Ed. — The following are responses to questions posed by The Independent News to candidates in the election for the District 6 seat on the Virginia Beach City Council. Answers to our questions in this series generally are not edited, aside from obvious punctuation issues, spacing and formatting, or for clarity. The print edition containing our full voter guide is now on stands through this coming weekend.
- News coverage about races in Virginia Beach is at this link.
- News coverage about voting system changes is at this link.
- Please reach John Doucette, the editor, with any questions or concerns via email.
- Find the main page for the complete 2022 voter guide at this link.
LINWOOD BRANCH
- Residence: Linlier
- Age: 67
- Occupation: Hotel owner
- Military Service/Education: Bachelor’s Degree Randolph-Macon College
- Endorsements: Virginia Beach Hospitality Association, Virginia Beach Police Benevolent Association and Attorney General Jason Miyares
- Website: linwoodbranch.com
- Phone: (757) 777-8331
- Email: linwood@linwoodbranch.com
- Social Media: @councilmanlinwoodbranch on Facebook
What are your specific qualifications for this office? I have strong Virginia Beach roots. I am the son of a Naval Academy graduate and veteran of World War II. I spent my summers working at the resort and have long been involved in making it great for residents and visitors.
As a small business owner, I have served Virginia Beach in many capacities, including Chair of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce Virginia Beach Division and the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Tax, Fee, and Spending, President of the following groups: Sandler Center Foundation for the Performing Arts, VB Hotel Association, Resort Retailers Association, and VB Police Foundation, board member of the Resort Advisory Commission, United Way, and Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities.
I was honored to be selected Outstanding Young Citizen by the Jaycees in 1994 and First Citizen of Virginia Beach in 2007.
I was first elected to City Council in 1992 and served until 2002. During that time, I supported initiatives such as the Virginia Beach Aquarium, Convention Center, the Amphitheater, Open Space and Agricultural Reserve Programs, and Town Center. In October of 2021, Council appointed me to serve out the unexpired term of Vice Mayor Jim Wood.
What is the most important issue facing the city and how will you address it in office? Our most important issue heard from citizens is the need for good paying jobs and economic development. The current inflation and previous shutdowns have left people very economically insecure, and Virginia Beach has the opportunity and responsibility to set the stage for our economic future now. Overseas data cables and offshore wind present great local job opportunities and our resort is poised to be the most successful it has ever been. I will continue to lead in these areas to bring more jobs and economic activity to our city.
What are your three main policy priorities? In addition to the economy, priorities include public safety, flooding and civic engagement.
- Virginia Beach is consistently one of the safest large cities in America. We are blessed with an exceptional police force led by a fantastic police chief, and the Council has stepped up with increased pay and incentives to attract and retain the very best.
- Virginia Beach has made a major commitment to fund flood mitigation projects with passage of the 2021 referendum. My commitment to you is to make sure the projects are completed on budget with the greatest transparency possible.
- Virginia Beach is a community of civic organizations and volunteerism, including the many boards and commissions appointed by City Council. We have to return to a community that discusses issues face to face and have a city government that works with citizens person-to-person. That’s the Virginia Beach that will move us into the future.
Should city services such as water and sewer be extended south of Indian River Road to promote development of rural communities? I oppose any such extension and think that it would destroy our agricultural base and be an exorbitant cost to the taxpayers.
Do you support the agricultural reserve program, or ARP? Should its dedicated funding be maintained at a consistent level? I was on City Council in 1995 when we created the ARP, and I think it was one of the most important investments we’ve made. We’ve protected our agricultural economy, stopped runaway sprawl development to the Carolina border and saved countless taxpayer dollars to extend costly services to meet the demand of new developments. I support continuing it and celebrating it.
Do you believe nonfarming businesses should be allowed on agriculturally zoned land in the rural area of the city? I do not favor expansions of what is allowable in the current zoning and do not look favorably on rezoning in the rural areas.
Do you support the city’s successful appeal of Holloway v. Virginia Beach voting rights case, which may mean the 10-district system under which you are running may change? The court has spoken and we are running in a 10-district system. It remains to be seen if our citizens are pleased with the results. We have an obligation as a Council to work together as all 11 members regardless of the electoral process used by voters to choose their representatives.
