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1/17/2020 2019 Voter Guide launches with primary races
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2019 ELECTION COVERAGE
2019 Voter Guide launches with

primary races
3 MIN READ
Tuesday, June 11, 2019, at 2:45 PM
CHARLOTTE RENE WOODS

@charlottewords
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Information on regional contested races will continue to

roll out
Virginia is for…elections.
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In a state where there’s generally some type of election happening every year, 2019 is
hefty, as all 140 seats in both houses of the General Assembly are up for grabs.
Regionally, there are three seats opening on the Charlottesville City Council and the
Albemarle County Board of Supervisors. Other contested elections include the city and
county school boards, county commonwealth attorney and the county sheriff.
Charlottesville Tomorrow sat down with the candidates running for city, county and state
of ces in the area to assemble the 2019 Voter Guide, an online resource to understand
the races, the issues and get to know the people who want to tackle them.
Several topics saturate both the council and Board of Supervisors conversations. Such
topics include affordable housing, addressing climate change and sustainability efforts,
the possibility of reevaluating zoning, transportation enhancements, budgets and equity.
Speci c to the county, there appears to be a uni ed stance on broadband enhancement.
For the city, ve Democratic candidates will be whittled down on June 11, and then will
face two independents in November for three council seats. In the county, the Rivanna
District will have a primary for its two Democratic candidates, while both the White Hall
and Scottsville districts will each have a Republican and Democrat face each other in
November votes.
State level candidates discussed how they can best represent their constituents at a
broader capacity when General Assembly convenes in Richmond in the winter. Some
candidates are in favor of the Dillon Rule, while others say continuing the requirement that
some municipal actions must pass through state legislators could impact business
development. Candidates also expressed ideas for how to improve health care options
and environmental policy in the state.
School boards are nonpartisan elections, so hopefuls have some time ahead of them to
launch candidacy before November. Candidates for the county School Board have yet to
announce their campaigns, but two people have declared their intentions to run in the
city’s — and both are passionate about addressing racial equity issues within city schools.
It’s something the current School Board already is addressing with its ongoing equity
committee.
County sheriff candidates are assessing needs of their potential future staffs and how the
city, county and the University of Virginia can cooperate. Meanwhile, the Republican
incumbent commonwealth’s attorney in Albemarle will face a democratic challenger this

fall.
Ahead of the June 11 primaries, the guide is launching with those candidate pro les and
questionnaires. Follow along for updates over the summer as all the regional candidates
roll out on the site and race coverage.
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WRITTEN BY: Topics in this story

Charlotte Rene Woods
@charlottewords 2019 ELECTION COVERAGE
Charlotte Rene Woods joined Charlottesville

Tomorrow as a reporter in March 2019. She
has a B.A. in Journalism + Design from The
New School in New York City, and she earned
her M.S. in Multimedia Journalism from Virginia
Commonwealth University.
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Charlottesville City Council
Sena Magill Michael Payne

CHARLOTTESVILLE CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATE - DEMOCRAT CHARLOTTESVILLE CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATE - DEMOCRAT
Lloyd Snook Bellamy Brown

CHARLOTTESVILLE CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATE - DEMOCRAT CHARLOTTESVILLE CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATE - INDEPENDENT
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1/17/2020 Charlottesville City Council
Paul Long John Edward Hall

CHARLOTTESVILLE CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATE - INDEPENDENT CHARLOTTESVILE CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATE- INDEPENDENT
Democratic candidates Michael Payne, Sena Magill, and Lloyd Snook are facing three Independent
challengers: Bellamy Brown, Paul Long, and John Edward Hall.
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1/17/2020 Sena Magill • Charlottesville City Council Candidate - Democrat
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Sena Magill
Charlottesville City Council Candidate -
Democrat
BY CHARLOTTE RENE WOODS | GOVERNMENT & CLIMATE REPORTER
Sena Magill always had an idea that she might run for a position on the Charlottesville City
Council, but she wasn’t sure when. Then her husband was injured during the events of
Aug. 11 and 12, 2017. His carotid artery was torn, and he subsequently suffered a stroke.
Her middle school-age daughter also was once a reason Magill wanted to postpone a run,
but she now serves as inspiration for her campaign, as well.
“As he recovered, we talked about that the time was actually now,” Magill said. “It would
be a lot harder with an 11-year-old going into this, but if we want Charlottesville to be a
place that she is proud to be from, it needed to be now. I wanted to show her that when
you see things happening, you need to take part in it. You need to take action and step
forward not expect that somebody else is going to take care of it.”
One thing Magill wants to concentrate on, should she be elected, is affordable housing. It’s
an issue she witnessed often throughout her previous careers in public service. She has
past experience working on the board of Region Ten Community Service Board and as a
case manager for People & Congregations Engaged in Ministry, dealing with assisting
homeless populations. Magill also is a resident of the 10th & Page neighborhood, which
has attracted attention from groups like the Piedmont Housing Alliance.
“Having worked for P.A.C.E.M., having worked for Region Ten, living in 10th & Page, I
know it’s not always been a great city for everyone, and I want it to be a great city for
everyone who lives here,” Magill said.
She explained that she has watched as both clients she has worked with and her former
staff were driven out of Charlottesville and into Fluvanna and Nelson counties because
they couldn’t afford homes in the city on their salaries.
“The affordable housing issue is something that is going to have to be looked at from
multiple directions because there’s multiple pieces to it,” Magill said.
She is also for zoning reform.
“That has got to be a top priority. We need to have a much more streamlined and easier
way to follow zoning code,” Magill said. “As we increase density, we have to also be
watching our infrastructure to accommodate the increased density.”
If elected, Magill aims to create a land strike fund, so that the city already has some money
set aside to purchase land when it comes on the market to sell it to a nonpro t to either
keep the affordable housing on it or create additional housing units.
“One problem is many nonpro ts take time to get their capital together through donations,
loans and grants,” Magill said. “But a private company is often looking to sell the land
quickly.”
https://www.cvilletomorrow.org/people/charlottesville-city-council/sena-mcgill 1/5
Other suggestions she has involve accessory dwelling units, which usually take the form of
a smaller home on a lot or a basement apartment. Magill is in favor of incentivizing single-
family homeowners to implement units on their properties.
“These are ways for people to age in place,” Magill said. “As they get older, they could
either move into the unit and rent out the larger home to a family or stay in their house and
rent out the unit to one or two individuals. We also want to make sure that people who are
struggling owning their home can afford to put in something like an accessory dwelling
unit to help them ease the rent burden.”
Should she join the City Council, Magill said she plans to be open to listening to her
constituents and to seeking expert sources to further educate herself on relevant topics
and issues of her constituents.
“I’m smart enough to know that I don’t know everything,” Magill said. “It’s not about
knowing everything; it’s about knowing who to go talk to learn about something. Having
grown up here, having been in the nonpro t world and just having known people from all
walks of life, I feel like I can pick up the phone and say, ‘Who should I go talk to about
this?’ I think that’s a strength I can bring.”
Magill is one of 6 candidates for 3 city council seats. Election day is Nov. 5.
Questionnaire
What inspired you to run for city council?
I grew up here, my daughter is growing up here and I want this to be a city she is proud of.
We have lived in 10th and Page for over 15 years and I love my community. Having
worked at Region Ten (community service board) and PACEM (cold weather homeless
shelter) as well as living in my neighborhood I know Charlottesville has things we have to
work on to be a great place to live for everyone. I want to be part of facing these problems
and solving them so my daughter grows up in a diverse and equitable environment. I
believe I can use my experience in human services as well as my experience as a business
owner to serve on council with balance. 8/11/17 my husband was hurt and as he healed
we decided the time was now to take a more active part in the city as a whole.
What do you see as the top three priorities should you be

elected?
1)Working in a collaborative manner with my fellow councilors to create a better A
Charlottesville for everyone. Collaboration and consensus building speaks to process, but
a better process will lead to better outcomes for all of us, and allow the public to have
more faith in their city government.
2)Promote a sustainable future and, above all, do what we can to address Climate change;
this means taking steps to ensure green ways, create protected bike and walking paths.
We can add solar panels to all municipal buildings with roofs 5 years and younger
(through purchase or the use of PPAs). We will switch all buses to electric vehicles as they
are due for replacement. Incentivizing residential and commercial alternative energy
(looking into PPAs for residential and business for those who could not afford adding solar
but want to offset their energy).
3)We need to enhance affordable housing; our housing prices continue to rise and we
need to work on this problem with a number of different approaches. We will work with
CRHA to redevelop our public housing stock while working with the residents who live
there; properly engaging the community and hands on participation is the only way to
ensure that we are actually helping and addressing the real situation on the ground..
Streamlining and incentivizing our ADU process is another way to add rental inventory
and assist people with staying in their homes. Additionally we need to look at the amount
of R1 zoning we have in this town. R1 zoning pushes developers to create the most
inef cient and most expensive types of housing. It is my hope that we will get the General
Assembly to implement inclusionary zoning in localities like Charlottesville.
Given your background, what do you think you can bring

to the table if elected?
I grew up here and chose to stay in Charlottesville, I’ve worked among our most vulnerable
communities. From my work at PACEM and Region 10, as a small business woman, as a
mother, I understand our needs, our hopes and hard work to achieve them. With a
background in human services and a background in small business I believe I can bring a
balanced approach to our problem solving. I understand working with grants and
bureaucracy as well as good management, and scal responsibility. I know where the
bottlenecks are, and I can help us get past them.
Affordable housing is an ongoing local topic in

Charlottesville. What are some things you think need to be
done to address it in the short and long term?
We have to increase density in our city and we have to do so with forethought and
intelligence. Changing our zoning code to allow by right development of triplexes,
quadruplexes and small apartment buildings is important as is working on ideas of limiting
demolition of already existing usable structures. We need to be putting in place better
alternatives to car transportation increasing our mass transit and creating usable safe bike
lanes and walkways to encourage less car travel; this only works if we have suf ciently
population density. I have also been developing ideas regarding expanding and
streamlining our ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit) process. Additionally I have been looking
into incentivize using the ADU as a long term affordable rate rental unit by developing a
loan program and property tax deferment program if owners utilize the unit with in
developed guidelines and not Air BnB’s.
What role do you see private developers playing in your

affordable housing strategy? How can city zoning rules
and policies improve affordable housing and what ideas
do you have?
We have a number of local developers who live in our community who want to help with
the affordable housing crisis. Our private developers can be partners in the cities growth,
public/p[rivate partnerships can bring a revitalized energy to our community and spread
our working capital. I want to see our local businesses succeed. I have spoken to a number
of local developers who are greatly concerned about the affordable housing crisis, they
want to be good neighbors. I have experienced in my own neighborhood a local developer
who went above and beyond to make sure that his development worked with the
neighborhood and continues to check in to see how the construction is affecting people.
In what ways would you like to see transportation evolve

in the city? What about city/county cooperation?
Transportation is intertwined with the affordable housing issue. I would certainly support
greater direct investment in our bus system (such as more frequent buses, covered bus
stops, buses running later and everyday), but mass transit does not work well if a city is
improperly zoned. We need a certain density as well as properly interconnected
neighborhoods, commercial, and mixed use districts to allow all of our residents to use
public transportation to get around Charlottesville ef ciently and at a reasonable cost to
the City. Finally, the public transportation challenge does not end at the Charlottesville line.
We need to more fully cooperate with the county and the university and explore innovative
options such as as a Trackless Tram.
How do you see yourself fitting in with and interacting with

the existing council?
There are two councilors with whom I know we will be serving.I have a great deal of
respect for Mayor Walker and Vice Mayor Hill and hope to be able to serve with them.
What can you contribute to racial healing and

reconciliation in the community?
As a white woman I rst have to recognize I have never experienced being the victim of
racial discrimination. What I can and must do, therefore, is to listen to those who have,
taking their advice on what is needed for healing to begin.
What are your thoughts on what the school system can

do to address and improve equity in city schools?
I support the school boards proposal to move 5th grade back to the elementary schools,
move the preschoolers to Walker with the continuing education programs. I also support
the Buford building improvements and expansion to move 6th grade there. My daughter is
currently in 5th grade at Walker and I can already see how a transition to a new school
after she has just settled in at Walker will be very disruptive to her and many of her peers.
I personally have experience with the quest program and as a parent found it confusing to
understand what quali ed a child. I think the WIN (What I Need) model that Venable used
should be considered for all the elementary schools and that quest should be assessed.
Mostly I feel that suspensions should be never be handed out to elementary school
children without rst having had mental health and other counseling interventions rst.

