q1 (Christian-conservative anti-gun-free-zone direction not specifically advocated; hardened-schools posture is partnership-with-LE not constitutional-carry). 3 TRUE / 0 FALSE on cited cells = 100% (sparse-data caveat: denominator essentially 3, reflects research diligence on a 5-month-old SB tenure with iVoterGuide-decline pattern). Coherent textbook GOP-endorsed sheriff-deputy/SRO reformer-conservative profile in the conservative minority on a board flipped to D-majority Jan 2026 (Jackson Chair, Rodas Vice Chair, Daniels-Cole-Medawar). Recommend revisiting after FY27 budget vote, the $237.2M bond referendum, any 2027 Title IX or library-content votes.
Category Breakdown
Candidate affirms life begins at conception and personhood from conception
Not yet verified
Candidate (if District Attorney) has committed to prosecuting illegal abortion procedures; (if mayor/council) has supported pro-life city resolutions or refused to declare 'sanctuary city for abortion'
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes embryonic stem-cell research, IVF embryo discard, and chimeric experimentation
N/A · out of tier
Candidate opposes euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide, and quality-of-life rationing
N/A · out of tier
FEC / OpenSecrets search found no Planned Parenthood, NARAL, EMILY's List, or abortion-industry PAC contributions (as of the cited search date)
N/A · out of tier
Candidate affirms marriage as exclusively the lifelong union of one man and one woman as instituted by God
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes all forms of same-sex marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships in law
N/A · out of tier
Candidate opposes city/county trans-affirming policies (bathroom mandates on private businesses, Pride flag raisings at city hall, pronouns-required HR rules)
Not yet verified
Candidate supports no-fault divorce reform and policies that strengthen the marriage covenant
N/A · out of tier
Candidate opposes city/county Pride proclamations, Pride flags at city facilities, drag programming in libraries, and LGBT-affirming K-12 curriculum (school-board-relevant)
Not yet verified
Candidate (school board) opts the district into school-choice transfers + protects homeschool freedom + opposes truancy-based criminal referrals
Not yet verified
Candidate (school board) requires parental notification before any gender/sexuality counseling of minors; (mayor/council) opposes city programs facilitating minor medical procedures without parents
Not yet verified
Candidate (school board) has voted to remove CRT/SOGI/comprehensive-sex-ed/gender-ideology materials from district curriculum and library shelves
Not yet verified
Candidate (mayor/council/library board) supports local enforcement of age-verification + removes sexualized content from library children's sections
N/A · out of tier
Candidate supports faith-based adoption/foster agencies and opposes placement of children with same-sex couples
N/A · out of tier
Candidate affirms the right to publicly profess Christ in all spheres (workplace, military, public office, schools)
Not yet verified
Candidate supports conscience exemptions for Christian medical professionals, business owners, adoption agencies, and educators
N/A · out of tier
Candidate (city/county/school board) opposes mandatory pronoun policies for staff + employees + students
Not yet verified
Candidate (mayor/council) supports city/county Christian displays (Ten Commandments, Nativity scenes), invocation prayer at meetings, Sunday-closure where chosen by community
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes city-funded non-Christian religious displays/programming (Ramadan illumination, etc.) at city facilities
Not yet verified
Candidate (city/county) opposes city participation in CBDC pilot programs + supports cash-acceptance ordinances for local businesses
N/A · out of tier
Candidate supports sound-money policies including gold/silver as constitutional money and audit/abolition of the Federal Reserve
N/A · out of tier
Candidate (mayor/council) has voted against deficit-bond issuances for non-capital city expenditures + supports balanced city budgets without service cuts via tax increases on residents
TRUE (+2)[1]
Candidate supports usury limits, anti-debt-slavery protections, and tithe-friendly tax structures
N/A · out of tier
Candidate (city/county) has voted to remove city pension/treasury investment in ESG-aligned funds + opposes city participation in WEF-aligned sister-city programs
N/A · out of tier
Candidate (city clerk/county election official) supports hand-counted paper ballots at local precincts where state law permits
Not yet verified
Candidate (city clerk/election official) enforces state photo voter ID + citizenship verification at local precincts
Not yet verified
Candidate supports single-day in-person voting with absentee only for verified medical/military exceptions
N/A · out of tier
Candidate opposes mass mail-in voting, drop boxes, and ballot harvesting
N/A · out of tier
Candidate (city clerk/council) refused acceptance of private election-administration grants ('Zuckerbucks')
Not yet verified
Candidate supports completed physical border barrier and active military border presence
N/A · out of tier
Candidate (DA/sheriff) cooperates with ICE detainers + transfers; (mayor/council) supports local cooperation with ICE rather than sanctuary policies
Not yet verified
Candidate (city/county) has voted against local sanctuary-city ordinances + supports city cooperation with federal immigration enforcement
Not yet verified
Candidate supports mandatory E-Verify for all employment and benefit eligibility
N/A · out of tier
Candidate opposes birthright citizenship for children of illegal aliens, tourist births, and opposes foreign ownership of U.S. farmland
N/A · out of tier
Candidate (mayor/council) opposes local gun-registry ordinances + local gun-shop zoning restrictions
Not yet verified