It is likely the new City Council will need to reconsider our local voting system following the Holloway v. Virginia Beach reversal in the appeals court. How should the council do this while engaging citizens? First, let’s see how the 10-district system works and if the voters are pleased with choosing one member of Council who is only directly accountable to them. Options like superwards or at large seats may be something to look at if the public wants a more broad-based number of choices on their City Council. I keep an open mind and open ears and will engage anyone in the public who has ideas or thoughts, whether they want changes or to keep the system we have.
How should the city address concerns about sea level rise and recurrent flooding aside from projects funded via last year’s referendum? The bond referendum was huge, not only in the large investment it made in flood mitigation but in the overwhelming support from voters to make this high priority decision. However, we know the bonds will cover a portion, albeit a significant portion, of the investments needed throughout the city for the impacts of recurrent flooding, sea level rise and other impacts. We continue to seek federal and state assistance and partnership from our regional cities who are facing similar impacts.
Has the city done enough to help the restaurant and hospitality industry recover from shutdowns related to the pandemic? The city has done a lot for businesses shut down during the pandemic, and some businesses will never be made completely whole again. But the shutdowns and restrictions were only part of the problem. Some of the federal actions to help did more harm than good. Incentives to keep people home instead of rejoining the workforce hurt hospitality industries greatly. The city made relief funds available, got the beaches open within months of the shutdown, and helped the hospitality industry reinvent itself until COVID restrictions ended.
RICHARD “R.K.” KOWALEWITCH
- Residence: Near Old Beach at the Oceanfront
- Age: 62
- Occupation: Self-Employed – Construction
- Military Service/Education: 2 years of college
- Phone: (757) 831-6143
- Email: rk8@cox.net
- Social Media: @rkforvbcitycouncil on Facebook
What are your specific qualifications for this office? I am uniquely qualified to be on City Council because I owned and operated a retail business in the resort area for 31 years. I also have building experience, mostly in residential endeavors, and I am OSHA certified. I’ve also lived in Virginia Beach for 32 years. I love this City, I love the beach, and I understand the unique challenges and concerns of the resort businesses and residents unlike any other candidate. I am seeking elected office, because I believe the incumbents, along with the majority of our current council, have lost sight of our priorities, and we are headed in the wrong direction.
What is the most important issue facing the city and how will you address it in office? Enforce laws and maintain order fairly for everyone. To have the enforcement of laws we need to have our police department fully funded, compensated and staffed. The current budget allows for the hiring of an additional 77 police officers. We need to promote our police department so perhaps trained officers from other cities would apply to work here. We need to continue to fix pay compression. There needs to be open lines of communication between City Council, the Police Chief’s office, the HR Department, and the police associations to come up with solutions to solve the unrest in our communities.
What are your three main policy priorities?
- Enforce laws and maintain order fairly for everyone. To have the enforcement of laws we need to have our police department fully funded, fully compensated, and fully staffed.
- Worst economy in 50 years. We cannot tax our citizens out of our city. It is a huge mistake. We need to run a leaner government in these hard times, and address the needs of the citizens, and not the GOB, the Good Old Boys, that is being done now.
- Fairly compensate and fully fund and staff police, fire, and teachers. We were 80 police officers short in 2002, and today we are at least 70 police officers short. This needs to be addressed immediately along with pay compression for police officers and firefighters. There is a real teacher shortage around the country. The city needs to keep salaries competitive to attract and keep teachers in our area.
Should city services such as water and sewer be extended south of Indian River Road to promote development of rural communities? No. Part of the purpose of creating the green line was to stop over development. We don’t need to build on every square inch of our city.
Do you support the agricultural reserve program, or ARP? Should its dedicated funding be maintained at a consistent level? Yes, it needs to be audited and tweaked. We possibly might need to lower the ARP funding level.
Do you believe nonfarming businesses should be allowed on agriculturally zoned land in the rural area of the city? If it is agriculture, it should be agriculture related.
Do you support the city’s successful appeal of Holloway v. Virginia Beach voting rights case, which may mean the 10-district system under which you are running may change? Yes, the state changed it to make it constitutionally correct which made the Holloway case a moot point. The old system was not a representative form of government which is guaranteed when Virginia became a state.
