2022 Virginia Beach Elections: Questions for candidates in City Council District 10

THE INDEPENDENT NEWS

Ed. — The following are responses to questions posed by The Independent News to candidates in the election for the District 10 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.

HEIDI DANIELS

Residence: Green Run
Age: 51
Occupation: Executive Director, Green Run Homeowners Association
Military Service/Education: US Marine Corps veteran, bachelor’s degree – Business Management, Professional Community Association Manager
Endorsements: Virginia Beach Treasurer Leigh Henderson, Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer and Virginia Beach Councilmember Michael Berlucchi
Website: danielsforvbcouncil.com
Phone: (757) 372-4502
Email: heidi@danielsforvbcouncil.com
Social Media: @heididanielsforcitycouncil on Facebook

What are your specific qualifications for this office? Your City Council representative should come from our neighborhoods with real experience solving problems at the local level. I have been part of the Green Run community for 22 years. My husband and I raised our children in this community. I manage the Green Run Homeowners Association serving 16,000 of my neighbors. My experience working in our neighborhoods organizing National Night Out, community events and local capital improvement projects have resulted in real benefits for residents.

I am ready to lead and will need no learning curve. I have worked with City Council members for years to fund improvements in our area and bring attention to flooding, crime issues and to work on solutions. I understand that District 10’s needs are not the same as the other districts and I will support my district to the best of my abilities.

I have served my country as a United States Marine and am a former police officer. My business education and background provide me with the fiscal management skills to manage budgets, revenues, obligations and analysis to serve our neighborhoods on day one.

What is the most important issue facing the city and how will you address it in office? Putting Neighborhoods First. Your City Council representative should come from your neighborhood with real experience and have real community relationships with residents in your district, not just during an election season. Council members should understand the needs of their neighborhoods and want to address residents’ concerns because at the end of the day it is the residents that make Virginia Beach what it is.

What are your three main policy priorities?

Job One is making Virginia Beach affordable. Inflation is hurting communities like ours and we need someone with experience in financial management. I have the educational and professional background in business and fiscal management to enhance affordability of housing and the cost of living and will also help small businesses create more jobs of higher salaries to grow our local economic base.
Job Two is making our neighborhoods safer. Our neighborhoods should be safe for our families. As a Marine veteran and former police officer, I know firsthand that community connections are the key to safety. I will bring community leaders together with the city to make needed improvements to enhance safety for everyone.
Job Three is making sure flooding funds are spent efficiently, and projects are completed on time. I am a proven Leader on flooding and the environment and have led our community securing funding for needed improvements.

Should city services such as water and sewer be extended south of Indian River Road to promote development of rural communities? I don’t support such a move because it would encourage runaway development in the most flood-prone areas of the city and I favor preserving our agricultural economy.

Do you support the agricultural reserve program, or ARP? Should its dedicated funding be maintained at a consistent level? I support the ARP and think it should be adequately funded to keep the promises made and continue its effort to keep areas free from development.

Do you believe nonfarming businesses should be allowed on agriculturally zoned land in the rural area of the city? No.

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 appeal was successful, so it really doesn’t matter if you or I support it. It’s the system we have and as the only experienced multi-decade resident running to represent District 10, I’m excited by the chance to work as a Councilmember with the neighborhoods I’ve worked with for years.

I am happy to listen to constituents’ views on the subject and if they have a demonstrable passion one way or the other, the city should encourage the conversation.

I’m just focused on being ready to serve the voters of the 10th on day one.

How should the city address concerns about sea level rise and recurrent flooding aside from projects funded via last year’s referendum? Fortunately, I have years of experience dealing with the flooding issues in our community and I know that while the projects funded by the referendum are badly needed and crucial to our future, fully mitigating sea level rise requires investment that goes way beyond the referendum project and frankly, aren’t affordable without federal participation.

Has the city done enough to help the restaurant and hospitality industry recover from shutdowns related to the pandemic? Economically, restaurants and the hospitality industry bore a disproportionate share of the economic hardship of shutdowns, regulations and restrictions. The city was flexible in trying to keep businesses open (restaurant tax holidays, expanding outdoor seating, opening the beaches quickly) and we could always wonder if more could’ve been done, but through it all I think the city came through COVID much better than most expected.