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1/17/2020 Michael Payne • Charlottesville City Council Candidate - Democrat
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Michael Payne
Democrat
City Council audience regular and community organizer Michael Payne is ready to shift to
the other side of the dais as he seeks election to become a councilor. Working towards
solutions for affordable housing issues is a pillar of his campaign, a cause he has already
advocated for and something that personally affects him as a city resident.
“I’ve made minimum wage working in Charlottesville, and about half my money goes to
rent,” Payne said. “I grew up here and want to stay here.”
After growing up in Charlottesville and Albemarle County, Payne went to the College of
William & Mary before returning to focus on affordable housing. He has worked with
Habitat for Humanity and the Charlottesville Low-Income Housing Coalition.
“I think I provide direct experience working in affordable housing that can help drive the
conversation,” Payne said. “I think I can help drive solutions. I hope that I can help be a part
of working with other councilors in the community to put forth solutions. Really take a
bold, creative approach to affordable housing, and not be content with tweaking around
the edges. The scale of crisis now is so great that it’s going to require bold action.”
Payne asserts that he will take a community organizing approach to being a council
member.
“I think it can rebuild trust between the community and local government,” Payne said.
“Trust that was shattered in 2017, but which also has a lot of deep historical roots for that
lack of trust.”
He cited things like the use of stop and frisk, disproportionate arrests of the African
American community and a long history of gentri cation and displacement.
“I think a way to rebuild trust is to recognize as councilors, we are not owed trust, we have
to earn it. I think we earn it by taking a community organizing approach. We’re going out
into the community and being proactive and trying to uplift the work that’s being done and
also address the day to day problems that people are facing.”
He said that there can also be pressure that leads to state-level action from the General
Assembly.
“We have a lot of people who work in Charlottesville who live not just in Albemarle, but
Buckingham, Nelson, Fluvanna. We’re really one regional economy.”
Payne is in favor of being in contact with candidates running for state-level seats along
with other boards of supervisors and councils regionally to create regional strategies that
shared goals can be addressed locally and at the state level. He cited affordable housing,
transportation and the elimination of the Dillon Rule so that Charlottesville, for example,
could pass a citywide living wage. The Dillon Rule limits the level of autonomy localities
https://www.cvilletomorrow.org/people/charlottesville-city-council/michael-payne 1/5
have on certain decisions and instead directs those votes towards delegates and senators
in the General Assembly.
Part of Payne’s living wage idea involves supporting a certi cation program that could
incentivize business owners to pay a living wage to their employees to accommodate the
cost of living in the Charlottesville and Albemarle areas. He plans to address affordable
housing through zoning reform, investment in the redevelopment of housing and support
of nonpro ts. He also plans to address racial equity and things that could be done locally
to help combat climate change.
Payne is one of 6 candidates for 3 city council seats. Election day is Nov. 5.
Questionnaire
I decided to run to help city council unify around solutions to Charlottesville’s crises of
displacement, skyrocketing inequality, and gentri cation. Charlottesville is undergoing
rapid economic growth, but not everyone is bene ting. According to the Orange Dot
Report, 1 in 4 residents are unable to afford basic necessities; according to the city’s own
housing needs assessment, we have a shortfall of almost 4,000 affordable units. I myself
spend half my income on rent and worry about my ability to afford to live in Charlottesville.
After attending almost every city council meeting over the past 3 years, it’s become clear
to me that Charlottesville is at a crossroads. If we maintain the status quo, we risk
becoming a small town version of San Francisco and working families will be displaced
into Staunton, Waynesboro, and surrounding counties. But it doesn’t have to be this way:
if we unify around bold policy solutions, we can make Charlottesville a national leader in
ghting inequality.

elected?
1- Affordable housing, particularly investment redevelopment of public housing and
zoning reform.
2- Creating a comprehensive strategy for community wealth building so that our economic
growth bene ts everyone and reduces economic and racial inequality in Charlottesville
3- Local action on climate change in order to build local climate resilience and move
Charlottesville towards 100% clean and renewable energy

I’ve worked on statewide affordable housing issues with Habitat for Humanity Virginia and
am an active member of the Charlottesville Low-Income Housing Coalition. I’m also a
community organizer: I co-founded Indivisible Charlottesville and I’ve attended almost
every city council meeting over the past 3 years to advocate for affordable housing and
equitable economic growth.
I believe my direct experience working in affordable housing brings valuable knowledge of

both how city government operates and what speci c policy solutions are needed to solve
Charlottesville’s affordable housing crisis. I hope to use the relationships I’ve built
as a community organizer to rebuild trust between the community and local government
and unify city council around policies that can improve the day-to-day lives of working
families in Charlottesville.

Charlottesville needs affordable housing at every level. We need to create a ladder of
home opportunity that begins with redevelopment of public housing, which is our most
powerful tool for providing permanently affordable housing for residents at 0-30% of Area
Median Income (AMI). But we also need to provide opportunities for people to become
homeowners and build generational wealth, which is why the city needs to nish its
comprehensive affordable housing strategy in order to direct investments into our housing
non-pro t sector. Doing so will open up more home ownership opportunities to working
families through non-pro ts like Habitat and the Thomas Jefferson Community Land Trust.
But not everyone in need of affordable housing quali es for public housing or home
ownership through local non-pro ts, which is why we need zoning reform to create more
‘missing middle’ housing such as affordable duplexes, triplexes, and small apartments.
Finally, we need to hold the University of Virginia accountable and encourage UVA to
contribute to affordable housing and provide more on-campus
housing for their students.Long term, Charlottesville needs to follow the lead of cities like
Burlington, Vermont in carving out a greater space for community development. City
council can assist in land acquisition so that our local community land trust owns more
land throughout the city. This, combined with partnerships with a local Community
Development Corporation, can empower neighborhoods to have more input over local
development and create thriving mixed-income communities with affordable housing,
green space, and local amenities. This isn’t unprecedented: Burlington’s community land
trust has over 2,000 household members.

do you have?
Private developers play a signi cant role in solving the affordable housing crisis. Our
current zoning hasn’t been signi cantly updated since 2003. Our current zoning
incentivizes the construction of large single-family homes, hotels, and of ce spaces. Over
half the city is zoned as single-family-only, yet over 60% of residents are renters. We’re a
growing city, yet we’re zoned as if we’re a small suburban community. We need zoning
reform to reduce our use of single-family R1 zoning and instead use our zoning to
incentivize the construction of more affordable duplexes and small apartments. Doing so in
a sensible way can create more affordable housing while also preserving neighborhood
character. We also need to provide Neighborhood Development Services (NDS) with more
resources so that they have the capacity to proactively engage with neighborhoods,
prioritize long-range planning, and reform our zoning code.

Charlottesville needs to create a Regional Transit Authority that brings together UVA’s bus
system, CAT, JAUNT, and Albemarle County. Doing so will allow for a more effective bus
system with stops that arrive every 20 minutes and routes that go deeper into Albemarle
County. As we increasingly become a regional metropolitan area, having
a robust public transit system will be critical to reducing traf c congestion and making the
cost of living more affordable. It will also help reduce fossil fuel emissions from
transportation.
In the short term, Charlottesville should support the Thomas Jefferson Planning District
Commission’s new Regional Transit Partnership as a rst step towards creating a Regional
Transit Authority. We should also put covers over more bus stops and improve CAT’s app
so that it’s arrival times are more accurate.
Research shows that public transit only gains mass ridership once stops regularly arrive
every 20 minutes or less. Currently, there is nowhere in the city where it’s quicker to take
the bus than it is to walk. It’s up to us as city councilors to be advocates for public transit
and to closely partner with the Albemarle Board of Supervisors in order to create the
public transit system we know we need.

I have existing relationships with both Heather Hill and Nikuyah Walker. I’ve worked
directly with Heather Hill on helping to start Charlottesville’s pilot participatory budgeting
program and I
personally know Nikuyah through work on past community initiatives. I’d view other
councilors as co-workers who have a shared mission of doing what’s best for the city of
Charlottesville. I’d look to gure out our shared priorities and work with other councilors to
nd
effective ways to divide the labor of city council.

It’s important for council to realize that the breakdown of trust between the community
and local government has deep historical roots. The legacies of redlining, school
segregation, discriminatory policing practices, and urban renewal are still with us today.
It’s borne out in the data: our schools still have a persistent achievement gap, the
unemployment rate for African American residents is twice what it is for every other
demographic, and over the past several years average income has gone up for every
demographic except for our African
American residents who have seen average income decline.
As councilors, we have to implement speci c policies that advance economic and racial
equity. As we move forward with policies that uproot institutional racism, we will rebuild
trust and continue the process of healing. In doing this work, it’s important that we center
the voices of marginalized communities and uplift the work groups like the Black Student
Union, the Urban Agriculture Collective, Sin Barreras, and the Public Housing Association
of Residents have already been engaged in for years. It’s ultimately the community that
drives change, not city council. Finally, Charlottesville should explore creating a Truth and
Reconciliation commission similar to the one that was created in Greensboro, North
Carolina. Confronting our own history isn’t easy, but if we commit ourselves to the work
we can become a model of how local communities can unify and uproot institutional
racism.