The citizens need to have the final say on which type of voting system they want through a referendum as long as it is a representative form of government.
There should be no more appointments to city council seats, and we should go to a 60- or 90-day special election when a seat is vacated.
It is likely the new City Council will need to reconsider our local voting system following the Holloway v. Virginia Beach reversal in the appeals court. How should the council do this while engaging citizens? We need to have a Real District System or an At-Large System which would be a pure form of representative government. There are only three ways for a voting system according to the National League of Cities. They are: Ward/District, At-Large, or Hybrid At-Large Ward.
The citizens need to have the final say on which system they want with a referendum. I would honor the outcome of a referendum vote.
There should be no more appointments to city council seats, and we should go to a 60- or 90-day special election when a seat is vacated.
How should the city address concerns about sea level rise and recurrent flooding aside from projects funded via last year’s referendum? Some of the sea-level rising is out of our control; therefore, we should be very cognizant in developing in low-lying areas like the south end of Virginia Beach. Continual removal of vegetation also creates some of the flooding issues. Trees consume a large amount of water, and adding structures only removes impervious surface area.
We have to get caught up on our stormwater maintenance immediately so we can assess how much lack of maintenance is causing the flooding issues. This needs to be done immediately. We are one storm away from a disaster.
Has the city done enough to help the restaurant and hospitality industry recover from shutdowns related to the pandemic? The city does not need to be involved in anymore public private partnerships that compete with the private sector. The city needs to stay lean so that we can protect current privately funded businesses. We can do this through Economic Development with grants and low interest loans available to small businesses.
CAT PORTERFIELD
- Residence: North End
- Age: 52
- Occupation: Realtor/Property Manager and Independent Journalist/Commentator
- Military Service/Education: Communications and Journalism Courses of Study at Hawaii Pacific University, Honolulu, and Irvine Valley College in Irvine, Calif.
- Website: catporterfield.com
- Phone: (757) 323-6430
- Email: porterfield4vb@gmail.com
- Social Media: @cat4vb on Facebook and @porterfield4vb on Instagram
What are your specific qualifications for this office? Publishing, editing, reporting for, and managing purposeful community newspapers gave me a special skill set that allows me to be an effective, attentive and collaborative community leader and representative. Good local journalism consists of studying the community with a great focus on local government, schools, and the city as a whole. I’ve pored over school, city, town and state budgets. I’ve followed capital improvement projects from concept to completion. I have fully immersed myself in all of the things that make a community work and have gained a broad base of knowledge regarding the workings of a city in the process. A great local paper celebrates the victories of a community while also watchdogging local government. A great council person would do the same and use the seat to keep citizens informed and engaged while serving without fear or favor. Ideally, that person should come to the seat without special interests and would therefore never have the need to abstain or state a conflict.
What is the most important issue facing the city and how will you address it in office? Reckless approval of development is exacerbating flooding issues even as the city works through Phase 1 of its $568 million plan to fight the threat of rising sea levels and stormwater. The next big storm could hit tomorrow, yet the city council continues to green-light projects that eliminate stands of old-growth trees and carelessly allow more concrete to be poured eliminating much of our natural defenses against flooding. As the city facing the largest threat of catastrophic flooding on the east coast, we need to be hyper-vigilant about the environmental impact of any proposed development.
What are your three main policy priorities? Transparency, accountability, and a change in tone for City officials and our police and sheriff’s departments. It costs nothing to be nice. There is an authoritative tone in city communications that goes beyond just being formal and sends a perceived message that the city doesn’t consider our residents as collaborative partners. When you pair this tone with an apparent lack of transparency or failure to respond to residents’ complaints or questions, the trust and respect of our people get damaged. I would work to create a communications strategy for officials and city employees to introduce a collaborative and positive tone in written and spoken communications. The people of Virginia Beach deserve this. They also deserve to see how all city business is done and to have access to the people or information they need to make sound decisions.
Should city services such as water and sewer be extended south of Indian River Road to promote development of rural communities? No. The terrain in that area of the city could not support the infrastructure necessary for the gravity system that would be required to deliver these services with any quality.
