Ed. — The following are responses to questions posed by The Independent News to candidates in the election for the District 8 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.
JOHN “CONDOR” ANDREWS
- Residence: Chelsea in Great Neck
- Age: 65
- Occupation: Supervisory Program Manager at Military Sealift Command
- Military Service/Education: 30-years active service in the U.S. Navy, retired as a captain (O6). Master of Arts from Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. Bachelor of Science from Virginia Tech.
- Endorsements: ADM John C. Harvey (retired four-star admiral and former Secretary of Veteran and Defense Affairs for the Commonwealth of Virginia), Virginia Beach Education Association-PACE and Virginia Beach City Councilmember Guy Tower
- Website: andrewsforcouncil.com
- Phone: (757) 656-1670
- Email: john@andrewsforcouncil.com
- Social Media: John Andrews for Virginia Beach City Council on Facebook
What are your specific qualifications for this office? I grew up, attended public school, and raised my children in District 8. My life experiences allow me to be job-ready on day one. My range of professions include; my first job as an oceanfront lifeguard, working in the hospitality industry, serving for 30 years in the military, and currently working for the Navy as a civilian. A strong public education system is vital to a growing workforce as families look to relocate and I have an in-depth grasp of education requirements. My mother, sister and wife were all career public educators, and I am honored to have received the VBEA endorsement. My hospitality experience both locally and nationally has educated me in the tourism industry, a major driver of our economy. I served with distinction for 30-years in the military and have a unique relationship with our largest employer and most impactful customer. I worked on a municipal staff and comprehend the dynamics of city council/city manager interactions. I am a graduate of LEAD Hampton Roads (757) and served on several regional boards. Finally, I understand what it means to take an oath of service and look forward to serving the citizens of Virginia Beach in this new mission.
What is the most important issue facing the city and how will you address it in office? Economic diversification. To grow, we must open the aperture beyond tourism and the defense sector, focus on our strengths, and develop greater regional collaboration. To support, I would encourage the development of a world-class workforce development pipeline supported by the 8000 military personnel who transition each with $125K in training benefits and encourage the development of working-class multifamily housing in the Strategic Growth Areas. Finally, I would support enthusiastic participation in the Hampton Roads Alliance to support regional engagement and cooperation.
What are your three main policy priorities?
- Strong support for critical public services including schools, police, fire, emergency services, and Virginia Beach City staff. We need to ensure that infrastructure is maintained and replaced as required, provide for fair and equal pay and benefits, and ensure that all operate in safe and supportive work environments.
- Smart economic development. We need to focus on our strengths and opportunities to diversify and grow in a sustainable and intelligent manner.
- The health and viability of our waterways and quality of life. We need to ensure that these incredible assets are protected, managed smartly, and accessible for all.
Should city services such as water and sewer be extended south of Indian River Road to promote development of rural communities? No. There is not enough benefit to justify the cost, and this would result in the eventual elimination of the Green Line.
Do you support the agricultural reserve program, or ARP? Should its dedicated funding be maintained at a consistent level? Yes. The ARP supports sustainable agri-business below the Green Line and provides incentives for property owners to preserve the rural character of the properties. Agriculture is a significant element of our economy and should not be infringed.
Do you believe non-farming businesses should be allowed on agriculturally zoned land in the rural area of the city? To the extent that they do not detract from the agricultural capability of the property and its surrounding neighbors, yes.
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. The appeal was granted on a technicality, not merit. The City’s argument against the ruling was that no single minority group was sufficiently large or compact to constitute a majority within a single voting district. That is an unsubstantiated opinion and at-large voting would remove any chance for that position to be proven wrong. Any system with more than one at-large candidate, that being the mayor, allows undue partisan/donor influence. Voters should decide the City’s elections, not political parties, or large political donors.
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? The City must recognize that the revision of the voting system must comply with both the federal Voting Rights Act, Virginia House Bill 2198, and the Virginia Voting Rights Act [HB1890 & SB1395] and understand that the process will be subject to scrutiny. Polling of citizens on a city-wide basis would dilute district and minority impact. As a result, I support city-wide discussion, but also encourage targeted engagement by district and minority groups and a system that clearly complies with all federal and state requirements.
How should the city address concerns about sea level rise and recurrent flooding aside from projects funded via last year’s referendum? The programs implemented by the referendum will improve capability to deal with the effects of stormwater runoff, but do not address tidal surge. The effects of surge cannot be avoided without action; the alternative is to accept inland surge as uncontrollable and then mitigate the impact.
