THE INDEPENDENT NEWS
Ed. — The following are responses to questions posed by The Independent News to candidates for the District 3 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 Sunday, Sept. 22, voter guide edition is still available on some of our secondary racks until Election Day.
Only voters who live within District 3 vote in this election.
MICHAEL BERLUCCHI
Residence: Windsor Woods
Age: 44
Occupation: Chrysler Museum of Art, Community Relations Manager
Education: Graduate of George Mason University, the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership at the University of Virginia and the CIVIC Leadership Institute at Old Dominion University
Endorsements: Sheriff Rocky Holcomb, Commonwealth’s Attorney Colin Stolle and the Virginia Beach Police Benevolent Association
Website: berlucchiforcouncil.com
Phone: (757) 407-5105
Email: berlucchiforvb@gmail.com
Social Media: CouncilmanMichaelBerlucchi on Facebook
What are your specific qualifications for this office? Serving on City Council has been the honor of my lifetime. My first term was marked by significant achievements amid challenging times. Our diverse city has varied needs, and I’ve gained broad experience in areas such as job creation, flood mitigation, road improvements, law enforcement, mental health, community engagement, and transportation. City Council responsibilities are multifaceted, addressing numerous issues and concerns. Voters deserve a representative with the most well-rounded experience. Even before my Council service, I was actively involved in organizations and causes that prepared me for this role. Experience is crucial, and I am committed to applying mine for the benefit of our community.
What is the most important issue facing the city and how will you address it in office? Rising costs for housing, groceries, and transportation are straining affordability in Virginia Beach. Road improvements and flood mitigation projects are seeing costs double, and while we invest in and support our deserving employees, taxpayers also need relief. To address these pressing issues, we must focus on providing tax relief, advancing affordable housing strategies, investing in transportation solutions, and attracting higher-paying jobs. Balancing these needs is crucial to ensuring our community remains resilient and accessible for all residents.
What are your three main policy priorities?
- My top priority is to safeguard and expand economic opportunities, ensuring Virginia Beach’s economy thrives with more jobs and higher incomes. This approach is essential for tackling long-term affordability.
- We will maintain our commitment to an outstanding school system that equips students for higher education, the workforce, or entrepreneurship, helping them achieve their dreams.
- Additionally, we must ensure resident safety by supporting a well-trained and equipped police force and completing the flood prevention projects approved in the recent referendum.
Should city services such as water and sewer be extended south of Indian River Road to promote development of rural communities? No.
Do you support the agricultural reserve program, or ARP? Should its dedicated funding be maintained at a consistent level? I do support the ARP to protect rural Virginia Beach from development and support dedicated consistent funding levels. I want to protect the ARP from efforts to raid it for other priorities.
Do you support maintaining the Green Line or should the city loosen constraints to allow more development? The city should maintain strict constraints on the Green Line, Blue Line, and Transition Area. However, increased education on these lines and their standards is crucial, as confusion between the Blue and Green Lines is common. Development below the Blue Line would be prohibitively costly for taxpayers and would damage Virginia Beach’s agricultural economy and heritage. It should not be pursued.
The new local voting system has seen challenges in court. Do you support maintaining the 10-district system? I support district elections and having the voters of each district being the only ones allowed to vote in that district’s Council election. As a Councilman, it has really improved communication with constituents in District 3 and we’ve been able to accomplish significant progress together, with 16 capital improvement projects totaling over $320 million, including road and intersection improvements, water/sewer improvements, stormwater drainage, and new pump stations for flood protection.
Do you support collective bargaining? When Norfolk rejected collective bargaining, it drew significant attention. While Virginia Beach lacks a long history of public sector collective bargaining, some smaller cities estimate its cost at around $30 million. We need to fully understand the financial impact before considering it. If Norfolk, a smaller city, is concerned about these costs, Virginia Beach, with its larger budget pressures, should be cautious as well. This is not the time to be adding costs to our already stressed city budget, so I oppose it.
Please give one idea you would implement to provide more affordable housing in Virginia Beach? We can lower real estate taxes and encourage private sector redevelopment by taking down barriers that make it cost-prohibitive to build housing.
It makes no sense for the city to increase the cost of housing and then declare that affordable housing is such a problem. The city can stop making the problem worse.
CHRISTINA M. FELDER
Ed. — The candidate did not respond.
CLEON JONES
Residence: Windsor Oaks West
Age: 54
Occupation: City Firefighter
Education: Virginia Beach Fire Academy and General Motors Automotive Technician School
Endorsements: Virginia Beach Professional Fire and EMS, Virginia Beach City Workers Union and Virginia Beach Education Association-PACE
Website: cleonjonesforcouncil.com
Phone: (757) 348-8000
Email: cleonjonesforcouncil@gmail.com
Social Media: cleonjonesforcouncil on Facebook and Instagram
What are your specific qualifications for this office? As a firefighter for the past 28 years, I’ve responded to countless calls gaining a deep understanding of our community’s needs. During hurricane Matthew, I worked tirelessly to help residents through floods and fires, reinforcing my commitment to serving our city and our district. As Boy Scout leader and recreation league coach, I know people. Nobody knows this district better than me. I walk it almost every day. As a 28-year firefighter, I will always answer your call.
What is the most important issue facing the city and how will you address it in office? Ensure neighborhood infrastructure improvement, a safe community, and public safety. Recruitment and retention of city workers with competitive wages. Public transportation, affordable housing. A properly funded school system and a properly trained workforce to meet the demands of new business. We can accomplish this through collaborative planning with strategic partners and public input, using the resources available.
What are your three main policy priorities?
- Infrastructure improvements with neighborhood preservation, flood mitigation, and a safe community.
- Make Virginia Beach competitive for recruitment and retention of vital city employees i.e.: educators, city workers, and public safety.
- Maintain a positive business environment to strengthen and expand our economy to ensure affordable housing and public transportation.
Should city services such as water and sewer be extended south of Indian River Road to promote development of rural communities? Maintaining the long-lasting strategic planning policy of the green line is important. Any new development in the south will require a robust discussion as to the impact on residents and city services.
Do you support the agricultural reserve program, or ARP? Should its dedicated funding be maintained at a consistent level? Yes, as it goes hand in hand with the green line.
Do you support maintaining the Green Line or should the city loosen constraints to allow more development? Maintaining the green line is important but the document can be revisited in the future for the needs of affordable housing, workforce development, and a positive economic impact to the city.
The new local voting system has seen challenges in court. Do you support maintaining the 10-district system? Yes. I support the 10-1 voting system.
Do you support collective bargaining? Yes. The collective bargaining process creates a structured environment for the city and employees to discuss workplace issues and terms and conditions of employment in a substantive way.
Through collaboration and mutual respect, employers and employees have the opportunity to develop an agreement that is reflective of the shared value of delivering high-quality services to the residents of Virginia Beach.
Please give one idea you would implement to provide more affordable housing in Virginia Beach. Implement zoning reforms to Identify vacant commercial properties, underused public buildings or empty lots that can be repurposed for affordable housing. This could include converting old schools, warehouses, or offices into apartments or condos.
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