BARRY D. KNIGHT [R]
Residence: Back Bay, Virginia Beach
Age on Election Day: 67
Occupation: Farmer
Education/Military Service: High school graduate
Key endorsements: Virginia Farm Bureau AgPac, Virginia Chamber of Commerce and Virginia Beach Police Benevolent Association
Website: www.barrydknight.com
Phone: (757) 426-6387
Email: info@barrydknight.com
Social Media: @BarryKnight81 on Facebook
What are your specific qualifications for this office? I have represented the 81st district for 13 years and have served on numerous committees: Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources, General Laws, Rules, and Appropriations. I have been a Subcommittee Chairman on all these Committees and will be the ranking member of Appropriations. As a Budget Conferee, I am one of a select few in the room when the final Budget is negotiated. I have lived in this area all my life and I know my neighbors and their issues.
I am extremely responsive and work tirelessly to address them. I started a farm from nothing and made it into a sustainable business. I understand and can relate to issues of business. I have a wonderful family with my wife Paula and we have raised three sons, all educated in Virginia Beach Public Schools, with one grandson and another on the way. I understand this district.
What are your three main policy priorities or examples of legislation you would pursue in Richmond? I am in a unique position as a senior member of the Appropriations Committee to fund initiatives that newer members would not have the opportunity to do. The key to our future is through our children and attracting qualified teachers. We need to increase pay and ask these teachers to show the students how to learn and let them make up their own minds on subjects and not steer them in a direction.
I am a huge proponent of our Law Enforcement and First Responders. I will work to get them a pay raise, which I did this year, and continue to defeat taking away their qualified immunity. These folks deserve our respect for doing a tough job. We are having a hard time attracting qualified candidates. Who wants to do this job for poor pay and the threat of being sued personally and having to defend yourself in court?
I helped initiate the college tuition freeze which told public colleges and universities that if you accept our public support then you will keep your tuition cost to 3 percent or less. It was a bold move but it worked and I helped increase the private college Tuition Assistance Grants.
What, to you, is the most important local issue facing the district and how will you address it if elected? We have flooding issues related to southerly winds pushing water on low-lying areas and roads. I secured an appropriation to plant grasses in Back Bay to cause friction to slow down incoming water. This initiative is showing some success. We need to elevate and rebuild roads, buy some properties from willing sellers and partner with Virginia Beach and Chesapeake. I started the dialogue at the state level on these initiatives and others. We passed an appropriation of $10 million that Governor Northam vetoed for Nimmo Parkway to Sandbridge. I will try again now that he will be gone.
How will you work to assist businesses, particularly in the hospitality industry, recover from the economic effects of the pandemic? The state has a program called Rebuild Virginia that has PPP federal monies that will be allocated to the hospitality industries. It was passed in our last supplemental budget. I made sure our hotels, restaurants, campgrounds and others in these industries got included in this budget. The cities of Virginia Beach and Chesapeake got monies directly to help these industries also. I made sure that our tourism sector got their fair share also. These businesses got hurt as bad or worse than most and if we are going to help business recover then we need to help them which I made sure we did. And I will continue to fight for them.
How will you be an advocate for state support to local education efforts, including higher education? This last budget had monies from the federal government earmarked for schools but only for repairs with certain conditions. We were not allowed to use it for new construction, but it could improve air quality. I secured funding for our local schools for AC units to be replaced, which is a huge help. They are very costly and most of our schools’ AC units had passed their useful life. ODU was not getting its fair share of state money for new buildings and I helped secure this capital and will continue this effort. These buildings are being built now.
What priorities do you have that will help support the agriculture community, which represents the commonwealth’s largest industry? Being one of the only farmers in the General Assembly and Vice-President of the Va. Beach Farm Bureau, I am one of the go-to guys about farm issues. I will continue to secure cost-share for the farmers to fence their cattle out of our streams and other cost-share measures. We are a right-to-farm state, which means farmers that have complaints against them for normal farming practices have a committee to see if the complaints are valid and there are checks and balances for frivolous complaints. Some want to eliminate this protection but I will fight to retain it.
Do you support access to reproductive health care for women? Why or why not? I have numerous examples of supporting access to health care and have worked across the aisle to do so. We’ve expanded coverage for 12-month supplies for contraceptives and other efforts to decrease infant mortality by improving pregnancy health. I can work with my colleagues in both parties to make sure access to health care is improved and costs are under control.
How will you work in the Virginia General Assembly to help coastal communities address issues such as sea level rise and recurrent flooding? I sat on the Water Commission for years and got the city of Virginia Beach to present to the Commission to explain our unique topography and the proximity of the ocean and the Chesapeake Bay. The Commission was educated on our predicament and understood we needed to act. Most of our state is not by the ocean so this education was warranted. Now and in the future, the Assembly understands we need to keep our military and our Port viable and look for and fund solutions.