The City should research actions to physically control tidal surge, taking note of Dutch efforts to control surge from the North Sea. They should also join with the DoD to develop holistic responses. In the long term, this course could have a higher return on investment than actions that only deal with surge consequences.
Has the city done enough to help the restaurant and hospitality industry recover from shutdowns related to the pandemic? I believe that the previous meal tax holiday due to the COVID pandemic was sufficient and should not be re-instituted without an identified revenue replacement. The City should work diligently toward a more effective restaurant and hospitality recovery by securing lost events such as the Rock & Roll Half Marathon, the Patriotic Music Festival and Something in the Water, and by encouraging “shoulder season” sports tourism.
RONA MARSH
- Residence: Thalia
- Age: 66
- Occupation: Certified Fraud Examiner retired from Bank Financial branches auditing
- Military Service/Education: Bachelor of Science & Graduate coursework
- Endorsement: Virginia Beach City Councilmember John Moss
- Website: voteronamarsh.com
- Phone: (757) 749-5672
- Email: ronamarsh8@yahoo.com
- Social Media: @voteronamarsh on Facebook
What are your specific qualifications for this office? Being a retired Certified Fraud Examiner with 35 years of financial experience and being available full-time to help Citizens qualifies me for this office. I was the District 8 candidate that attended the Virginia Beach City Budget meetings and challenged an unidentified $45 million dollar Resort Site Acquisition that was added in the FY2022 Capital Improvement Budget. Citizens were not told what exact sites the funding would go to, so I worked to get the unidentified $45 million in spending removed from the Reconciliation Budget that was passed. Being retired from my career as a Certified Fraud Examiner affords me the opportunity to make my schedule more available than if I had a full-time job/business, giving Citizens full-time representation by speaking and attending meetings. Recently my availability to Citizens was when I attended the Bayfront Advisory Commission August 18,2022 and learned about the permit hearing (in 4 days) for 2,100 floating Oyster cages in Broad Bay. I informed Citizens in my district and many Citizens were not in favor of this, so I attended the Virginia Marine Resources Commission hearing in Hampton, VA, on August 23 and spoke to help Citizens prevent it from occurring.
What is the most important issue facing the city and how will you address it in office? The City’s Budget has recently increased 6.9%. This budgeting increase is moving faster than the incomes of our Citizens, tax relief is needed. I will work to refund 50 percent (half) of the Budget Surplus. It could be $80 million to $100 million Surplus so $40 million to $50 million could be returned to Citizens.
What are your three main policy priorities?
- Flooding/Ditch Maintenance to minimize impact from flash flooding/hurricanes. Putting the work schedule for Flooding/Ditch maintenance online on VBGOV for transparency.
- Tax Relief. Return of 50% of the tax surplus collected from last year’s budget to increase affordability in our city.
- Support Public Safety with more funding needed for full staffing and maintenance of equipment and Police & Fire stations.
Should city services such as water and sewer be extended south of Indian River Road to promote development of rural communities? No, not currently.
Do you support the agricultural reserve program, or ARP? Should its dedicated funding be maintained at a consistent level? The VBGOV Agriculture Advisory Commission made the recommendation to City Council, believed to be in 2018, to allow for up to 300 acres per year be enrolled in ARP and a one-time transfer of $1.5 million to Asheville Park Capital Improvement Program along with a $990,000 transfer each year for additional ditch and channel improvements in the southern watershed. I would be in favor of reviewing this and the ARP funding in 2023.
Do you believe nonfarming businesses should be allowed on agriculturally zoned land in the rural area of the city? The farming businesses allowed should be expanded to include hydroponics and more agricultural businesses beyond the limited traditional farming. A case-by-case basis may be necessary to avoid existing farms from preventing new businesses that do non-traditional farming.
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, I support the City’s successful appeal which likely removes the City from paying $4 million to the Plaintiff for legal expenses.
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? The City Council should hold a vote in favor of placing the local voting system on the ballot as a referendum and allow the voters to decide.
How should the city address concern about sea level rise and recurrent flooding aside from projects funded via last year’s referendum?
- The Council is long overdue in approving the revised development standards to deny building that has net increases of water discharge, so Council needs to approve these revised development standards as soon as possible.