JENNIFER VALENTINE ROUSE

Residence: Kempsville
Age: 36
Occupation: Assistant Professor of Sociology
Military Service/Education: Bachelor of Arts, English Literature; Master of Science, Sociology
Website: jenniferforcouncil.com
Email: jennifer@jenniferforcouncil.com
Social Media: @jenniferrousevb on Facebook and Twitter

What are your specific qualifications for this office? I am from Virginia Beach, born and raised. This is my hometown and I want to see it, and its residents, thrive. I am an educator in this community, and have been helping military families and veterans transition from service to civilian life. I’ve worked with our recent high school graduates to navigate their path forward as they explore careers, hopefully here in Virginia Beach. I’ve worked with adults who have been out of a classroom for decades, whether because they were raising children or in the workforce, and who now find themselves in need of new skills in an ever-changing world.

As a sociologist, I am trained to understand culture and social structure. This perspective is very much needed on city council, to help navigate the diverse perspectives and experiences of residents in our city. From the business community, to the agricultural community, from the military to our great schools, from the private sector to the public sector – how do all of these systems work together to build and benefit our community? My expertise qualifies me to help guide policies that are equitable and balanced for our residents.

What is the most important issue facing the city and how will you address it in office? Our city’s most pressing issue is preparing for the demands of the 21st century, particularly in a post-Covid world. This includes fully funding our public schools, to ensure we have the staff in place to educate our children, so they are on track to develop into functioning and productive members of our community. Our city is hurting to recruit and retain employees to fill the numerous roles required to keep our city operating. Recruiting and retaining talented staff in areas like public education, public safety, and public workers will ensure we keep the work of the city moving forward.

What are your three main policy priorities? As a council member, I would continue to hear directly from residents and businesses on the challenges and successes of the district, and the city as a whole. I’ll represent District 10, and also collaborate with my colleagues to make sure Virginia Beach, as a whole, is winning.

Three priorities include (but are not limited to):

Advocate for resources for our public school faculty, public safety, and public workers, to ensure our city is staffed to maintain our vital city services
Preparing our workforce for 21st Century jobs, including helping military transition to civilian life
Improving access to quality, affordable housing in District 10 and across the city.

Should city services such as water and sewer be extended south of Indian River Road to promote development of rural communities? I think residents living in a 21st century city should have available sewage and water. Although these services should be extended, preserving green space and agricultural zoning south of the green line is a priority. I am open to collaborate with that district representative to better understand the issues south of Indian River Road.

Do you support the agricultural reserve program, or ARP? Should its dedicated funding be maintained at a consistent level? I support the intentions of the ARP to manage natural, agricultural resources in our city. While the application of the ARP is not primarily utilized in District 10, I know it has significance in District 2. I would look to the representative for District 2 to provide guidance.

Do you believe nonfarming businesses should be allowed on agriculturally zoned land in the rural area of the city? The agriculture industry is a major driver of our local economy. I support this industry and I look forward to working with the district representatives who represent these 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? No. The “success” of the case really depends on how you define success. The appeal did not win on the merits of the case, but rather the case was considered “moot” because of a change in state law. I believe a 10-district system is a more equitable distribution of power, that gives the opportunity for more representation across the entire 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? The city council should not rush to change anything before citizens have a chance to see how this election system works for them. The city council should wait for the public to see the system at work, and then give room for feedback from the public. The public should guide city council in this matter, and not the other way around.

How should the city address concerns about sea level rise and recurrent flooding aside from projects funded via last year’s referendum? The city should address these issues with a sense of urgency, and prioritize environmental concerns around development.

These are not new problems, and there is no shortage of ideas for how to mitigate flooding. The city should ensure they are using best practices for determining development standards that are consistent with environmental protections and preservation. As a coastal city, Virginia Beach could be a national model for how to address sea level rise and flooding.

Has the city done enough to help the restaurant and hospitality industry recover from shutdowns related to the pandemic? The city has done a solid job finding balance between keeping our city safe and keeping our businesses open.

Certain businesses have recovered with local and federal support, but what about businesses that did not? We are living in an entirely different world, in this post-Covid era. Business operations and demand from consumers have altered dining habits, travel habits and shopping habits. We are constantly learning how to function in this new economic environment, and I think it’s important for the city to stay flexible.

My priority is ensuring small businesses and new businesses thrive in Virginia Beach.