Candidate (city/council) opposes local-ordinance red-flag/magazine/AWB analogs + local gun-shop zoning restrictions
Not yet verified
Candidate supports repeal of the National Firearms Act (NFA), Gun Control Act (GCA), and other federal gun regulations
N/A · out of tier
Candidate supports castle doctrine and stand-your-ground laws with full civil immunity for lawful defense
N/A · out of tier
Candidate opposes ATF overreach, citizen disarmament initiatives, and U.N. small-arms treaty participation
N/A · out of tier
Candidate has publicly backed law enforcement and opposed defunding/dismantling police
Candidate opposes cashless-bail, soft-on-crime, and rogue-prosecutor (e.g. Soros-DA) policy
Not yet verified
Candidate supports victim restitution and proportional punishment of evildoers
Not yet verified
Candidate refuses to treat violent crime as a "public health" excuse to avoid punishment
Not yet verified
Candidate affirms the magistrate's God-ordained duty to bear the sword (Rom. 13:4)
Not yet verified
Official has asserted local control against unconstitutional state mandates
Not yet verified
Official has declined state strings that compel ungodly or unconstitutional local policy
Not yet verified
Official has protected local citizens from state overreach (lockdowns, mandates, ESG)
Not yet verified
Official affirms subsidiarity — decisions made at the lowest competent level
TRUE (+2)[4]
Official has refused to enforce unconstitutional state directives
Not yet verified
Sources & Evidence
1 Center1 Right1 Reference9 Other
Ballotpedia ProfileCenter
ivoterguide.com/candidate/88504/race/23298/election/...Right Advocacy
FXBG AdvanceLocal News
Fredericksburg Free PressLocal News
Fredericksburg Free PressLocal News
Fredericksburg Free PressLocal News
FXBG AdvanceLocal News
FXBG AdvanceLocal News
Fredericksburg Free PressLocal News
Bias ratings sourced from AllSides and Ad Fontes Media. Classifications for government, reference, and advocacy domains are maintained by U.S.M.C. Ministries; see source_bias.json.
References & footnotes
Every answer above with a [n] marker corresponds to one of the footnotes below. Wayback-archive links preserve the page as it read at our access date so a reader can verify the citation even if the original URL changes or disappears.
- [1]Led motion to cut ~20% from top-of-market administrator / principal / central-office pay to redirect to teacher salaries: 'There are several categories where we are well above market, particularly with our assistant principals, our principals, and some of the central office level staff.' Motion rebuffed by majority. Fiscal-restraint instinct on internal board governance even when outvoted. Local News
Led motion to cut ~20% from top-of-market administrator / principal / central-office pay to redirect to teacher salaries: 'There are several categories where we are well above market, particularly with our assistant principals, our principals, and some of the central office level staff.' Motion rebuffed by majority. Fiscal-restraint instinct on internal board governance even when outvoted.
- [2]HIGH-BAR cleared on multiple vectors: (1) 13-year career School Resource Officer; (2) personally credited with foiling a 2015 active-shooter plot at Riverbend HS (CNN 2015-10-25); (3) campaign top-priority 'School Safety'; (4) explicit pro-LE-partnership quote 'we need to do everything we can to make our schools safer, including working more closely with law enforcement partners, ensuring we have the best safety equipment and updating appropriate policies.' Clear affirmative LE advocacy on multiple independent vectors. Local News
HIGH-BAR cleared on multiple vectors: (1) 13-year career School Resource Officer; (2) personally credited with foiling a 2015 active-shooter plot at Riverbend HS (CNN 2015-10-25); (3) campaign top-priority 'School Safety'; (4) explicit pro-LE-partnership quote 'we need to do everything we can to make our schools safer, including working more closely with law enforcement partners, ensuring we have the best safety equipment and updating appropriate policies.' Clear affirmative LE advocacy on multiple independent vectors.
- [3]HIGH-BAR cleared on multiple vectors: (1) 13-year career School Resource Officer; (2) personally credited with foiling a 2015 active-shooter plot at Riverbend HS (CNN 2015-10-25); (3) campaign top-priority 'School Safety'; (4) explicit pro-LE-partnership quote 'we need to do everything we can to make our schools safer, including working more closely with law enforcement partners, ensuring we have the best safety equipment and updating appropriate policies.' Clear affirmative LE advocacy on multiple independent vectors. Local News
HIGH-BAR cleared on multiple vectors: (1) 13-year career School Resource Officer; (2) personally credited with foiling a 2015 active-shooter plot at Riverbend HS (CNN 2015-10-25); (3) campaign top-priority 'School Safety'; (4) explicit pro-LE-partnership quote 'we need to do everything we can to make our schools safer, including working more closely with law enforcement partners, ensuring we have the best safety equipment and updating appropriate policies.' Clear affirmative LE advocacy on multiple independent vectors.
- [4]May 12 2026 on Policy BHA-R (board-member-school-visits requiring Supt approval): 'This is absolutely not OK' and accused Supt Clint Mitchell of altering the policy post-April-20 board review — local-board-control assertion against superintendent overreach (q3 subsidiarity direction on board-versus-administrator authority within the local body). Local News
May 12 2026 on Policy BHA-R (board-member-school-visits requiring Supt approval): 'This is absolutely not OK' and accused Supt Clint Mitchell of altering the policy post-April-20 board review — local-board-control assertion against superintendent overreach (q3 subsidiarity direction on board-versus-administrator authority within the local body).
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