Veronica Coleman
[Democrat]
Residence: Buckner in Virginia Beach
Age on Election Day: 53
Occupation: Pastor
Key endorsements: Virginia Education Association, Sierra Club, AFL-CIO
Campaign website: veronicacoleman.org ♦ (757) 689-7832 ♦ veronica@veronicacoleman.org ♦ @coleman4va on Facebook; @colemanforva on Twitter
What are your specific qualifications for this office? I am a Doctoral degree holder who has conducted and administered fiscal operations including; accounting, planning budgets, authorizing expenditures and establishing rates for services and coordinating financial reporting. As a health care executive, I have planned, implemented and administered programs and services in a health care facility including personnel administration, and directing the care of residents to ensure that all applicable federal and state regulations were observed. I am currently a senior Pastor and Church Administrator where I am responsible for strategically prioritizing, planning and implementing ministry projects to carry out the mission of the church and to meet the needs of the community. We assist residents by providing or connecting them to services and resources that they need to enhance their quality of life. I have dedicated my life to being a servant leader.
What, to you, is the most important local issue facing the district and how will you address it if elected? So many residents of the 84th District have shared with me that education is a priority issue for our district. While Virginia Beach has one of the best public school systems in the nation, we must be diligent in protecting the gains we’ve made. I will draft and support legislation that supports a strong public education system and keeps public dollars in public schools. A second issue that is a priority for certain areas in our district is the constant concern and danger of flooding. I will propose and support legislation that strengthens our cities infrastructure.
How will you be an advocate for state support to local education efforts, including higher education? Virginia’s teacher pay ranks 30th in the country. I will advocate to raise teacher pay to reach or exceed the national average which will assist our schools in attracting and retaining high quality teachers and school personnel. In 2008, education funding was cut. I will advocate to fully fund education by proposing that the Standards of Quality formula reflects the real cost of educating Virginia public school students. It is also vitally important that we increase the options available for career and vocational education.
What priorities do you have that will help support the agriculture community? Please be specific about how you have worked or will work on issues impacting this industry. I will support legislation that encourages governmental agencies, private industry and producer groups to work together to promote the sale of locally grown agricultural products to national and foreign markets. I will also support legislation that encourages use of more local products in the school food program and in state and government food purchasing programs.
Do you support access to reproductive health care for women? Why or why not? Give an example of legislation you might support or oppose on this issue. I support access to reproductive health care for women. Decisions about health care is best made by an individual and their healthcare providers. Contraceptives are a proven way to improve the health of women, improve birth outcomes along with reducing unintended pregnancies. Long acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) have resulted in dramatic impacts on reducing teen pregnancy. I will support legislation that increases access to LARCs for women of all ages and incomes.
How will you work in the Virginia General Assembly to help coastal communities address issues such as sea level rise or impacts on natural resources? Hampton Roads is the 3rd most vulnerable community in the United States to sea level rise. We must have proactive solutions that take our environment into account and slow the pace of climate change. I will support legislation that encourages investment in economic development and new infrastructure that meets updated building codes and plans that reflect sea level rise projections. I also will propose and support legislation that encourages and/or incentivizes the city of Virginia Beach to be a participant in the CRS (Community Rating System) that would result in lower flood insurance premiums for affected residents.
Do you support efforts to ensure nonpartisan redistricting? Why or why not? Virginia is ranked the 5th most gerrymandered state in America. Redistricting reform is essential for the health of our Commonwealth. Because of the way the lines are drawn, it has resulted in legislative districts that no longer represent the concerns of the people. I support non partisan redistricting efforts like those of OneVirginia 2021 that call for making voting districts fair and avoiding the rigging of elections for those who are currently in office. Politicians should not choose their constituents; constituents should choose their representatives.