Do you support the agricultural reserve program, or ARP? Should its dedicated funding be maintained at a consistent level? ARP is a great program when it benefits those who it was intended to benefit. It’s time to take another look at this program and examine the potential for abuse. It should only apply to generational farms and not be manipulated by opportunistic land-grabbers.
Do you believe nonfarming businesses should be allowed on agriculturally zoned land in the rural area of the city? Only those businesses that complement the farming community should be approved. Health and safety issues need to be considered for any business or residential development and nothing should be approved without expert guidance or prior to an impact study. There is too much at stake environmentally and public healthwise to do anything else.
Do you support the city’s successful appeal of Holloway v. Virginia Beach voting rights case, which may mean the 10-district system under which you are running may change? No. I did not support the filing of that appeal and the wasting of taxpayer dollars that was done to do it. The 10-district system allows for greater community representation while not diluting minority votes and gives residents a dedicated representative on city council. It also allows for more participation in elections from candidates who may otherwise never get a chance to run because they couldn’t gather enough resources to run a city-wide campaign. I support this system and I want to see it in action. I’d also propose the pairing off of a council person with their district counterpart on the school board in a collaborative relationship so both have additional tools to make the best decisions for our schools and city.
It is likely the new City Council will need to reconsider our local voting system following the Holloway v. Virginia Beach reversal in the appeals court. How should the council do this while engaging citizens? They will not need to reconsider a voting system that has already been federally and state approved. They simply need to amend their charter to be in compliance with the law. It’s important for voters to understand that more choices do not equal better representation when it comes to an at-large vs. district voting system whether hybrid or entirely at-large. I’ve spoken with voters who would support an all-at-large system. Theoretically, a system like that could produce a council that all live in the same part of the city leaving no real representation for the rest of the city. So, engage the citizens in a discussion that doesn’t dance around the truth. The 10-district system more accurately represents the needs and interests of every Virginia Beach resident.
How should the city address concerns about sea level rise and recurrent flooding aside from projects funded via last year’s referendum? By fiercely preserving what naturally protects us from flooding – trees and undeveloped land; by refusing to approve development that could exacerbate flooding and by requiring the use of pervious paving products when a project includes pavement.
Has the city done enough to help the restaurant and hospitality industry recover from shutdowns related to the pandemic? They are recovering from more than just shutdowns. They are recovering from the one-two punch that includes the loss of our festivals and the people those festivals brought to our restaurants. The loss of this business can really be felt at the oceanfront where Something in the Water, the Patriotic Festival, and the American Music Festival brought loads of traffic to beach eateries. Some restaurant managers say the Sportsplex has made up for some of the loss, but that it just doesn’t come close to replacing the revenue they lost over those busy weekends.
WORTH REMICK
- Residence: Linkhorn Park
- Age: 62
- Occupation: Commercial Real Estate Advisor/Broker, Colliers International
- Military Service/Education: Hampden-Sydney College and Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership
- Endorsements: VBEA-PACE, Moms Demand Action and Virginia Beach Revenue Commissioner Phil Kellam
- Website: worthremick.com
- Phone: (757) 799-0866
- Email: worthremickvb@gmail.com
- Social Media: @worthremickforcitycouncil on Facebook, @worthremick on Instagram and Twitter
What are your specific qualifications for this office? In the business world, it is important to listen to customers and learn their needs/concerns, and then provide solutions to solve those needs. This is my background — I have the experience in business and community service to help provide solutions for Virginia Beach — to protect neighborhoods and taxpayers, make conscientious decisions, and be an independent voice representing all citizens. I understand land use, economic development, affordable housing, the importance of quality public schools, and financial issues.
I attended the Sorenson Institute for Political Leadership which promotes respect and dignity in the public domain. Local government needs leaders who use common sense and support the best interests of District 6 and the city. I have the experience and dedication to be a capable, consensus builder who can listen and lead and has a vision of what is best for our city. I want to represent the citizens interests not special interests! Our neighborhoods and taxpayers come first!
