THE INDEPENDENT NEWS
Ed. — The following are responses to questions posed by The Independent News to candidates in the special election for the District 8 seat on 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 Sunday, Sept. 22, voter guide edition is still available on some of our secondary racks until Election Day.
Only voters who live within District 8 vote in this special election.
PHILLIP J. “PHIL” HINES
Residence: Thalia Acres
Age: 36
Occupation: Real estate appraiser and owner of Hines Appraisals
Education: Bachelor of Arts, Communication, Old Dominion University
Endorsements: City Councimember Chris Taylor, the current District 8 representative, and Virginia Dare Soil and Water Conservation District Chairperson Leslie Jones
Website: philhines.com
Phone: (757) 897-3538
Campaign Email: phil@philhines.com
Social Media: PhilHinesVB on Facebook
What are your specific qualifications for this office? I am a Hampton Roads native, married with four children, and operate a small business. The #1 qualification should be someone that has a track record serving the city and has real skin in the game. The Circuit Court appointed me to a tax appeals board, and City Council appointed me to the Parks & Recreation Commission and the Short Term Rental Task Force.
I have reduced real estate taxes for property owners and advocated for neighborhoods from over-development.
I offer a fresh, common-sense perspective independent from special interests/developer campaign contributors. We desperately need a city council that can reach across the aisle and focus on solutions — not party politics.
What is the most important issue facing the city and how will you address it in office? Leadership. Having a citizen-focused council that wants to serve the people — not special interests — is critically important. Aside from leadership, managing the growth of our city in a responsible fashion is a significant challenge that we face.
We must focus on private sector job creation, responsibly redeveloping VA Beach Boulevard, and building the VB Biker Trail to spur economic activity and create more vitality throughout the city. The answer is redevelopment, not overdevelopment.
To address our flooding needs, infrastructure challenges, and renovate/build new schools, we must be fiscally responsible and focus on attracting new businesses to expand the tax base.
What are your three main policy priorities?
- First, we must protect our neighborhoods from over-development. As a Certified Planning Commissioner, I understand the importance of responsible growth. I support preserving single-family zoning for neighborhoods. I am the only candidate that has pledged to not accept big developer/big business contributions to steer clear of conflicts of interest and put the community first, not special interests.
- Second, I support building the iconic 12-mile VB Bike Trail from Newtown Road to the Oceanfront. This rails-to-trails project is long overdue and the public overwhelmingly supports it. We can accomplish this without raising taxes, it will generate economic growth, and spur redevelopment along Virginia Beach Boulevard.
- Third, we must lower taxes. I have reduced taxes for property owners by way of serving on a tax appeals board for the city. Real estate taxes will continue to rise unless we get fiscally responsible and stop giving tax dollars to private developers.
Should city services such as water and sewer be extended south of Indian River Road to promote development of rural communities? No. As a someone that serves on the Open Space Advisory Committee, I fully support maintaining our rural communities. That’s part of what makes Virginia Beach such a unique city. We should be focusing on responsible redevelopment throughout the city.
Do you support the agricultural reserve program, or ARP? Should its dedicated funding be maintained at a consistent level? I support maintaining the agricultural reserve program.
Since its inception, it has fulfilled its mission of preserving the agricultural livelihood in Virginia Beach. We should continue to have a dedicated funding source to ensure we have funds for the future.
Do you support maintaining the Green Line or should the city loosen constraints to allow more development? I support maintaining the Green Line. We must preserve the rural character of the southern portion of the city.
We have plenty of real estate throughout the city ripe for redevelopment. We should aim to preserve as much green space as possible and not overdevelop our city. Our beaches, waterways, and green space is what draws and keeps so many people in Virginia Beach.
The new local voting system has seen challenges in court. Do you support maintaining the 10-district system? The 10-district system has its pros and cons, but I believe anything that encourages more political competition is a good thing. I support the current system over the old system, but I would not be opposed to exploring the idea of 3 superwards with 7 district seats.
Do you support collective bargaining? I’m the only candidate that has gone on the record saying we need to pay our police, fire, sheriffs, and EMS the best in the state due to our high cost of living and heavy workload because of their duties at the Oceanfront. We can accomplish this without increasing the size of the government. I do not support collective bargaining.