do to address and improve equity in city schools?
While the Charlottesville School Board is ultimately responsible for creating and
implementing educational policy reform, city council should work closely with the school
board on investing in policies that promote educational equity. A top priority should be
supporting investment in tutoring and resources like AVID. Direct interventions aimed at
guaranteeing literacy by the third grade for all students is the most powerful way to
reduce the achievement gap, while college preparation programs like AVID are essential
for helping more students receive higher education. There’s no substitute for investments
in one-on-one tutoring and mentoring.
1/17/2020 Lloyd Snook • Charlottesville City Council Candidate - Democrat
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Lloyd Snook
Democrat
He has been practicing law as a defense attorney for about 40 years. He has served on the
Charlottesville Planning Commission. He even ran for the City Council in 1990. Now, Lloyd
Snook is trying again.
After not earning the Democratic nomination in 1990, he spent a decade focusing his free
time on coaching youth sports and serving as a Boy Scout and Cub Scout leader. He
enjoyed having more time with his children, as well. As for his current campaign, it was
watching the proceedings of previous councilors and interactions on social media that
helped inspire his new run.
“I have a very active Facebook page that has a lot of active political debates ranging from
the tea party people on the one hand to my anarchist sons on the other hand,” Snook said.
“It became apparent to me that there was a real crisis in Charlottesville’s governance in
that the City Council and city manager just weren’t working effectively. So, I said ‘I want to
be a part of doing better than this.’”
Along with acknowledging the arrival of City Manager Tarron Richardson, Snook noted
that he could be one of three new councilors joining Councilor Heather Hill and Mayor
Nikuyah Walker, who were not on the council during the deadly Aug. 12, 2017, Unite the
Right rally. Additionally, City Attorney John Blair and Police Chief RaShall Brackney have
arrived since then.
“We will have a major chance to hit the reset button,” Snook said. “It’s a chance for all of us
to get it right this time.”
Other pillars of his campaign involve his ideas to address issues like affordable housing
and transportation planning (such as increased Charlottesville Area Transit bus times)
along with breaking the tendency of harsh policies focused on youth leading to
incarceration when those children become adults. Although it is often referred to as the
“school-to-prison-pipeline,” Snook asserts responsibility is not solely schools due to the
limited time per day students spend in classrooms. He also noted the achievement gaps
highlighted at the national level from an article by New York Times and ProPublica.
“Zyahna Bryant will go on to [the University of Virginia] and Trinity Hughes couldn’t get
the right math class to apply to JMU, and it had its roots in where they began their pre-K
and kindergarten experiences,” Snook said.
While addressing those concerns falls to the School Board, the council controls nances.
Should he become a councilor, Snook explained he has educational improvement ideas
that stem beyond the school day. He noted that not all students come from households
that have access to additional learning resources outside of the school day and suggests
there are things city government can do to get kids more prepared to learn.
https://www.cvilletomorrow.org/people/charlottesville-city-council/lloyd-snook 1/7
“I would like to work with the schools to help us identify exactly what this would look like,”
Snook said.
One such idea is implementing more one-on-one tutoring outside of school hours.
As for his plans for addressing issues associated with Charlottesville’s growing population
density and need for transportation improvements, Snook cites his experience on the
Planning Commission and the Piedmont Housing Alliance.
“I would like the city to start thinking of itself and planning for itself as a 21st century city,
not as a 20th century town,” Snook said.
Snook is in favor of building more affordable housing units but stresses that “we can’t
build our way out of this problem.” While he stops short of advocating for zoning reform
that could alter R-1 zoning, or single-family homes, he suggests the use of accessory
dwelling units that would create additional apartments within single family homes. Like
fellow candidate Sena Magill, they believe this will be part of the multifaceted solutions to
alleviate the affordable housing crisis, while also allowing people to age in place and
supplement income.
“Size contributes to ‘affordable’ housing,” Snook said. “If [the council] could unleash the
ability of dwelling units, you could have 600 to 1,000 more units brought on line if the city
got serious about it.”
He remains leery of overhauling R-1 zoning because he fears that areas like Fifeville could
be susceptible to rapid gentri cation if investors wanted to purchase lots and rent to UVa
students.
As for his larger inspiration throughout his varied career, Snook said his mother played a
role in shaping his pursuits. She was an advocate for women’s rights, affordable housing
and education, and she served as a legislative aide. He recalled a fridge magnet she had
that said, “I wondered why somebody didn’t do something about that, then I realized I am
somebody.”
“That sort of symbolized her spirit and the spirit I like to bring to things,” Snook said. “If
there’s a problem, I try to x it.”
Snook is one of 6 candidates for 3 city council seats. Election day is Nov. 5.
Questionnaire
I saw a City government that was oundering. A 2017 ef ciency study had identi ed 83
different problem areas in top leadership, a 2018 follow-on study had identi ed more
problems with the Neighborhood Development Services Department, and the problems
weren’t being addressed. On top of that, we learned from the December, 2018, retreat just
how dysfunctional Council is – that Councilors didn’t like each other, didn’t trust each
other, didn’t respect each other, and didn’t even really talk with each other. We need a
functional Council again – one that respects the boundaries of the job, that isn’t trying to
micromanage City Hall, and that is willing to let the City Manager do his job. We were (still
are) more than a year late on the Comprehensive Plan update, a year late on the Housing
Advisory Committee report, and affordable housing problems are not being addressed.
The New York Times reported on our schools’ achievement gap in a way that highlighted
how the neighborhood that a child comes from is so important to determining his or her
success in school, and we – the rest of the City – can do something about that. I was
distressed at how these very important problems are not being addressed, and I want to
help x that.

elected?
In addition to simply getting the City functioning well again, the three substantive areas
that are my priorities are:
1. Affordable housing; B. The achievement gap in the schools; and C. Doing all that we
can to reduce our carbon footprint and other environmental impacts.

I have a lot of experience in some key areas:
1. As a trial lawyer, I spend most of my professional life working with people who
disagree with me or with my client. But somehow we nd a way to work through

problems and come to a resolution without letting things completely fall apart.
1. I spent 8 years on the Planning Commission in the 1980’s. I know what a well-run
government looks like and how it functions, and I understand the limited role of a City
Councilor in the city manager form of government.
1. I was on the Board of Directors for the Piedmont Housing Alliance for 12 years. I
have worked on Low Income Housing Tax Credit deals, and I understand how they can be
used to redevelop public housing – which we need to do. At PHA, we went through a long
process of resident engagement before we decided on the design that is about to be
implemented. This experience will be valuable in helping the City move forward with the
redevelopment of Westhaven and Crescent Halls that is being discussed.
1. I was on the Board of Directors for ReadyKids for 6 years. One of the missions of
ReadyKids is to help children get ready for school. Much of the blame for the achievement
gap can be attributed to differences that begin well before kids start school, and I learned
about programs that can help.
1. I served for 10 years on the Board of the Community Energy Conservation
Program, which weatherized houses for poor people. Many of those functions have been
taken over by LEAP, but the need is still great. 60% of our carbon footprint is from home
energy uses, much of it wasted. I have signed on to a resolution calling for net zero carbon
emissions by 20 years from now. We may have trouble (the “Dillon Rule”) with some
environmental measures, but we can use our role as provider of utilities like water and gas
to create incentives for conservation. I’d like to think that my experience with CECP gives
me some insights on this issue.
1. There is a lot of discussion right now of racist police practices. I have been a
criminal defense lawyer for almost 40 years, and ghting racism in the criminal justice
department has been at the core of much of my work.

We know that we have a shortage of affordable housing options in Charlottesville; one
study has estimated that we need more than 3,000 units of affordable housing. The main
reason that an apartment or a house might qualify as “affordable” is the size of the unit.
Simply put, we need to make it easier to create more smaller apartments.
We need to attack this problem in the following ways:
1. Where the opportunity presents itself — which, in a built-up place like
Charlottesville may not be very often — we need to take the opportunity to build more
affordable units. At Friendship Court, for example, PHA is looking to redevelop the land to
house not only the existing 150 Section 8 units, but another 300 units that will be
available at less-than-market rents. We may be able to do something similar if we
redevelop Westhaven. But we won’t be able to build our way out of this problem.
1. 55% of the City land is zoned for single-family uses. Our zoning ordinance
permits “accessory apartments” in single-family zones, under some strict conditions, and
by a “provisional use permit.” This requires approval from Neighborhood Development
Services, and I have heard reports of approvals for such units taking a year or more. This
may be a management problem or a staf ng problem, or the ordinance may need to be
amended to make it easier to put in accessory apartments. If so, we could probably add
hundreds of new units to the housing stock, and in many cases, senior citizens might then
have a new source of income to help them stay in their homes.
1. We need to plan with the County and the University for affordable housing
options that are outside the City, but from which people can conveniently get into the City
by frequent bus service. This requires recognizing a few realities:
1. That when the University employs nearly 30,000 people — about 12,000
of them in the Health System — those 30,000 people cannot all live within walking
distance of the University. And they can’t all drive to work, either, or park when they get to
work.
2. As the University student body has increased to over 24,000 students now
(an increase of 4,700 over the last 25 years), the University has not added the same
number of on-Grounds housing units. The success of places like Wahoo West and Eagle’s
Landing — out in Albemarle County, off Fifth Street Extended — has been due in large
part to the fact that the landlords run shuttle buses from the apartments to the University.
We should look to duplicate this model in the future. In other words, with better
transportation, the solution will be regional, not just in the City.
1. And let’s not overlook another important part of the equation — raising wages. The
University’s recent pledge to raise wages to a minimum of $15 an hour is a major
step toward making it possible for more people to afford their housing.

do you have?
The City will not build thousands of new units of housing. We might build, at most, a few
hundred more units if and when Westhaven gets redeveloped, but that’s about it. The
additional units will have to be built by private developers.
We should look at the zoning ordinance to see if we can tweak it to make it easier to add
basement apartments and other “accessory dwelling units,” in addition to cleaning up the
permitting process.
There have been two suggestions on which we need to move slowly, if at all. Some people
propose that the City eliminate single-family zoning completely. I would want to look very
carefully at any such proposal, because — as the cliche has it — the devil is in the details. If
we literally eliminated single-family (R-1 or R-1S) zoning, and allowed two units on each
parcel (like in R-2 zoning), it would actually further increase the risk of gentri cation in
neighborhoods like Fifeville, because it would become more pro table for investors to buy
the homes and rent them to different groups of students. It was precisely that problem
that led to the creation of the R-1S zone in the early 1990’s. We need to be careful about
any change like this. Every time we change the zoning ordinance, we risk unintended
consequences.
There has also been a proposal to enact — at least in some parts of the City — a “form-
based” zoning code, perhaps as an overlay to existing zoning classi cations. Some
opponents believe that if we enact form-based zoning, we would actually lose leverage
that we now have through the Special Use Permit process. I am not endorsing such a
change in how we do zoning, but it is worth studying. If implemented, it would likely
increase the number of smaller housing units.

I would like to see buses run MUCH more frequently. People won’t abandon their cars if
they can only get a bus once an hour. We need to have the City, the County and the
University commit to joint planning and joint operation of a bus system, probably under the
mantle of a regional transportation authority. And we have to encourage the development
of enough places of population density – as opposed to sprawl – to make mass transit
workable.

We learned from Council’s “retreat” in December that Council members don’t like each
other, they don’t trust each other, and the only norm of behavior on which they could agree
was that they would “seek clarity.” Every board or commission or church vestry that I have
ever served on has been able to agree on certain norms of behavior, including that we will
all assume that the other members of the group are making decisions in what they
perceive to be the best interests of the City. I expect to operate from that standpoint, and
to encourage others to do so, even if some won’t. I would expect to work with the other
Councilors – to talk with them ahead of the meetings, to try to understand their
approaches before we are debating everything publicly. One thing that has been
distressing about the last few years was the number of times that it was apparent that
Councilors had NOT talked with one another ahead of time. The most egregious example
of this was the December 18, 2017, vote killing the Dewberry Hotel project. In March,
2017, Bob Fenwick and Wes Bellamy had voted for the proposed memorandum of
agreement. At the December 18, 2017, meeting, without discussion or explanation, they
changed their votes and killed the project, apparently as a complete surprise to the other
Councilors. Whether the
Dewberry Hotel was a good project or a bad project is almost irrelevant to this point. The
Councilors – as a matter of common courtesy, if nothing else – should have talked with the
Mayor or SOMEONE to tell them that they were changing their votes.