What is the most important issue facing the city and how will you address it in office? The most important issue is the successful implementation of the $567.5 M bond referendum that Virginia Beach citizens passed in 2021. We have many pressing issues but this is most important single issue, as it is an existential issue for us and it is expensive for taxpayers. We have to do this the right way, and cannot let time, bureaucracy, special interests, inflation, labor nor supply chain issues derail this very important project. There are numerous other issues, such as fully staffing our police and schools, and protecting our neighborhoods, but we have to get these flood mitigation projects successfully implemented.
What are your three main policy priorities?
- Ensure that the $567.5M bond referendum to address flooding is properly administered in a professional, fair, and efficient manner. We need to make sure that it properly addresses the problem areas throughout the city but also is not wasteful of money and staff time.
- Ensure that potential new resort projects (Atlantic Park, Rudee Loop, pier and others) are properly vetted, planned, and serve the best interests of the citizens of Virginia Beach.
- Virginia Beach should always be improving our quality of life — a place where all citizens and families happily live, work and play. This is my vision: rewarding and high paying jobs, high quality and achieving public schools, appealing neighborhoods with open spaces and a thriving parks and recreation system, fully funded and staffed police and fire departments, a fun and inclusive lifestyle for all, and a resort area that is loved and patronized by all in the city, region and state. We can and should be a leader in the region and be “Virginia’s Beach”!
Should city services such as water and sewer be extended south of Indian River Road to promote development of rural communities? No, we should preserve the rural nature and character of the southern part of Virginia Beach, promote agriculture, and stop the slow progression of residential development into this precious part of our city.
Do you support the agricultural reserve program, or ARP? Should its dedicated funding be maintained at a consistent level? I strongly support the Agricultural Reserve Program (ARP) as this has been somewhat successful in retaining the rural, agricultural aspect of Virginia Beach (formerly Princess Anne County) and I will strongly oppose any efforts to dismantle or defund it. There are strong needs and forces for development, but we need to stand firm to protect this area from any more development. Agriculture is needed, it is good business, and we need to support local farmers and open spaces.
Do you believe nonfarming businesses should be allowed on agriculturally zoned land in the rural area of the city? As stated, we need to preserve the rural, agricultural aspects of the southern part of the city, and I will oppose efforts to rezone agriculturally zoned property for industrial, commercial or residential development. I am keenly aware of the need for more industrial and residential land, and this is a challenge for our young city, but we cannot allow this precious agricultural area to become anything different than what it is now. I love visiting and taking friends and visitors for a tour, shopping or dining in the southern part of the city. There may be a case for a recreational use—such as eco-tourism or outdoor activities in keeping with the landscape. But it has to be a strong case or reason and the right fit.
Do you support the city’s successful appeal of Holloway v. Virginia Beach voting rights case, which may mean the 10-district system under which you are running may change? I support Virginia Beach’s new 10-1 system. I believe this system will give voters better access and relationships with their local elected leaders and foster more accountability in the community they serve. No, I do not support the appeal process, nor the city engaging in further costly litigation spending taxpayer’s money that could be going to much needed improvements for our neighborhoods and city.
It is likely the new City Council will need to reconsider our local voting system following the Holloway v. Virginia Beach reversal in the appeals court. How should the council do this while engaging citizens? State law prohibits at-large voting, and we now have a 10-1 district voting system where the Mayor is the only Council member elected at-large. 2022 is the first year of district voting. The City Council should not consider any change to the current district voting system without first seeking the engagement from all citizens.
How should the city address concerns about sea level rise and recurrent flooding aside from projects funded via last year’s referendum?
- Norfolk has sought and obtained several hundred million dollars in outside area grant monies, and Virginia Beach recently competed for and won $25.14M for the Eastern Shore Drive Drainage Project. There are many opportunities to get additional outside assistance to offset our costs or add money for future mitigation projects.
- Virginia Beach should ensure that our stormwater systems, pipes, and drainage are maintained as best as possible, and
- Educating citizens and developers to use best practices in land management — planting more trees, using landscaping and permeable pavements, and smarter on-site stormwater retention.
Has the city done enough to help the restaurant and hospitality industry recover from shutdowns related to the pandemic? No, the restaurant and hospitality industry in the resort continues to have problems with the perception of safety and employee parking/transportation issues. Many do not want to work at the resort for these reasons and the city needs to work with the private sector to provide leadership and solutions.
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