- The city can create an online tracking tool of recurrent flooding areas and show projected date for improvements. Maintaining transparency before the public on this issue is important.
Has the city done enough to help the restaurant and hospitality industry recover from shutdowns related to the pandemic? No, the city has not done enough to help restaurants and needs to cut the Restaurant tax from the 11.5% tax that is higher than New York City. Two years ago, in May and June 2020, the City’s portion of 5.5% restaurant tax was suspended to help restaurants during the pandemic. It is time to reduce the restaurant tax permanently, because inflation has nearly doubled the cost of food for the restaurants and the city is showing the restaurant tax has a 43.07% positive change that provides additional $26,634,803 revenue.
CHRIS TAYLOR
- Residence: King’s Grant/Little Neck
- Age: 38
- Occupation: Small Business Owner
- Military Service/Education: Bachelor of Arts, Business Management, Virginia Wesleyan College
- Endorsements: State Senator Jen Kiggans, Mayor Bobby Dyer and Jay Lane, Educator VB Public Schools
- Website: christaylorforvb.com
- Phone: (757) 675-1524
- Email: christaylorforvb@gmail.com
- Social Media: @christaylorforvbcitycouncil on Facebook and @christaylorforvb on Instagram
What are your specific qualifications for this office? I have over 20+ years of experience working in corporate and small business environments. I have experience working in the Virginia Beach Public Schools as a Coach and Mentor for 4+ years. I understand the art of collaboration and compromise to achieve shared results and get things accomplished. I have proven that you can start with something small, work within a team, and accomplish positive results. My small business survived the COVID-19 pandemic. It required focus, tough skin, and a keen understanding of budgeting/stewardship to expand our business in 2021.
What is the most important issue facing the city and how will you address it in office? Flooding and Sea Level Rise are the most pressing issues facing our community. I will work with City Leaders and City Council to address the engineering challenges regarding our current infrastructure and drainage pipes to better manage water flow in major storms.
We need to continue working to increase our stormwater capacity within the city. I will work hard to establish relationships with other Local, State and Federal officials to better ensure our city receives the help/resources we need to combat the flooding/sea level rise issues.
What are your three main policy priorities?
- Lowering taxes and find budget savings for our citizens: I believe through collaboration and compromise on Council we can avoid tax increases on our citizens and find additional budget savings.
- Public Safety: I will support our Police, Fire and Emergency Services and work effectively with their leadership to ensure our personnel have the training, resources, and support necessary to keep our City safe. Virginia Beach is one of the safest cities of its size in our country. As resident of District 8, I’m committed to preserving a family environment for our neighborhoods and the Shore Drive corridor.
- Education: Our teachers are some of the best in America. I will support funding for the hiring, recruiting and training of educators. Our schools are the gateway to opportunity for the youth. I will support our educators and work to establish strong relationships with School Administrators and teachers within the District.
Should city services such as water and sewer be extended south of Indian River Road to promote development of rural communities? City Services should be extended to offer a better quality of life for the rural communities.
Do you support the agricultural reserve program, or ARP? Should its dedicated funding be maintained at a consistent level? Yes. The dedicated funding should be sufficient to support the program.
Do you believe nonfarming businesses should be allowed on agriculturally zoned land in the rural area of the city? I support non-farming businesses that are closely related to agriculture doing business within zoned land in the rural area of the city.
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? Our citizens deserve equal access to the electoral and political process.
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? City Council should do its best to be transparent to the process being undertaken.
City Council should allow for ample opportunity to citizens whom wish to engage and participate in the process to reconsider our local voting system.
How should the city address concerns about sea level rise and recurrent flooding aside from projects funded via last year’s referendum? We need to focus more attention on the trees and how we can develop more reforestation.
Unfortunately, we have little control over Sea Level Rise, but we do have a say regarding deforestation. We should continue to look at the opportunity to work with our National Defense experts and the U.S. Corp of Engineers as it relates to Sea Level Rise and our region.
Has the city done enough to help the restaurant and hospitality industry recover from shutdowns related to the pandemic? Depends on who you ask. I believe the city has been pro-active in assisting small business owners in the restaurant and hospitality industry.
Over the last two years, our small business owners have experienced some of the most difficult and challenging times to be in business. Our city has been very supportive in their efforts to help the restaurant and hospitality industry recover from shutdowns related to the pandemic.
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