I have been involved in racial reconciliation in Charlottesville since the 1960’s, as a student
civil rights leader at Lane High School. I have three thoughts on this:
1. I like the idea of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and would hope that we
might form something similar here.
1. If we could get something of a de nitive answer to some questions from August,
1/17/2020 Bellamy Brown • Charlottesville City Council Candidate - Independent
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Bellamy Brown
Independent
Service is a core value for Marines veteran and accounting of cer Bellamy Brown. He’s
gone from serving the country to serving clients in his time working in accounting,
investing and nonpro t organizations. As the events of Aug. 11-12, 2017, still reverberate
within the Charlottesville community, Brown said it’s played a part in his inspiration to run
for the City Council. Dissatis ed with the service of the council at the time, Brown is
among waves of candidates in elections since who say they can do better.
As none of the incumbents are running for re-election, the next council will not have any
members who were on the dais in 2017.
“I do think I bring a dynamic that I think our city needs, just from the aspect of the
community of color that’s there,” said Brown, who is the only non-white candidate in the
race.
He also noted his “openness for going in different spaces ― whether you’re rich, poor,
black, white ― I understand the role of public service at the government level and I seek to
pull that out.”
While Brown has considered running for an elected seat for many years, he said the 2016
presidential election also inspired him as he saw how highlighted party line divisions
were.
“With this whole polarization in our country today, it’s like, I’m not here for politics, I’m here
to do work for my community that clearly hasn’t been done,“ Brown said. “We had a 50%
African American community here and now it’s 19%, and this was all under Democratic
rule. A local political party doesn’t always mean it’s necessarily translating to the people.”
Another reason Brown chose to run as an independent is to acquire bipartisan appeal.
“I also wanted to be appealable across the board,” Brown said. “ It doesn’t matter if you
live in the 10-square-mile radius of Charlottesville, you deserve to have your elected
leaders work for you, no matter whether you voted for them or not, no matter whether
you’re a Democrat, a Republican or an independent. They still owe you a duty, so that’s the
mindset that I bring.”
Brown is calling for more transparency by the City Council and has made it a pillar of his
campaign, along with leadership and governance. While transparency, governance and
leadership are the three phrases that are printed on his campaign literature and signage,
it’s collaboration that is imprinted in his approach.
He also said he aims to work together with other members of the council and the city
manager. Brown sees many issues in the city as intersectional and wants to seek a variety
of input in his decision making and contributions should he sit on the council.
https://www.cvilletomorrow.org/people/charlottesville-city-council/bellamy-brown 1/4
“I think when you can start to work in a collaborative framework on the best interests of
the community, we can start to get some of those other things moving forward,” Brown
said.
Brown cites his varied experience with volunteering and nonpro ts along with his nancial
and leadership roles to applicable skills he wants to bring to the council.
On affordable housing, Brown said he supports public, private and nonpro t partnership
collaboration and communication on ideas to how to best work together.
Brown said he feels his nancial background will help him bring an analytical eye to scal
matters should he serve on the council.
“Given that I’m the only one who has any experience just being able to champion the scal
responsibility that we need as a community will be a great asset,” Brown said.
He also said he will be looking at where and how spending is applied by the City Council
to see what areas could be trimmed and what may need bolstering.
“If we continue to spend, an obvious part of that is raising taxes. If you’re raising taxes, if
you’re trying to keep people ahead and everything else, raising taxes is not going to help
that situation,” Brown said. “So, we have to look at how we balance our spending, how are
we providing tax relief for the community and managing our assets in a way that will
accomplish what we want as a community, but not overtax people?”
He doesn’t havecomplete concrete answers for that just yet, but said he intends to.
Amid running a campaign, the three-degree holder is earning two more. Brown is
expected to graduate from the University of Virginia Sorensen Institute for Political
Leadership and earn a master of professional studies degree in American government and
politics from George Washington University this year.
Brown is one of 6 candidates for 3 city council seats. Election day is Nov. 5.
Questionnaire
Charlottesville is my hometown. The events of August 2017 troubled me in terms of the
leadership I observed during that time, and leading up to it. I’m a rm believer that
government should act in the best interests of those it serves. As a result of not seeing
that, I felt compelled to become part of the solution to help solve our challenges and help
our community move forward.

elected?
Our city has a number of challenges that I view as being intertwined. As I’ve been on the
ground speaking to community members, I’ve gradually learned that our needs can’t be
summed up in a few core priorities that need our attention. We must view our challenges
from a holistic perspective. Given that, I see good governance and sound leadership in
addressing those challenges (affordable housing, education, criminal justice, carbon
footprint, etc.) as being the top priorities.

Over the course of my educational and business careers, I’ve been fortunate to obtain a
MBA in Finance, a MS in Accounting, and am in the process of completing a MPS in
American Government and Politics. Additionally, I’m part of the current class of UVA’s
Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership. These experiences have allowed me to develop
and hone my skills in relationship building, con ict resolution, negotiation, and leadership.
I believe these skills are necessary for navigating the complex challenges we face as a
community. These are also skills I will bring to the table if elected.

Charlottesville. What are some things you think need to
be done to address it both in the short term and long
term?
The primary thing I believe needs to be done in both the short term and long term is
greater collaboration between our public, private, and nonpro t partners. The Thomas
Jefferson Planning District Commission recently held a “Homelessness and Housing
Summit,” which I had the privilege of attending. Throughout the course of the summit, I
observed a desire from all of the aforementioned partners to work collaboratively to
address this issue. I believe we should encourage that process to play out both from a
local and regional perspective.

affordable housing strategy?
I will have to defer that response until I’ve had an opportunity to gain the perspective of
some other members of the developer community. As stated above, from the
“Homelessness and Housing Summit,” I believe the desire is there from some developers
to work with the public and nonpro t sectors.
How can city zoning rules and policies improve affordable

housing and what ideas do you have?
Zoning rules and policies can be updated to address the modern challenges we currently
face. It’s my understanding that some of the current ordinances are antiquated, and are
not best serving the needs of our community. As a result, I would seek to understand
which ordinances would help further development in the most ef cient and effective way
possible. This will ultimately lead toward development that’s done in a healthy manner.

I am due to take the CAT challenge this weekend. However, outside of that, I’m well aware
our transit system has challenges. I would like to gain a better understanding of its
inef ciencies before providing any potential solutions at this point. I know issues such as
inaccurate pickup and drop off times, in addition to the length of time it takes to get to
destinations will have to be resolved.
Regarding city/county cooperation, due to the fact that there is a lot of crossover between
city and county riders, it’s clear that cooperation will need to be part of any solution.

the existing council members?
I’ve already began to foster a collaborative working relationship with both Mayor Walker,
and Vice-Mayor Hill; and I see that collaboration continuing if elected to council.
What can you contribute to the racial healing and

reconciliation in our community?
Being the only person of color in this campaign, my perspective is somewhat unique.
Throughout the course of my life, I’ve been able to foster great relationships with others
regardless of race, religion, or other demographic factor. I fully intend to leverage that
ability in order to be a voice of measured reason in navigating our challenges regarding
race and reconciliation.

do to address and improve equity in City schools?
It’s my understanding that Dr. Atkins and other school system leaders have convened an
Equity Committee to “address and improve equity” within the school system. Noting there
is no “quick x,” I understand that the work is being taken seriously, and I’m hopeful the
Committee will arrive at actionable steps to mitigate the current challenges we face as a
community. Until the Equity Committee has completed its work, I feel it’s appropriate to
table my thoughts until such time as de nitive solutions are presented by the Committee.

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1/17/2020 Paul Long • Charlottesville City Council Candidate - Independent
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Paul Long
Independent
Longtime transportation advocate Paul Long is in the race for the Charlottesville City
Council again.
Originally from Philadelphia, Long has lived in Charlottesville for 21 years, having worked
as a patient transporter for University of Virginia and served as an addiction counselor in
Philadelphia. It was in Pennsylvania that he successfully organized against city plans to
eliminate a public bus line.
“I’ve learned how to listen to people, be patient and diffuse situations,” Long said.
It’s an approach he wants to use in governance should he take a seat on the council. One
aspect of his inspiration to run is displeasure at how the council had been conducted its
business in the past and its preparedness for the events of Aug. 11 and 12, 2017.
He critiques local government’s readiness and the council’s ability to listen when
constituents were warning about the threats and impending violence of the Unite the
Right rally.
“Michael Signer [then-mayor] and City Council didn’t take any of those warnings into
account,” Long said.
He explained that his experience having lived in a larger city that has had various mass
protests over the years, where he has seen how local government and law enforcement
can monitor and intervene when needed to keep people safe.
“I’m a great listener. I think it’s important for a person on council to know how to listen,” he
added.
On transportation, Long notes how the Charlottesville and Albemarle County areas are
increasingly urbanizing and how improved public transit can t in.
“We have to realize this and face problems from that perspective,” Long said. “Developing
public transit is one way of doing that.”
When he railed against Philadelphia-area plans to eliminate a bus route, he gathered

signatures for a petition and spoke publicly to include his own anecdotes of how he was
one of many residents to personally rely on the bus line to get to work. In his advocacy, he
noted an economic standpoint for how regional transportation can assist with attracting
and retaining businesses in areas.
Long also supports rehabilitation over criminalization for nonviolent drug offences.
“I don’t think those types of people should be serving jail time,” Long said. “They should be
committed to treatment. It’s a waste of taxpayers’ money and space in jail.”
https://www.cvilletomorrow.org/people/charlottesville-city-council/paul-long 1/4
Long said he also feels that City Council members can handle certain things rather than
outsourcing to consultants.
“They have a habit of outside consultants doing reports studying problems in the city that
city employees should be doing,” he said.
He is also critical of commissions that can “kick the can down the road,” and aspires to
ensure solutions are found faster.
“I think a lot of the time, not all the time, council is afraid to take a stand on certain issues
so they give it to a commission that can take a year or more to make a report, and it delays
a decision. I’m not afraid to take a controversial stance.”
It’s his tenacious spirit and passion for community organizing that he said he aims to bring
should he be elected to the City Council. On his choice to run as an independent, he
expressed dissatisfaction with the state of the local Democratic Party — save for fellow
candidates Michael Payne and Sena Magill, who he calls “true progressives” and has
supported their similar ideologies in candidate forums.
“I am technically a Democrat, but I think the Democratic Party has been dominated by
corporate interests,” Long says.
Long rst moved to Charlottesville to care for his ill mother in 1998, and after she passed,
decided to stay. When exploring his interests through history and government courses at
Piedmont Virginia Community College, he said a professor asked him if he had plans to run
for local government. Long says he never did, but once he saw young, independent
candidate Andrew Williams run for the City Council in 2009, he became inspired.
“I saw that he gained energy at 20 or 21, I gured I could throw my name in the ring as
well,” Long said.
And so, he is throwing it in again.
Long is one of 6 candidates for 3 city council seats. Election day is Nov. 5.
Questionnaire
The complete breakdown of city government in July and August of 2017. The city
government refused to hear the warnings that physical violence and confrontation would
erupt. One of the functions of government is to ensure domestic tranquility. We had three
people lose their lives and countless others seriously injured, while the city police stood
with their arms folded and did nothing.
What do you see as your top three priorities should you be

elected?
1. The establishment of an extensive, frequent and reliable public transportation system
throughout the entire Charlottesville metropolitan area.
2. The establishment of a temporary shelter year-round, so that people are not living
and sleeping in the streets. This would give the homeless a place to lay their heads,
while others nd permanent housing for the homeless.
3. The entire government of Charlottesville needs to be reorganized. July and August of

2017 amply demonstrated that our city government, as it is presently set up, cannot
respond to crisis.

I am tenacious and I have a big and loud mouth. My favorite president during my lifetime
was Harry S. Truman. Effective leadership means tackling issues head on while solutions
are found.

done to address it both in the short and long term?
City Council should stop allowing developers to build housing units unless 20% of those
units are affordable units. The city should condemn the Dewberry Hotel project by eminent
domain and build affordable housing units there.
What role do you see private developers playing

affordable housing? How can city zoning laws and policies
improve affordable housing and what ideas do you have?
That last zoning rules were revamped in 2003 under [Mayor] Maurice Cox. At that time
zoning was set up to favor developers. This needs to stop. Zoning laws need to foster low-
cost affordable housing.

The commonwealth of Virginia, the federal government, the city and surrounding counties
should stop pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into the upkeep and expansion of the
current highway system. The federal government, the commonwealth of Virginia, the city
of Charlottesville and the surrounding counties should be spending hundreds of millions of
dollars on the creation of a regional rapid public transportation system.
In 2009, the General Assembly authorized Charlottesville and Albemarle County to create
a regional transit authority. The city and Albemarle have never fully followed up on this.
I think the regional public transit authority should include the city and Albemarle, as well as
Fluvanna, Louisa, Green, and Orange counties.

existing council members?
Mayor Walker and Vice Mayor [Heather] Hill will be the only members of [the] City Council
who will be around in January of 2020. Assuming that I am elected in November, the big
question will be how to the three new members get along with the existing members and
each other. I am easy to get along with and I am sure I will get along with all the city
council members.
What can you contribute to the racial healing and

reconciliation in our community?
I believe in treating everyone with respect and dignity. One of the many things that has
annoyed me with councilor Mike Signer in the two years that he served as mayor of this
city, was how rude and abrupt he was with people. I am not saying that he was a racist
because of that, but when you treat people like that, you can make them feel small and
insigni cant. Everybody in this community is important and they need to be treated with
respect.

do to address and improve equity in schools?
Albemarle and Charlottesville is a multiracial and multiethnic society. We need to teach

and respect all racial and ethnic groups that are in this area. We need to be teaching about
Barack Obama, Frederick Douglas, Thurgood Marshall, Clarence Thomas and others.
Young African American children in our school system need to know that they can grow up
to be the president of the United States, scientists, lawyers, astronauts and generals. All of
our children need to be encouraged to reach for the stars.