Glenn R. Davis
[Republican Incumbent]
Residence: Castleton Community in Virginia Beach
Age on Election Day: 44
Occupation: Telecommunications
Key endorsements: Virginian-Pilot, National Federation of Independent Business, Virginia Beach Fraternal Order of Police
Campaign website: glennrdavis.com ♦ (757) 802-4982 ♦ glenn@glennrdavis.com ♦ @delgdavis on Facebook; @delglenndavis on Twitter; @Delglenndavis on Instagram; DelGlennDavis on YouTube
What are your specific qualifications for this office? I grew up in the 84th District, graduating from Green Run High School. My wife and I live here and I’ve built my businesses here. I was proud to represent Virginia Beach on the City Council, and now in the House of Delegates. Throughout my life I’ve kept several constant priorities: Attract and create jobs, make the best educational opportunities available to our children, keep our neighborhoods safe, and reform how government does business so that we can lower costs and increase efficiency. Throughout my public life, I’ve lead on initiatives to do these things.
In Richmond, I’ve fought to make health care available to more people at a lower cost. I’ve fought to make education more focused on preparing our students for 21st century jobs as opposed to memorizing material for SOL tests. I’ve fought to make it easier to start a business. And, I’ve fought to give significant salary increases to our teachers, firefighters, and police officers. That’s a record I’m proud to stand on, and I’m thankful for the support of my community to continue those fights.
What, to you, is the most important local issue facing the district and how will you address it if elected? We need serious reform in the way we tax and the regulations that inhibit business growth. Virginia used to lead the nation in job creation, but now we lag behind. Other states have reformed their tax and regulatory climate. It’s time Virginia does so as well. If we are going to attract quality companies paying good salaries, and allow our home grown businesses to flourish, we have to stop punishing them through complicated tax schemes and regulations that prevent these goals.
How will you be an advocate for state support to local education efforts, including higher education? I’ve always been a champion for local education and volunteered in classrooms through Junior Achievement. I’ve had no problem making tough votes to support our teachers and schools, but resources are only part of the solution. Education must be a partnership between teachers and parents, and allow teachers flexibility in the classroom to best educate their students, as opposed to the “one size fits all” approach.That’s why I’m honored to have helped create Green Run Collegiate, a public charter high school in the Green Run community. Virginia also needs to stem the growth of tuition at its state universities.
What priorities do you have that will help support the agriculture community? Please be specific about how you have worked or will work on issues impacting this industry. I’ve been a champion for our agricultural economy going back to my City Council days, and I’m proud to have the endorsement of the Virginia Farm Bureau’s AgPac in this campaign. When I was on City Council, we protected the rural part of Virginia Beach from development and kept our promises with the Agricultural Reserve Program and the Green Line. I’ve supported cutting regulations on our local farmers to keep our agricultural economy strong in Virginia Beach, and I’m always looking for ways to grow this leg of Virginia’s economy.
Do you support access to reproductive health care for women? Why or why not? Give an example of legislation you might support or oppose on this issue. I support access to health care, and that’s why I patroned a Medicaid reform plan that covered more people at lower cost with significant reforms to transition people from government dependency to private employer-based medical insurance. The fact is that these are some of the fastest-growing costs facing government today, and it crowds out dollars that could be used for education, transportation, public safety, and even tax relief. It is absolutely critical that we reform the way health care is delivered because there is no end to the enormous annual cost increases without it.
How will you work in the Virginia General Assembly to help coastal communities address issues such as sea level rise or impacts on natural resources? While on the Virginia Beach City Council, I secured funding for the first dredging our district’s lakes in decades. We are now taking action at the state and federal levels, because coastal flooding will be an ongoing problem that we will need to address, and the costs are significant. Investments in pump stations and some serious dredging of BMPs and lakes are needed. Additionally, our region is leading on sea-level rise initiatives in the House of Delegates, and I’m proud to be a part of and support those initiatives.
Do you support efforts to ensure nonpartisan redistricting? Why or why not? I do, and I took part in nonpartisan redistricting while I was on City Council. We understood very well how to keep communities together and create districts without partisan politics driving the decision. The state redistricting process can be that as well. We can, and should, find a way to make sure district lines are drawn with citizens as the top priority and not partisan advantage.
© 2017 Pungo Publishing Co., LLC