Our city workers should be paid competitively. We can accomplish this if we stop giving taxpayer dollars to private developers in the form of public-private partnerships. Our city is not in a crisis of resources, we are in a crisis of leadership.
Please give one idea you would implement to provide more affordable housing in Virginia Beach? Encouraging redevelopment of aging strip malls and commercial buildings in the right locations is a good first start to increasing the housing inventory.
Additionally, I support allowing Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) with reasonable regulation. Part of the affordability issue we face is that incomes are not increasing at the pace of rent — we must create new, higher paying jobs, and stop focusing on seasonal tourism jobs.
STACY CUMMINGS
Residence: Bay Island
Age: 66
Occupation: Founding Partner Priority Auto Group. Retired.
Military Service/Education: BS Accounting University of Maryland, United States Army Military Police
Endorsements: Governor Glenn Youngkin, Lt. Governor Winsome Sears and Attorney General Jason Miyares
Website: votestacycummings.com
Phone: (757) 652-5880
Email: stacycummings@votestacycummings.com
Social Media: Stacy Cummings for Council on Facebook
What are your specific qualifications for this office? Founding partner and CFO Priority Auto Group, one of Virginia’s largest privately held companies with over 2,500 employees. Certified Public Accountant. I am able to review, analyze and rewrite a budget. Served in the Army as a Military Policeman. Taught High School math. While Chairman of Priority Automotive Charities, our team raised over $5 million to support local organizations addressing children’s needs. Civic engagement. Represented Virginia Beach as King Neptune during the 44th Neptune Festival. I have served on several local boards such as the Judeo-Christian Outreach Center helping these organizations better run themselves. I have the experience, business acumen, time, energy and commitment to serve the city.
What is the most important issue facing the city and how will you address it in office? The rate of increase in real estate taxes to the city’s homeowners over the last several years has placed a tremendous burden on them. Council did address this somewhat for the coming year by reducing the rate 2 cents but this still resulted in an increase in the taxes paid along with increased fees. The budget should be reviewed in detail. Priority should be given to essential services and providing tax relief to our homeowners.
What are your three main policy priorities?
- Tax relief to our homeowners.
- Attracting new businesses to Virginia Beach. Currently real estate taxes account for 30% of the city’s revenue. Of that only 14% comes from the commercial sector. In a city our size that should be closer to 25-30%. If we had more businesses paying taxes it would reduce strain on our citizens.
- Stormwater management. We need to continue to address the projects approved in the Stormwater referendum. This will require additional funding further emphasizing the need for budget review and prioritizing our spending on needed projects and services.
Should city services such as water and sewer be extended south of Indian River Road to promote development of rural communities? No. It is important to retain the rural farmland in the southern part of the city.
Agriculture still makes up a significant part of our economy. Due to flooding issues which can’t be economically mitigated, development in this area is not desirable or feasible in any event.
Do you support the agricultural reserve program, or ARP? Should its dedicated funding be maintained at a consistent level? The ARP has done its job and is a win-win for everyone. Virginia Beach should continue to fund the program to honor the obligations it has committed to.
Do you support maintaining the Green Line or should the city loosen constraints to allow more development? Any development in the Transition Area/ITA should comply with the city’s comprehensive plan. Development should be judiciously determined and of low density having minimal impact on the surrounding area. Recreational uses should be prioritized where possible.
The new local voting system has seen challenges in court. Do you support maintaining the 10-district system? Under the 10-district system citizens can only hold two members of council accountable for its decisions, the Mayor and their district council member. Our system before allowed for the voters to hold all 11 members accountable with city wide voting. A system allowing for 3 at large members as called for in our city charter would in my opinion better address the accountability issue and would be a better compromise.
Do you support collective bargaining? I do not support collective bargaining. I believe in collaboration not confrontation. Collective bargaining would add millions of dollars to the administrative costs of government. The employees would be represented by paid management to represent their issues and the city would have to hire additional legal, human resources and payroll personnel to deal with this added layer of negotiation. This money could be put to better use addressing the pay and working condition issues our city employees have. It takes two reasonable sides to sit down at a table and communicate. I believe council can address every issue without the need for collective bargaining.