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1/17/2020 John Edward Hall • Charlottesvile City Council Candidate- Independent
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John Edward Hall

Charlottesvile City Council Candidate-
Independent
Charlottesville City Council candidate John Edward Hall’s campaign signs often feature
hearts with the words “Charlottesville” and “Albemarle” in each one. It’s a regional
approach Hall wants to take should he be elected.
Noting the population increase in the city and the county, Hall said that the council and the
Albemarle County Board of Supervisors must keep that in mind when working together.
“There’s a lot of population coming into Charlottesville,” Hall said of the city speci cally.
“We are no longer a ‘Ville,’ we are ‘Charlotte City.’”
Some of Hall’s goals, if elected, include adding and widening sidewalks and bike paths to
encourage more alternative transportation.
“More and more concern is directed towards the carbon footprint. Our exhaust mainly
comes from automobiles,” Hall said. “As long as we can limit greenhouse gasses, we are
pretty much up to date for the long haul.”
He also proposes additional taxes on gasoline and cigarette purchases.
Hall also said he supports enhancing Charlottesville Area Transit routes, especially with an
expansion to the airport. He also wants to include park bench pavilions with solar powered
call boxes at each bus stop.
On affordable housing, Hall said he wants the city to use eminent domain to acquire the
un nished Dewberry property on the Downtown Mall so that it can be repurposed for
affordable units through collaboration with Habitat for Humanity.
“I think the infrastructure might turn out to be sound, and, if so, it can be refurbished,” Hall
said. “I suggest getting involved with Habitat for Humanity. It’s a wonderful organization
for helping that to happen.”
Hall, who was born in Winchester and grew up in Fairfax County, said he’s been inspired
by urban planning in other areas of the state that he suggests could work in Charlottesville
as its population increases.
“You can follow the model of a bigger city area that’s closer to the nation’s capital to model
streets and walks and apply what you learn there to what we have here so we can make
an improvement,” Hall said.
Hall is an Independent candidate for city council. Election day is Nov. 5.
https://www.cvilletomorrow.org/people/charlottesville-city-council/john-edward-hall 1/2
1/17/2020 John Edward Hall • Charlottesvile City Council Candidate- Independent
**A Questionnaire will be posted when it is received.

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1/17/2020 Albemarle County Board of Supervisors – Scottsville District
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2019 Voter Guide
Albemarle County Board of Supervisors - Scottsville District
Donna Price Mike Hallahan

BOARD OF SUPERVISORS CANDIDATE - SCOTTSVILLE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS CANDIDATE - SCOTTSVILLE
Donna Price (D), a Navy veteran with a law background is running against while defense attorney
Michael Hallahan (R).
A map of the magisterial districts can be found here.

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1/17/2020 Donna Price • Board of Supervisors Candidate - Scottsville
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SCOTTSVILLE DISTRICT
Donna Price
Board of Supervisors Candidate - Scottsville
By Charlotte Rene Woods | Government & Climate Reporter
Scottsville resident Donna Price is usually in attendance at Albemarle County Board of

Supervisors meetings meetings. And the Navy veteran aspires to join its ranks pending the
election results this November.
Price served in the Navy for 25. After retiring, she served as senior vice president of a
healthcare provider and has operated a private law practice. Having been stationed around
the world and in various localities in Virginia, it’s the Scottsville District that captured her
heart. When not working cases, she splits her time between xing up her old farmhouse
and commuting to Glen Allen once a week to teach a course at the University of Richmond
and babysit her grandchildren so her daughter and son-in-law can have a date night.
On the 60 acres surrounding her farmhouse, Price is growing shiitake mushrooms, taking
care of honeybees and plans to get chickens. If elected as a supervisor, she plans to step
down from her law practice to devote representing her district as her full-time area of
focus.
“Even though Scottsville is in the southern tip of the county, it is the central hub not just for
south Albemarle, but also Nelson, Fluvanna and Buckingham counties,” Price said. “So, the
things that we do in the town of Scottsville and in the Scottsville District also has an
impact on these neighboring communities, and what we do in the Scottsville District also
has an impact on the other ve magisterial districts in Albemarle County and the city of
Charlottesville.”
As such, one of the themes of her campaign is “hand in hand, arm in arm.”
“That is that we all have to work together, because if we do work together, then we can
nd common ground, but all of us need to respect the needs and desires of other people
as well as just what ourselves may be interested in,” she said.
The district stretches from the southeastern border of the city of Charlottesville towards to
the curve a curve of the James River near Fluvanna and Buckingham counties. It also
borders the northwestern part of Nelson. With a blend of urban and rural concerns, Price
said she plans to keep an open ear and open-door policy to represent her varied
constituents from the dais of the Board of Supervisors.
As the Scottsville Rescue Squad was dissolved this April, concerns over response times in
the rural parts of the district featured in a recent candidate forum, and in speaking with
Charlottesville Tomorrow, Price focused regionally near the town of Scottsville.
“If Scottsville can’t bring enough people itself, which was the big issue leading up to the
dissolution, we will provide as well. It’s not just the town or district. As I understand it, if
you take a 10-mile radius around Scottsville [town], it includes parts of the Samuel Miller
District, Buckingham and Fluvanna. Those are the people probably most likely to be within
the response range for that rescue squad in Scottsville,” Price said. “I would hate to see a
situation where there’s a re on the other side of the bridge and we say we can’t help our
neighbors. Counties need to come up with some kind of agreement.”
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On the main priorities if elected, Price said she wants to focus on education, environmental
responsibility, transportation, economic development and health care.
If elected, Price said she would help ensure the Board of Supervisors works with the
county School Board to ensure that teacher workload is sustainable, the school sizes
accommodate the students and that quality teachers can be retained through good pay.
Price said she will collaborate to make sure that planning and development within the
county and her district are sustainable and environmentally friendly.
On affordable housing — a topic that has surfaced in many local races — Price said she
supports various efforts to enhance affordable places to live. She noted how in many ways
the city and county are too expensive to live and work in for many people who end up
moving and working elsewhere or commuting from further away. A unique idea she also
offered is rehabilitating the abandoned homes she sees scattered through the district for
less than new construction to be put on the market at affordable rates. She suggested that
it could be a public-private venture.
Price said public service is her life, and in her potential next role of service she plans to
keep an open mind to best serve her constituents.
“I avoid words like ‘always’ or ‘never,’” Price told Charlottesville Tomorrow, and has
reiterated in candidate forums. “That’s because there may be some exceptions.”
Price is the democratic candidate for Scottsville District supervisor. Election day is Nov. 5.
Questionnaire
What inspired you to run for supervisor?
From the earliest years of my life my mother has always said that I have been the
champion of the underdog. As a career Naval Of cer, I became skilled at bringing people
with different viewpoints together to solve problems and achieve the mission. Having
made my permanent home in the Scottsville Magisterial District, rebuilding an old and
abandoned home, loving the history, culture and legacy of the area, it is no surprise that I
want to do my part to help make this wonderful place even better. The majority of my life
has been focused towards public service, with leadership roles in: Student Government in
College; 25 years of active duty service in the Navy – retiring as a Captain; local
homeowners associations; serving on the Board of Directors of non-pro t organizations
and Chair of the Board of Governors of the Military Law Section of the State Bar of
Virginia; as an Election Of cial at four different Precincts in two different jurisdictions,
rising to Assistant Chief, and then Chief, while ensuring that our elections are held in strict
compliance with the law; active in my church as a Delegate for several years to the annual
Diocesan Convention, in addition to service over the years as a Crucifer, Acolyte, Lay
Eucharistic Minister, Lector, member of the Vestry and Senior Warden, and President of a
Parish Council; President of the Family Advisory Council and Representative at the Board
of Governors for one of my children’s college; actively engaged in lobbying activities before
State and Federal Legislatures in support of ending Gerrymandering, and on behalf of
various organizations ranging from the NAACP, Equality Virginia, and the National
Organization for Women; I have long been engaged in social justice work through training
and presentations ranging from Human Resources professionals, to Law Enforcement
Organizations and Military Commands. After 40 years of the practice of law with – for the
past 15 years – a focus on saving people’s jobs, it is – for me – just the next logical step to
continue my public service through seeking elected of ce in the place I call home, the
Scottsville Magisterial District; with the seat on the Board of Supervisors being the perfect
t for my background, experience, and interests.
What do you see as your top three priorities should you be elected?
1) My rst priority is to be accessible and available to hear the concerns of the citizens and
residents of the District; to then be able to take those concerns to the Board of Supervisors
and, with transparency, come up with the best solutions to meet the needs of the greatest
number of people in the District – appreciating the connections between the District, the
greater County, the City of Charlottesville, AND our neighboring communities and counties
– because what we do in both the Magisterial District and the Town of Scottsville impacts
all of the people living and working in those surrounding areas.
2) “Quality of Life” – with everything that encompasses and all the things that affect it then
come together as they cannot be looked at in isolation. This is everything from good jobs
to affordable housing, transportation (both in terms of time and expense of commuting),
schools/education, and healthcare (both physical and emotional), and the environment
(from clean air, water, and land to garbage and litter).
3) Jobs and controlled growth – this IS the Scottsville Magisterial District. Our needs and
desires are different from any other District so while we may all have some similar needs
and desires wherever we live in Albemarle County, we also have our speci c needs and
desires in maintaining and improving on what we have without losing the essential nature
and character of our District. Having more people residing in the Town of Scottsville will
bring with that more local jobs; while we want to avoid over-development that comes from
uncontrolled growth, recognizing the impacts that development has on water supply,
transportation, and congestion. The Town of Scottsville can be a “destination” without
losing its essential character and charm.
Given your background, what do you think you can bring to the table if
elected?
One of my assignments in the Navy was working in the Of ce of Legislative Affairs, where
I handled all Personnel and Medical Issues affecting the Navy before Congress. The
primary Committees I worked with were the Personnel Subcommittees of the House and
Senate Armed Services Committees (HASC and SASC). In response to the manner in
which I conducted these signi cant responsibilities I was recruited by BOTH the senior
Democrat and senior Republican Senators on the SASC to retire from the Navy and then
serve as a Professional Staff Member of the Committee. The fact that both political parties
solicited my service in employment re ects the ability I have to go beyond Political Party
ideology and work towards the greater common good. Combining that with the numerous
senior leadership positions I have held in the Navy, as a Senior Vice-President of a
Healthcare provider, as a Professor at the University of Richmond Law School, and – more
importantly – as an attorney in private practice who has focused my work on helping save
people their jobs have provided me with insight, knowledge, experience, and wisdom in
relating to the human realities of living in a complex and often cruel world. I also know
what it is like “to want” and to struggle just to survive, as my father lost his job when I was
a child (when the company he worked for went bankrupt), it took him over a year to get
another job; and, I know the reality of life’s dif culties. I will bring all of these experiences
to working FOR the citizens and residents of the Scottsville District.
What do you think of Albemarle’s new project-focused high school

center model? Would you support a bond referendum to build additional
high school centers beyond what is currently budgeted?
I totally support seeking to expand educational opportunities beyond a singular focus on