JEFFREY A. “DOC” FELD [D]
Residence: Red Mill Area, Virginia Beach
Age on Election Day: 50
Occupation: Foot and Ankle Surgeon
Education/Military service: Civilian who completed Chief Residency in Podiatric Surgery at The Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Huntington WV
Key endorsements: Freedom Virginia, VA AFL-CIO and countless voters
Website: www.FeldforDelegate.com
Phone: (757) 366-1403
Email: staff@feldfordelegate.com
Social Media: @Feld4Virginia
What are your specific qualifications for this office? Being a product of public education, married to a teacher, having three children attending public school I have a vested interest in its success. Most people know that I’m outspoken, lead with my heart while having a calm and rational approach to problems and tasks.
I am an independent minded candidate who is not beholden to anyone or any group. I will not shift opinions just because the wind blows. I have convictions and morals, upon which I have built my family, reputation and my two Podiatry offices. People appreciate my business experience, medical background, my values and the platform, upon which my campaign is based.
I believe that we must make the best decisions for our community and the Commonwealth. Once elected, I will pursue equitable education, being good stewards of our environment and promoting small business and not corporate greed, which my opponent has done for many years.
What are your three main policy priorities or examples of legislation you would pursue in Richmond? I support giving our kids a better education by ensuring equitable education, making healthcare more accessible, and creating new flooding prevention solutions to prevent property damage and potential loss of life.
Your zip code shouldn’t determine what type of education you receive. Students in rural and urban neighborhoods are left behind and I’ll fight to change that. Teachers shouldn’t have to purchase supplies with their own money to educate our students. Hiring more teachers can provide smaller classroom sizes and teachers will have more time to dedicate to each student. As a podiatrist, I’ve seen just how difficult it is to navigate our healthcare system. I’ll fight for transparent billing, protecting pre-existing conditions, and fairer insurance practices.
With a gradual increase in flooding, property damage is more commonplace which puts people’s property and homes in danger. Just one 100 foot-tall tree can absorb 11,000 gallons of water within a growing season. We must be good stewards of our environment. I understand the need for small steps and collaborative partnerships in battling the environmental issues. My opponent hasn’t fought to protect your homes […] This election, vote for someone who will fight for you and your family.
What, to you, is the most important local issue facing the district and how will you address it if elected? The most important thing we can do is grow small and medium size businesses while creating jobs. It’s not fair that Amazon gets massive tax breaks, while the “little guy” gets nothing. You and I drive on the roads far less than Amazon does. Why does Amazon pay hardly anything in taxes to help fix and repair those same roads? I won’t be beholden to special interests in Richmond. My opponent, on the other hand, received $9,500 in political campaign contributions from Amazon. We need someone who will fight for the peoples’ interests, not for the interests of their donors.
How will you work to assist businesses, particularly in the hospitality industry, recover from the economic effects of the pandemic? People in and around the Commonwealth contribute to our travel and tourism economy. Allocating funds to small and medium sized businesses and not corporate America will help the industry and ensure local jobs. Many in Hampton Roads have their livelihoods invested in the hospitality industry, and we need to ensure they can safely and fully reopen to earn a good living and provide jobs. Providing proper PPE and other supplies, financial assistance, and making sure they have the employees they need to run their business is important now and for future travel and tourism industry.
How will you be an advocate for state support to local education efforts, including higher education? I believe in supporting our public school system so that students can achieve their fullest potential and have the opportunity to earn higher education. Providing the building blocks and opportunity for development in higher education, trade schools, or whatever careers they decide to pursue helps the Commonwealth retain educated and skilled labor. Providing an opportunity to pay off schooling with community service or working within an underserved region has many benefits while keeping our trained workforce here. I will do everything feasible to give our future teachers, doctors, nurses, engineers, pipe fitters, construction workers and others the best education possible.
What priorities do you have that will help support the agriculture community, which represents the commonwealth’s largest industry? Being better stewards of the environment will ultimately protect the land and water that is so important to our agricultural industry. Utilizing alternative energy solutions such as wind, solar and geothermal will also help. Additionally, flooding presents a massive issue to local farmers who are at risk of losing crops and property. Implementing contour planting, buffer planting to protect waterways, soil enrichment from increased tree-planting and preserving established trees, which developers too commonly remove, will help preserve this industry. Additionally, it’s important to me that we give breaks to local family farmers and not just the large national farming companies.
Do you support access to reproductive health care for women? Why or why not? Medical decisions should be between a patient and their provider. As a Foot and Ankle Surgeon, I don’t want the government meddling and or deciding what procedures are appropriate for my patients. Such choice is ultimately for the patient after getting educated on the options. Access to reproductive health care ensures the health of both the woman and her child. Studies show when we teach students age appropriate sexual health education, which includes alternative options including contraception, we reduce the risk of teen pregnancy. Therefore, we shouldn’t allow someone to represent us in public office who’s voted to illegalize contraception.
How will you work in the Virginia General Assembly to help coastal communities address issues such as sea level rise and recurrent flooding? I will promote common sense solutions to prevent flooding, like investing in stormwater infrastructure design, pumps and planting trees to absorb water. Every year we see more flooding and bigger storms. We need to invest early and often in flooding prevention solutions. Soon enough, we’re going to see one of the biggest storms in Virginia’s history, and I promise to fight to make sure we’re prepared. Thank you for considering me as your representative in Richmond. We need a change and together we can. Feel free to reach out to me if you have any other questions or concerns.
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