Please give one idea you would implement to provide more affordable housing in Virginia Beach? We have an under supply of housing in Virginia Beach. I would like to see commercial properties which have outlived their useful lives be repurposed to residential or mixed-use properties. This could be facilitated by allowing property owners of these properties to obtain a conditional rezoning of the property allowing them to still be operated while marketing the property. Developers would find this attractive since they could purchase a property knowing it was preapproved for their intended use.
CODY CONNER
Residence: Malibu
Age: 43
Occupation: Maintenance Supervisor
Education: High School Diploma
Endorsements: Virginia Beach Democratic Committee, Virginia Beach Professional Fire & EMS Local 2924 and Virginia Beach Education Association-PACE
Website: connerforvb.com
Phone: (757) 219-2757
Email: connerforvb@gmail.com
Social Media: Cody Conner for Virginia Beach on Facebook
What are your specific qualifications for this office? I have over 20 years of experience in the trades, facilities, and management. I have experience working on both commercial and residential properties of almost every kind. I have an understanding of housing, development, and infrastructure few achieve. This makes me well suited to serve our city, at a time when housing, development and infrastructure are some of our city’s biggest challenges. I grew up in a military family and so understand the challenges and needs of that substantial part of our community. I am a working class family man trying to give working class families the voice they deserve in our city.
What is the most important issue facing the city and how will you address it in office? Affordability. The first step is not just increasing housing supply, but building the right housing in the right places. We don’t need more million dollar single family homes. We need more homes for first time home buyers and middle income families. We need more 1 and 2 bedroom housing for young professionals and young families. We need to ensure new developments have affordable options and are in areas that can trigger migration chains to maximize a new development’s impact on affordability in an area.
What are your three main policy priorities?
- Affordability. We have to make the right decisions with housing and in other areas to make our city more affordable to live in.
- Education. Our success as a city is dependent on the success of our schools. Schools need to have the support and resources to provide the very best for our children and the future of Virginia Beach.
- Connectivity. Virginia Beach needs and deserves a more robust and comprehensive public transportation system. If we are ever going to have one we need to make it more of a priority.
Should city services such as water and sewer be extended south of Indian River Road to promote development of rural communities? I support preserving our local agriculture and rural communities and see no need to develop south of Indian River road in the near future.
Do you support the agricultural reserve program, or ARP? Should its dedicated funding be maintained at a consistent level? I do support the agricultural reserve program and support continuing to fund it at a consistent level. The plan implements smart strategies like purchasing STRIPS to mitigate costs. In many ways it is really less a cost and more a long term investment.
Do you support maintaining the Green Line or should the city loosen constraints to allow more development? I support maintaining the Green Line. In many ways it is counter productive to develop below the Green Line. What would benefit our city the most and provide the most economic growth is strategic areas of increased density where existing infrastructure is already in place.
The new local voting system has seen challenges in court. Do you support maintaining the 10-district system? I support maintaining the 10-district system. It is the best way to promote equitable representation and make sure the diverse voice of our city is truly heard.
Do you support collective bargaining? I support collective bargaining for our public workers. They should be able to afford to live in the city they serve and the people doing the job should have a voice in how the job gets done. We are one of the safest and best places to live in the country. That is because of the job done by our fire, police, teachers, EMS and city workers. We need to take care of the people that take care of us.
Please give one idea you would implement to provide more affordable housing in Virginia Beach? Building the right housing in the right places is key, but exploring more developer friendly options like income restricted housing programs instead of income based housing programs can help facilitate affordable housing for lower and middle income families.
LELAND JONES
Residence: King’s Grant
Age: 25
Occupation: Owner of Ceramic King Coatings of Virginia, International Executive Distributor for Icon Rocklear International and Author of Business/Entrepreneurship Books, “A Journey With Purpose”
Education: High School
Endorsements: Gary Byler of Byler & Iaquinto Law P.C., Kent Von Fecht of Lendy’s and Troy Hare of Hare’s Heating Cooling & Electrical
Website: electlelandjones.com
Phone: (757) 524-0056
Email: electlelandjonesvb@gmail.com
Social Media: thelelandjones on Linktree and Leland Jones for Virginia Beach City Council on Facebook and Instagram
What are your specific qualifications for this office? As a small business owner, family man with three young children, friendly neighbor, and community supporter; my dialogue with District 8 residents over the years are that they want a leader who will listen to them versus special interests, someone who will rise above politics, be a champion of small business and families, and most importantly someone who will deliver results.