graduating high school students moving only towards college as the next step, however,
until a number of questions are answered I am not ready to support a bond referendum for
additional construction. While college is an admirable objective and accomplishment, and
we as a nation do need many to achieve that goal, the multiple concerns of a system that:
1) sees college as the do all/end all for all students, 2) especially given the incredible
expense of college and crushing college debt legacy (burdening far too many who may
never get out from under that debt), and 3) the reality that our economy is lacking an
adequate number of employees with technical education/training while far too many
college graduates are incapable of obtaining jobs that will allow them to pay off their
student debt. Thus, while it is clear that expanding the educational and training options
should be explored; and, while I am very supportive of Albemarle County’s desire to create
engaging learning environments for our children; before we spend tax payer money to
build additional centers using this model, it is critical that we intentionally study how well
the center is currently working for our students and whether the self-directed learning
approach is the best way to prepare students for their futures. I have a number of
questions as a taxpayer and as someone who cares deeply about the education of our
young people: What are the precise goals of the center? Does passion-based project
learning help create job readiness skills? Have we fully tapped into resources from
districts who have successfully implemented similar programs to make sure that our
program is designed to get the results we want? Have we created the kind of business-
school partnerships that will allow for expansion of the model? If we decide the center is
providing the results we want, could the work be done in our schools or do we truly need
to construct new facilities? For a district, like Scottsville, it would seem that CATEC
expansion may be a better, and less expensive, option. For example, the Culinary Arts
program could partner with local farmers to teach students about agribusiness and the
farm-to-table, buy local, restaurant sector helping different industries prosper. Our
students are such an important resource and our concern for their futures demand that we
are intentional and thoughtful about how we spend the public resources dedicated to
preparing them for the future.
Do you think Albemarle should invest in affordable housing? If so, would

you support a permanent affordable housing fund (i.e. with more
dedicated funds than the end-of-year-surplus)?
I believe that the County must continue to explore any reasonable options to improve the
affordability of housing; while always being wary of committing taxpayer funds unless
there are reasonable metrics to demonstrate that the desired bene t is being achieved.
The problem with only using end-of-year surplus funds is that there is no certainty
provided to the bene ciaries, leaving them continually wondering whether assistance
provided this year will be available next year. Instability in housing is one of the most
dif cult and stressful situations that individuals – and, especially, families – can face.
Instability in housing affects a child’s ability in school, in development, and in a great many
other ways. So the County must have social/general welfare programs that are consistent
and provide stability to the recipients. As in most areas, I am especially supportive of
public/private ventures that can expand the number of individuals and families being
helped while minimizing the direct impact on tax funds.
What do you see as the future of transportation in Albemarle?
Unfortunately, I see the transportation future of Albemarle County as being one of our
most complex and, likely, frustrating areas given a variety of factors. With the cost of
living in the County being above what many individuals and families earn, we are in a
situation where far too many people who work in the county cannot afford to live in the
county. This situation then drives up the numbers of commuters, with a corresponding
decrease in their quality of life as our “day count” population of workers far exceeds our
“night count” population of residents. Additionally, the Virginia “Smart Scale” scoring
system which, on its face, appears fair; but which, in reality, still results in Northern
Virginia, Tidewater, Richmond, and now I-81, getting the lion’s share of the available
funding resources, will likely mean a continuation of the County being left behind as
regards our needs. Public transportation is only an option when it is reliable, regular, and
affordable. If public transportation cannot affordably get people where they need to be
when they need to be there, then they will not use it. Expansion of multi-modal
transportation options are a start, but the geography of the area, the absence of bike lanes
(or even shoulders!) on too many roadways makes non-automobile options unavailable
and unsafe in too many locations while we continue to struggle to obtain funding for road
improvements. There are only 3 passing areas in the entirety of VA-20/Scottsville Road
between the James River and I-64, one of the busiest routes in the District; while US-
250/Richmond Road and VA-53/Thomas Jefferson Parkway are also inadequate for the
traf c loads they carry.
What do you think of the county’s new economic development plan?

Which of the office’s recent activities (deals with WillowTree, Perrone
Robotics, Central Virginia Electric Cooperative, and Potters Craft Cider)
do you think are most successful and why?
I am supportive of the County’s new economic development plan and am excited about
each of the various projects cited in your question. Diversi cation is one of the critical keys
to success, and each of these projects contributes in their own respective ways to
improving our broader economy and quality of life. The WillowTree Woolen Mills project
helps save a historical site on the Rivanna River, which will bring housing, jobs, and
encourage further enjoyment of the River area; the Perone Robotics expansion will help
bring a “technology triangle” vision to an area that the Commonwealth’s agship
University of Virginia and our exceptional PVCC can help expand; The Central Virginia
Electric Cooperative program through the Virginia Telecommunications Initiative will help
bring broadband internet – as essential today as electricity and running water – to areas of
the County that have suffered without that essential “utility;” and the Potters’ Craft Cider
project helps expand on one of the top draws that our area has, bringing tourists and their
money, from all over the area. I believe that they are all admirable, will be successful; and,
by investing in each of these various projects, we help diversity and strengthen our
economy.
Do you think Albemarle County should commit to “net zero” emissions in

the county by 2050 as the staff has proposed?
Yes, absolutely. A mantra of Naval Aviation is: Plan the ight and y the plan. Without a
plan you get nowhere. While I recognize the reality that environmental (and other) plans
are likely always going to be changing; and, that rarely does a the plan end up exactly
where it started out; without a plan to reduce carbon emissions in the county we will never
achieve our goals by 2050 (or any date), and – by failing to achieve our environmental
objectives – we will be failing in our responsibility to leave a healthy, safe, and clean
environment for our children and those who come behind us. I believe that it is a moral
imperative that we been good stewards of our environment.

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1/17/2020 Mike Hallahan • Board of Supervisors Candidate - Scottsville
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SCOTTSVILLE DISTRICT
Mike Hallahan
Board of Supervisors Candidate - Scottsville
Scottsville resident and defense attorney Michael Hallahan wants to add supervisor to his
résumé and bring “a different perspective” to Albemarle County’s Democrat-dominated
board.
“We have zero representation on the board,” Hallahan said of the Republican Party. “We
don’t even have an independent. There’s no voice from the center or the right, and I have a
problem with that.”
Hallahan said he always has wanted to serve Albemarle through some elected position
and considered where he felt he could t best without compromising his law practice.
“Right now, with the way my career is, I’ve got a successful law practice and running for
sheriff or commonwealth’s attorney would close it down,” he said. “So, Board of
Supervisors seemed to be the best t.”
As a scally conservative Republican, he said he will look at areas of local government

where he can trim positions and save money. He does not support tax increases and
suggests lowering the county’s business tax to attract more businesses to the area.
Speci cally, he hopes further development on the southern portion of U.S. 29 can bring
career-fostering jobs in manufacturing and technology.
“Business brings jobs. Jobs bring revenue. Jobs bring employed people,” Hallahan said.
On dissatisfaction with the current board, Hallahan calls for more transparency and a
change to how the budgets are handled. When the time comes for the Board of
Supervisors to set annual budgets, Hallahan said he would rather hear suggestions and
needs from base-level employees in government departments rather than department
heads as he contributes his vote.
“I’ve had a lot of issues with the way they [the Board of Supervisors] work their budgets,
the way they capriciously raise taxes without even asking the citizens,” Hallahan said.
“When you raise someone’s taxes, you’re taking from them involuntarily. They’re already
taking so much.”
As an alternative to raising taxes, Hallahan said he will look for where funding may be
wasted to divert it to other things.
“I want to nd all the waste in county government. I want to talk to the people who
actually do the work — the people that drive the buses, that mow the grass, that teach,
that cook the lunches in schools,” Hallahan said. “I want to talk to those people and nd
out where is the waste in the department? We don’t need all these multiple layers of
supervision. We need the people who actually do the work to get the majority of the
money.”
Hallahan said that employees can “ nd their own waste” and alert the board what could
be cut or trimmed.
https://www.cvilletomorrow.org/people/albemarle-county-board-of-supervisors-scottsville-district/mike-hallahan 1/7
“Employees always want a pay increase and the board always says, ‘The budget doesn’t
allow it.’ Well, the budget will allow it if you quit wasting money,” Hallahan said.
He said that examples could be allocated funds that went unused or positions that may
not have been needed.
“When people nd the waste and report it, as we work the budget, we could take half of
that and apply it to an across-the-board pay raise for your baseline employees, and the
other half can go back to the county,” Hallahan said.
Originally from the area, Hallahan attended county schools (as his children do now) and he
attended the University of Virginia to study environmental science, a subject of interest
that grew with his love of spending time outdoors. He went onto work as a police of cer in
the county. He then went on to study for and pass the bar without going to law school and
has operated his own practice since 2000. Virginia is one of four states that allow people
to practice law without attending law school, permitting they have apprenticed in the
of ce of a practicing attorney or judge. When Hallahan studied law, he apprenticed for
Dayton Haugh for three years prior to his exam.
While most of Hallahan’s cases are involved in criminal defense and traf c violations, he
also serves as guardian ad litem to represent children who impacted by neglect, abuse or
custody and visitation violations.
As an attorney, Hallahan said he believes strongly in the Fifth and Sixth amendments,
which support due process and the rights to an attorney. As such, he takes on any client
the court appoints to him and any client who approaches him — including Unite the Right
organizer Jason Kessler.
“As attorneys, we’re not friends with these people. We represent them, and I represent
anyone who walks through my door.”
Hallahan says he wonders if people who take issue with his having represented Kessler
have also vetted the clients of his opponent and fellow attorney, Donna Price.
“Do they believe that some people have a right to an attorney, and some don’t?” Hallahan
said. “The U.S. Constitution gives everyone that right. When you start picking who is
worthy and who is not, that’s when you start cutting it away, and that’s a dangerous road.”
“As supervisor, you’re not just representing the people who align with your politics or
interests. You’re representing your whole district,” he added.
As Election Day approaches, Hallahan said he’s enjoyed canvassing around the Scottsville
District and participating in forums and debate with Price. In his spare time, Hallahan
usually is spending time on the James River or doing other outdoor activities.
Hallahan is the Republican candidate for Scottsville District supervisor. Election day is Nov.
5.
Questionnaire
What inspired you to run for supervisor?
I have lived in this county since 1978, and have observed the County becoming more
regulated, and seen the taxes continue to rise; while turning away good business and
home building opportunities. The mentality of the current Board is that we (the citizens)
should feel lucky that our taxes aren’t higher. I believe that the people should feel that their
local government is there to assist them and encourage them, not to dissuade and
discourage them from following their dreams. The consensus of the people I’ve talk to feel
that the current Board of Supervisors acts as if we work for them and are there to serve
them, but it is really the opposite; the Board of Supervisors works for us, and serves at our
pleasure. I think that they forget this when they raise taxes without asking the voters, and
do many other things that show a blatant disregard and lack of respect for many citizens
of this district. I am running because our local government has gotten way too
complicated, way too intrusive, and completely unhelpful. It is hard to nd someone who
had had a pleasurable experience in trying to get something approved or accomplished in
county government. I was inspired to run to restore common sense and nancial
responsibility to the Board of Supervisors, while making day to day dealings with the local
government a more enjoyable and rewarding experience. I am tired of complaining about
the many issues that upset many of the members in my district; it is time to do something
about it. When I am elected, we will have a transparent local government with no more
secret, closed door meetings. I want to bring some balance to the Board, where currently
there is a 6-0 Democrat monopoly; with no conservative or independent voices. I know so
many people from all corners of my district and can relate to all of them. I am comfortable
in any and all settings. I’ve been a lawyer for 19 years, but never went to law school. I
worked as a cop, nights and weekends, while I apprenticed during the day to become a
lawyer. When I get inspired to do something, I do it. People told me I could never become
a lawyer that way, and I did. People tell me that I’ll never walk from the Paci c Ocean to
the Atlantic Ocean in 2033, but I will, because I cherish the outdoors and our country, but
what is so encouraging, from when I announced this run in January, there are no nay-
sayers; everyone that I encounter across this district says that I will win!!
What do you see as your top three priorities should you be elected?
I regularly work in over a dozen local counties and I have noticed that Albemarle County is
probably the most desired destination for ONE reason; and that it our great schools. I have
fought for abused and exploited children over the last 25 years as a cop and a Guardian ad
Litem. 1) My top priority is to maintain and improve the excellence in the basic services
provided by the Albemarle County government, speci cally, the Albemarle County Public
Schools by focusing on the teachers and guidance counselors because they are the most
important resources, as they actually are the ones that our children depend on to teach
them and counsel them; and maintain and improve excellence in public safety (police, re,
and rescue), and I believe that public safety also includes more cell towers, more
broadband access, and wider roads, and to maintain and improve excellence in all other
basic county departments that are essential to county government, (especially our many
county parks in which I am very happy we have). 2) My second priority is the budget. I feel
that the current Board too quickly raises taxes, without asking the voters rst, and without
looking for the money elsewhere, while simultaneously turning down good business
opportunities, disregarding the vast new revenues that new business, new homes, new
jobs, and all the other related revenues that would come to the county without raising
taxes on existing residents. I would propose two new budget ideas; 1) no new taxes
unless approved by a referendum 2) allow county departments to identify waste in their
own departments ( either in unnecessary management positions, unspent or wasted
money, or unnecessary equipment) and in the next budget year, half is applied directly to
the county employees as a pay raise and the other half comes off the budget. I will review
the county budget as carefully as I review my own budget and will not waste tax dollars.
Also, on a state level, if we can get the practice of cities annexing county lands banned, we
can turn off the 16 million or so dollars a year that the county pays the city as a ransom,
not to be annexed by them. The city has annexed the county lands multiple times over its
history and In the early 1950s, 5 cities in Tidewater annexed the entirety of the 5 counties
that surrounded them and instantly, those 5 counties ceased to exist and Virginia went
from having 100 counties, down to 95 counties. nally 3) My third priority is the boost the
morale of the average county resident in dealing with county government. This would
include all Board meetings and work sessions to be open to the public, not necessarily all
for public comment, but they should all be public because the Board works for us and
should answer to us. This also would include putting time limits on permits and other
inspections to be approved and completed. I want the people to feel like the county
government is really ghting for them to succeed and I want the people to view the county
as their ally in their endeavors and not an obstruction.
elected?
I am a Virginia native and moved into Albemarle County in 1978, where I have lived
continuously, for the last 41 years. I attended Murray Elementary School in Ivy, K – 5th,
Henley Middle School, in Crozet, 6th – 8th, and Western Albemarle High School in Crozet
9th – 12th, class of 1990. I was raised by two great parents , Col. Thomas J. Hallahan,
USAF Ret., and Barbara J. Hallahan, the owner and operator of Jefferson Engraving &
Awards, Inc. in Woodbrook Shopping Center, a business she and my father started in
1983. I attended the University of Virginia for 4 years and received a bachelor’s degree in
Environmental Science in 1994. I was hired after college by the Albemarle County Police
Department, and between 1994 and 2000, I served as a law enforcement of cer in
Albemarle and Greene counties. In the late 90s I apprenticed with local attorney L. Dayton
Haugh for 3 years, and took the bar exam in 2000. I opened my own law of ce in
December of 2000, and since then I have served over 11,000 clients in over 50
jurisdictions around Virginia. I primarily do traf c and criminal law, but also represent
children as their Guardian ad Litem in abuse/neglect or custody situations. I purchased my
farm along the James River in the Scottsville District in 2003 and built my home there in
2008 where I live today. My two older children attend Albemarle County Public Schools
and my youngest will be enrolled in Kindergarten next year. My roots in Albemarle County
go back to the 1970s and I have a stake in its prosperity as it is where I have chosen to
remain and I am raising my family! I am extremely responsible with my money and I will be
just as responsible with yours…. because tax money comes directly out of the pockets of
the people. I have a deep connection to the rural voter and the rural community, because I
am a rural voter, while maintaining good relationships and many contacts in the more
urban areas of the district. I am the perfect candidate for this position because I have
operated a very successful law rm for 19 years in downtown Charlottesville, with a
degree in Environmental Science from UVa; all while living on a 135 acre farm that is used
for raising beef cattle, growing soy beans, and growing corn. I am the perfect candidate
for Scottsville District Supervisor because I want to bring some balance to the Board;
where currently there is a 6-0 Democrat monopoly; with no conservative or independent
voices. I know so many people from all corners of my district and can relate to all of them. I
am comfortable in any and all settings. I’ve been a lawyer for 19 years, but never went to
law school. I worked as a cop, nights and weekends, while I apprenticed during the day to
become a lawyer. When I get inspired to do something, I do it. People told me I could
never become a lawyer that way, and I did. People tell me that I’ll never walk from the
Paci c Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean in 2033, but I will, because I cherish the outdoors and
our country, but what is so encouraging, from when I announced this run in January, there
are no nay-sayers; everyone that I encounter across this district says that I will win! and I
am what this county needs!

