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Virginia Beach — A Virginia Beach attorney accused of unwanted touching has been appointed as chairman of the Virginia Beach Electoral Board.
In July, Jeffrey Marks, an attorney for Kaufman & Canoles, joined the board.
Tina Mapes, the Virginia Republican Party chair at the time, recommended him for the position. Virginia Beach Circuit Court Chief Judge Glenn Croshaw signed the July 11 order that approved the appointment. He wrote that it was a unanimous decision by the judges of the Circuit Court.
In 2017, Marks withdrew his application to become a judge in Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court in Virginia Beach after another attorney accused him of inappropriately touching her.
During a General Assembly hearing, Jill Costen, an attorney and a former colleague of Marks, said he improperly touched her between her legs during a charity event at a mutual friend’s house in May 2013.
Marks denied touching her between her legs but said that he did slap Costen on the butt, according to a past Virginian-Pilot report.
Marks said the Circuit Court extensively reviewed his qualifications and decided whether he was worthy of the appointment. He is an active member of the Virginia State Bar and has no disciplinary record, according to the bar’s website.
“This is not something I sought or was seeking,” Marks said. “I was asked by the party if I would be willing to do it, and I agreed. I am honored to be appointed to the role.”
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Costen could not be reached for comment, but her husband, Tim Costen, said he does not approve of Marks’ appointment to the board.
“It goes to show how low a organization will stoop that they will appoint someone to chair a board who has admitted before the Courts of Justice Committee in Richmond to unwanted touching of a woman’s privates,” Tim Costen said. “It is shocking a judge would approve this after knowing what this person admitted to.”
The Electoral Board oversees the “conduct of the elections and for the verification of election results,” according to the city’s website.
Marks replaced Al Ablowich, who held the position for more than a decade. Ablowich stepped down due to health concerns. Marks will finish Ablowich’s term, which ends in February 2022.
The rules that govern the electoral board required the local Republican Party to make this appointment. Mapes said she recommended Marks because he has been an active member of the local Republican Party and he had participated in election recounts last year, so he had become familiar with the electoral process. She said the incident between Marks and Costen did not concern her.
“There’s no reason not to appoint him,” she said.
Alissa Skelton, 757-995-9043, alissa.skelton@pilotonline.com.