As your District 8 Councilman I will:
- Protect D8 neighborhoods from Overdevelopment
- Fight for our Fair Share of CIP Money in D8
- Invest in Public Safety, Schools, and Parks and Recreation
- Promote Local Small Business
- Partner and Listen to the People.
- Provide Tax Relief
- Cut Taxes
- Curb Spending
- Be Accountable, Visible and Transparent
What is the most important issue facing the city and how will you address it in office? In my conversations with residents and small businesses throughout Virginia Beach, our citizens demand immediate tax relief, money is spent frivolously and that Virginia Beach has become unaffordable. Residents believe that City Council attention is solely focused on Oceanfront.
Our Council boasts that we have the lowest real estate tax burden in the region, yet they have increased our water, sewer, solid waste and curbside recycling fees.
I will control spending and prioritize core public safety needs, neighborhoods and schools. I won’t spend $60M on Rudee Loop Park. I will find savings, deliver tax relief, and listen to the people.
What are your three main policy priorities? As a small business owner, I know firsthand the obstacles that are presented before me. Every day I am faced with obstacles that make me think outside of the box and cause me to be more resourceful. More importantly, our residents want responsible, visible, and accountable government. I will use my experience and dedication to the citizens of Virginia Beach in: providing tax relief by cutting spending, investing in our core services (public safety, schools, and D8 projects 2) partnering with the people in finding solutions to address their needs 3) finding tax savings with long range planning, instituting “tax holidays” for a restaurant meals tax cuts, privatizing underperforming city assets while finding new revenue sources in the gig economy and focusing on our small businesses for growth and opportunity. I will be a leader that listens to the residents and not special interests and will deliver results.
Should city services such as water and sewer be extended south of Indian River Road to promote development of rural communities? We have over $1B in unmet maintenance and capital improvement projects throughout the city, by expanding city services such as water and sewer South of Indian River Road we will impact an already strained budget. Our taxpayers want leaders who listen to them and restore fiscal restraint and accountability.
Do you support the agricultural reserve program, or ARP? Should its dedicated funding be maintained at a consistent level? I support the ARP. Dedicated funding can be found by controlling spending, privatizing assets that underperform, focus on core services and not projects like $60M Rudee Loop Park at the Oceanfront. Our agriculture industry can be strengthened by working with farmers, ranchers, and agribusiness for additional revenue.
Do you support maintaining the Green Line or should the city loosen constraints to allow more development? Our long-standing planning policy maintains the “Greenline” against development that will impact the rural community.
I support this policy. Housing affordability and availability for our workforce by using city owned property in the Interfacility Corridor, the abandoned Southeastern Expressway, Princess Anne Commons, and redevelopment in strip retail centers. In my discussions with residents and small business owners throughout the city, they want tax relief not additional tax burdens and if we were to allow more development in the South, taxes would go up higher. I will listen to the citizens and not special interests.
The new local voting system has seen challenges in court. Do you support maintaining the 10-district system? The people have spoken already and it’s been litigated in court. A costly citizen engagement survey showed that the public overwhelmingly supports 10-1. There is new leadership and the districts have direct representation versus at-large. Average citizens can run and win in these district races. In my race, one candidate has raised over $140,000 dollars, much of it from well-connected developers. You don’t have to be politically connected to win. Jen Rouse and Chris Taylor won and both were outraised by their opponents. I’m a leader who listens to the people and not special interests.
Do you support collective bargaining? As a small business owner, I’m fortunate that my business has seen tremendous growth over the last several years. My business has become a national leader in the auto care and cosmetics industry, and it’s mainly because of my valued employees. I pay above market salaries, adjust for employee benefits, bonuses, and commissions accordingly to retain and grow my employees.
By providing better pay structures, regular communication, and improving our relationship with our public employees we can achieve solutions if we make it a priority versus collective bargaining.
Please give one idea you would implement to provide more affordable housing in Virginia Beach? It takes bold leadership and I’m a bold leader who has a multi-prong approach in providing affordable housing: 1) Make city owned land available with conditions for affordable housing 2) Allow Multi-Family Housing on Redeveloped Commercial Properties 3) partner with non-profit organizations on reuse of their properties 4) Make affordable housing a priority! I am a leader that listens and lets make Virginia Beach more affordable by cutting taxes, controlling spending, and delivering on results.
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