center model? Would you support a bond referendum to build additional
high school centers beyond what is currently budgeted?
My number one priority is the students’ best interests. My priority is to pay the most we
can afford to be competitive to lure the best teachers. That is where I will focus. Let’s have
all the teachers and the base level staff give their opinions on how the current money
should be best allocated; remember, let’s let them nd waste, and apply it to an across the
board pay increase and a budget cut. Once we get the budget ne tuned, and no one
knows how to do that better that the actual educators that know where money and
resources are needed most, then we can look at new projects. Once we begin looking at
the new projects, we need to consider current county property and buildings before we
consider acquiring new lands or new construction, because I would rather spend the
money on teacher pay raises, more teachers, and more equipment, than a new
construction, unless it is absolutely needed. A bond referendum would be the best way to
decide a potential tax increase because it should be the decision of the people, and NOT
the decision of six members of the Board, and any tax increase for a particular purpose
should always have a sunset provision.
Do you think Albemarle should invest in affordable housing? If so, would

you support a permanent affordable housing fund (i.e. with more
dedicated funds than the end-of-year-surplus)?
I support the notion of affordable housing, but the local government is what makes
housing not affordable. The materials to build a house costs the same whether you build
that house on a million dollar lot, with ten million in proffers, or whether you build the
house on a $1,000 middle of nowhere lot, off the grid, with no building permit. The local
government puts so many strings on new construction that runs the costs so high, the
builders pass those costs on to the home buyers and since new construction costs so
much more with all these regulations, it drives up the costs of pre-built houses too that go
up for sale. This is what causes the shortage of “affordable housing”. The local
government has zoning laws that require minimum lot sizes, and many other zoning
issues, as well as the builders are often required, in the form of proffers, to spend much
additional monies on infrastructure, on green space, and sometimes additional low-income
units, that the cost of constructing a single unit goes up and up. I’m not saying its all
wrong, but what I am saying is that the government regulations (again, whether they’re
right or wrong) cause the “affordable housing” issue, so there is no fund that can help this
situation, unless the government simply pays a percentage of the cost of each house for
new home buyers, whether it is new construction or the purchase of a pre-built home,
which would bring down the price of the house to levels of similar homes in areas that
aren’t as regulated. The Board just voted again to raise the real estate taxes of all county
homeowners, so once again, the Board is making these houses less affordable because
they are getting more expensive to own. We need to stop this never ending cycle.
Albemarle County is a mostly rural county, by square mile, and I don’t believe the personal
vehicle can ever practically be replaced because some people commute up to 20 or 30
miles (one-way) each day, all within the county. In our more tightly populated areas, we
could get more buses (biodiesel) routes, and more dedicated bike lanes, and all over the
county, we could create more park and ride lots so people could carpool. This county is
way too spread out for rail travel to be practical. If you look up and down the RT. 29
corridor, all major population areas have a by-pass. We do have a by-pass, but it was built
in the 1960s, and we are in need of a new solution. We need more roads that lead in and
out of Charlottesville, we need wider and safer roadways in the rural areas of the county,
and we need either a by-pass or an elevated highway, that gets all the pass- through
traf c off our local roadways. An overpass at Rio and US 29 does not suf ce to take the
place of the by-pass. I would like to see SR 20 a four-lane highway, I would like to see all
our county roads paved, and many of our smaller country roads made safer with hard
shoulders. We also encourage large employers to stagger shift times to cut down on the
amount of traf c on the roadways at any given time.

Robotics, Central Virginia Electric Cooperative, and Potters Craft Cider)
Look around the county at the various shopping centers and you will see empty
storefronts, or empty mega-stores. What this county needs is some manufacturing, blue
collar and tech jobs, that will be around decades into the future. Look at Zion X Roads and
Augusta County as they set the example and are leaders in attracting manufacturing and
big business, employing thousands, where Albemarle is known for UVA and its retail
shopping. We need more career jobs, factories and plants, not more retail space.
Albemarle County and Charlottesville have the same business tax at .0058/$100, where
Augusta County is nearly half .0030/$100. Look at the difference in the number of
manufacturing jobs and big business in the contrasting jurisdictions. Albemarle County
doesn’t need to spend money to attract and prop up new business, we need to welcome
new business and make them feel welcome; welcoming the new residents that would be
needed to ll these jobs, and not obstructing and turning away good business
opportunities. Our local government needs to stay out of the private sector and stick to the
basics. We need to welcome the private sector in to create new jobs, and spread that
broadband.
Do you think Albemarle County should commit to “net zero” emissions in

the county by 2050 as the staff has proposed?
This is a global issue that requires a global solution, and when I am on the Board of
Supervisors, I will be responsible for making sure that essential government services be
funded such as the schools, rst responders, and many other essential county
departments. I want each dollar spent to actually make a difference. I have a bachelor’s
degree in Environmental Science from UVa (1994) and our environment is as important to
me as anyone, but I want to go about this in reason. First, about half of the problem is from
transportation, and with the wide spread need for personal vehicle commuting in this 740
square mile county, I don’t see that changing unless we had a signi cant increase in the
number of non-gas cars. I believe in small tax credits for non-gas cars. I also believe that
recycling should be encouraged and we should educate the public on how to do so
properly. I am for any initiative that would lower the greenhouse gases, within reason, but
we are a county, and this problem needs a global solution. Realistically, even if the county
was “net zero”, unless a majority of the world followed suit, it would make no real
difference. We need a realistic balance between achieving this goal and balancing the
nancial costs and rewards.

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1/17/2020 Albemarle County Board of Supervisors – White Hall District
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2019 Vote Guide
Albemarle County Board of Supervisors - White Hall District
Ann Mallek Steve Harvey

BOARD OF SUPERVISORS CANDIDATE - WHITE HALL BOARD OF SUPERVISORS CANDIDATE - WHITE HALL
12 year incumbent Ann Mallek (D) is facing her rst challenger, Army veteran Steve Harvey (R).

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1/17/2020 Ann Mallek • Board of Supervisors Candidate - White Hall
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WHITE HALL DISTRICT
Ann Mallek
Board of Supervisors Candidate - White Hall
By Charlotte Rene Woods | Government & Climate reporter
After more than a decade serving on the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors,
incumbent candidate Ann H. Mallek is facing her rst-ever challenger for the seat she
initially assumed in 2007. Having joined the board amidst the recession, she has seen the
county’s evolution over time. Mallek is often present at community events throughout the
city and county, and said she frequently meets with constituents. In seeking reelection, she
wants to continue to represent the White Hall District and work she has been a part of on
the Board of Supervisors.
“All of the same issues that people complained about in 2007 are back,” Mallek said. “In
2007, as I went to the doors, people of all ages said, ‘Where did all these new people
come from, and why aren’t we building the bridges and sidewalks?’”
Albemarle’s urban ring has continued to grow, and in the White Hall District in particular,
the community of Crozet has undergone a spike in residents. Mallek said there was a boom
in population around the time she was rst elected, before the recession curbed it, but now
the boom is back.
As the Crozet area of the district in particular has seen population growth due to more
people living and working in the county and Charlottesville area, Mallek has been involved
in development of the Crozet Master Plan. As the plan was adopted in 2005, Mallek has
been involved in every step of it since 2007.
In seeking reelection, Mallek said she supports local farming, economic development and
protecting natural resources, citing a growth in board members and constituents who have
desires to be more climate resilient.
“I’m very grateful that there are more members of the board now who are understanding
that counties have a leadership role to help residents navigate the processes to get
weatherization done, and all kinds of programs we’ve just ignored up until now,” Mallek
said. “We’re doing a better job facilitating resident access to services.”
Her top priorities, if reelected, include enhancing roadway infrastructure and safety, fair
business regulation and continued support for volunteer re and rescue companies.
As Mallek has held several town hall meetings in her district since her rst term, she said
she plans to keep up the tradition.
“Whatever they want to talk about, that’s the agenda,” Mallek said. “It’s a really great way
for people to hear each other’s questions in a group of maybe 12 or 15 or maybe a
hundred. Then they’re understanding what other people are concerned about, and I do not
let people get crabby with each other so that it is a nice safe zone for talking.”
Mallek said it is important to her to have a personal connection with the residents in her
district.
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On economic development, Mallek said she supports Project Enable, a strategic planning
process to foster business growth in the county. Mallek has also collaborated with Crozet
residents and the Downtown Crozet Initiative to encourage public-private partnership in
the redevelopment of the Barnes Lumber site.
A campaign issue for Mallek’s opponent, Republican Steve Harvey, has regarded a
stormwater utility the county once considered before scrapping that has colloquially been
referred to as the “rain tax.” The idea was to tax properties based on the size of their
impermeable surfaces that contribute to runoff — something many local farmers say
would impact them more.
While the majority of agricultural properties have permeable land or crops, their sizable
infrastructure such as barns, outhouse and driveways were subject to the fee. The money
would have funded projects to clean up streams and other bodies of water around the
county.
“In March 2018, the stormwater funding formula was released, and I was able to
understand the nancial impact on the properties in the White Hall District,” Mallek said.
“The calculation formula was going to unfairly burden rural landowners for projects that
would primarily be implemented in the urban area.”
Through listening to her constituents, Mallek came to not support it.
That March, Mallek made her lack of support for the utility fee known, and by April, the
board directed staff to cease work on establishing it. The board has continued to pay for
state and federally mandated stormwater maintenance programming from its general
fund.
On affordable housing, Mallek has supported collaborating with nonpro ts, like Habitat for
Humanity, but said she is not ready for the county to set up a housing fund and is wary of
raising taxes for her residents.
“The volunteers that run the rescue squads in Crozet, many of them have to live in
Augusta, if they [want to] have a house,” Mallek said. “I’m very concerned about the
tremendously elevated cost of everything. It is astonishing what has happened to the
market and is so dif cult for people of my children’s age. I think that there is a real pinch.
We have salaries here that are lower than Northern Virginia, but our housing costs are
approaching the costs of that area.”
Mallek has supported efforts to increase affordable units in the county, such as
partnerships with Habitat for Humanity, and tax relief to older homeowners as property
values have risen.
“I do not want to create a situation where we are forcing our elders to move to some other
place away from their family, their church, and the neighborhood they’ve been in their
whole lives because we’ve raised the taxes too much,” Mallek said.
Mallek also sees where transportation and affordable housing can link together.
“Transportation cost is also so high that it takes a bigger chunk of a person’s salary or
wages to get back and forth to their home that is further out in the country because that’s
where they have to live to be able to afford rent,” Mallek said.
Mallek supports extending bus routes from the city of Charlottesville and urban ring into
more rural areas.
“I look forward to a time where there is more true joint decision making on our
transportation system,” Mallek said. “I think there is a good rst step underway with the
regional transit partnership and there seems to be goodwill on both sides to gure out a
formula for cost.”
Much like her frequent town halls serve as a sounding board for her district, she has
advocated for Albemarle and been part of the sounding board for state legislators in the
General Assembly. As Virginia is a Dillon Rule state, local government has limited
authority.
“I made many trips to Richmond to talk to legislators and I can hardly wait to get back to
that,” Mallek said.
Mallek is running as a Democrat in the White Hall District. Election day is Nov. 5.
Questionnaire
What inspired you to run for Board of Supervisors?
There was an outrageous housing boom from 2000-2008 in Albemarle. In Crozet alone,
4000 dwelling units were rezoned into the Crozet growth area during that time. Citizens
were outraged that their small historic town would become 25,000 strong in twenty years.
I joined the Board on Jan 1, 2008. In the twelve years since, many of those units that were
pre-approved before 2008 have been built and occupied and the population has risen from
2000 to almost 8000 people.
While there have been signi cant improvements in County processes, in 2019 we struggle
with issues created by preceding Boards. People want to talk about population density
and the new classrooms, connector roads, sidewalks, and infrastructure needs promised
along with these houses approved more than a decade ago.
Why have I continued and why do I seek another term? I truly enjoy the interactions with
citizens and the work to solve problems, strengthen connections, and build community.
From founding the Earlysville July 4 parade 23 years ago to conversations at the coop
about concerns, there are many issues needing study, pursuit and completion by staff and
the Board. People want to talk about population density. Citizens know I will listen
carefully and learn.
What do you see as the top three priorities should you be re-elected?
1. Roadway infrastructure and safety. For infrastructure in the Crozet area, delivery of the
long-promised bridge over Lickenhole Creek at Eastern Avenue is the highest priority. The
bridge will solve so many critical problems of connectivity and access for Fire and EMS,
and will improve the quality of life of downtown residents. This third north-south
connector to ease commuter drive time is essential. Without the bridge, neighborhood
streets have been the only access for hundreds of newer homes over the last fteen years.
For the more rural parts of the district, Free Union and Earlysville for example, highway
safety and speed enforcement are critical issues. For the last ve years I have worked with
County staff and VDOT to improve safety at the Earlysville Road-Reas Ford Road
intersection. Persistence is required to keep this project on VDOT’s radar. VDOT is nally
working on structural changes to that intersection to slow traf c.
I am proud that the County has added twelve police of cers during my time on the board.
Under the community policing model, our police department builds strong bonds with its
citizenry and has earned hearty support from residents.
2. Support fair regulation. Regulation creates the civil structure under which all citizens
have equal protection for their property value and equal opportunity to participate. De-
regulation will not improve our economy. The local economy bene ts from regulation,
which gives businesses certainty and residents predictability. County job numbers are up,
new business licenses are up, and inspections on construction are up drastically.
Regulation is good for business.
3. Volunteers. Continue to support and work to strengthen the operations of our volunteer
re and rescue companies, as I have for 12 years. The culture of volunteerism deserves our
full community support and makes Albemarle special.
elected?
I was born in Albemarle, and I have lived through a very positive evolution of this
community. From a sleepy rural series of country crossroad villages, the County has
become a highly desirable location with a high quality of life for most residents, lovely
mountain views, and healthy environment.
I have been a student of land use issues since 1975. After graduating from Albemarle High
School in 1967, I lived in New England for 16 years, learning about the town meeting form
of local government and the bene ts of face-to-face discussion of issues. When I returned
to the home farm in 1982 with my family, I found that the County had retained many of the
attributes I remembered most fondly from my childhood, but with a forward-looking view.
I have been an active public servant for more than 40 years with a proven record of
experience, stewardship, and a time-tested manner of being thoughtful in tough times and
on dif cult subjects. I have studied the issues and engaged in formal training to ful ll my
role as a county supervisor. My knowledge base and care are the necessary tools to truly
serve this community and represent White Hall district constituents.

center model?
I applaud the School Board’s work to create a new model, which will save taxpayers’
money and enhance learning. The school board has planned for this engaging learning
environment to reduce the burden at AHS, which is several hundred students over
capacity on a small property. Center 2 will welcome students from all districts with
transportation provided. Gone will be the days when only children with transportation will
be able to participate. The pilot project at Comdial (Center 1) has been a great success for
the forty-student cohort who is studying there this year.
Do you think Albemarle should invest more in affordable housing? If so,

would you support a permanent affordable housing fund (i.e. with more
dedicated funds than the end-of-year surplus)?
I am not ready to set up a new housing fund. Currently the County is spending more than
1 million in FY2020 on the combined programs for affordable housing. This money is
divided among housing repair through AHIP, reconstruction of homes at Southwood with
Habitat, and tax rebates for the Brookdale project to bring 96 units of apartments for
residents in the 60 percent AMI average median income. There are emergency housing
funds administered by the department of social services.
There are many taxpayers living in their own affordable homes now who will not be able
to stay housed with increased tax bills. I will study carefully the impact of individual
investments of tax dollars.
August 8, 2019, was the launch day of the Jaunt Crozet Connect shuttle, which runs
routes to UVA and hospital work sites. More routes are planned and more buses will be
added as the seats continue to ll. There is also a Jaunt Research Park to UVA grounds
shuttle funded by the University. This partnership can be replicated to bring citizens from
the east side of the County as well.
The second year of the regional transit partnership has brought improvements in planning
and a funding formula for budgeting of future route selection and rider infrastructure. The
future can bring more CAT bus routes for County residents, shelters against the weather,
times for bus arrival and more frequent and reliable bus systems.
Regionally there are bus commuter routes in the planning stages from the Shenandoah
Valley to UVA and other employment sites in Charlottesville, with stops along the way to
pick up County riders. There is also a planned expansion of the state funded intercity bus
system. The current Virginia Breeze will continue from Roanoke to DC through our area,
and another bus will be added from Danville to DC, up Rt 29.
I still dream of a light rail line running from Staunton to Zion’s Crossroads.

Robotics, Central Virginia Electric Cooperative, and Potter’s Craft Cider)
I support Project Enable and the strategic plan of the economic development department.
Expanding career ladder jobs will enable our residents to work smarter, not harder, and
earn an income with which they can feed their families. Each of the mentioned business
successes is different, but all four show the vitality of the business expansion climate in
the County.
Businesses are not avoiding Albemarle, or moving away. Willowtree will increase by
hundreds the employment of IT workers. Perrone is increasing the number of designers
and programmers for their autonomous vehicle software. CVEC has committed to bringing
broadband in ber to the homes of all of their customers. Potters Craft is using an AFID
state match grant to expand their cider production and thus the jobs to do the work.
Whether the businesses focus on employment of our citizens or provide broadband to
rural families, all improve the quality of life for County residents.
Do you think Albemarle County should commit to “net zero” carbon

emissions in the county by 2050, as staff has proposed?
Yes I support the goal. It will encourage citizens and local government to make good
decisions. The County leaders and citizens should make incremental changes in our
consumption of fossil fuels. I do understand the reality of climate change and the reality of
the damage that more ferocious storms have done in just the last year. The county should
continue to provide information for homeowners on ways to increase resiliency at their
homes, and leveraged outside funding can reduce weatherization costs for low-income
homeowners.
County operations are continually evolving to reduce our energy consumption and thus
emissions. Solar panels on the schools, green roof, weatherization, and new insulated
windows of the County Of ce Buildings are all ways in which the County, just like local
business owners and residents, can make individual changes, which save money and
increase comfort.
1/17/2020 Steve Harvey • Board of Supervisors Candidate - White Hall
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WHITE HALL DISTRICT
Steve Harvey
Board of Supervisors Candidate - White Hall
Originally from the area, Republican candidate for the White Hall District seat on the
Albemarle County Board of Supervisors, Steve Harvey returned with his family about ve
years ago. After his military career came to an end due to a medical discharge for a spinal
cord injury, Harvey settled down, started a farm and now serves as an outreach director
for the 5th Congressional District. Service, he says, is his calling.
“It’s just the way I’m designed, personally, I’ve done service projects ever since I was 15
years old,” Harvey said. “I was an Eagle Scout. I volunteered to tutor disadvantaged kids
when I was at Notre Dame. Then I went into the Army after that and I started doing this
House of Representative outreach after that. It’s sort of a life of service sort of deal. I’m
drawn to it.”
In his campaign for supervisor, he plans to serve farming families in his district that he said
haven’t had the best representation. He also said he wants to bolster business in the
county.
He said his position as outreach director often places him interacting with neighboring
businesses.
“When I talk to business owners in surrounding counties, they wish they could open up in
Albemarle,” he said, citing Green, Louisa and Fluvanna counties. “It’s not the land price, it’s
the cost of doing business with the county.”
Harvey wants to see changes to “red tape” within permitting processes and the Board of
Architectural Review.
Part of his economic development plan is to reform the BAR.
“‘What is the average time to go through the process for a business?’ When they give me
a response that I imagine will be ridiculously in ated, I’ll say, ‘What can you do to reduce
that by half?’” Harvey said.
On the revenue-sharing agreement between Charlottesville and Albemarle rst

established in 1982, Harvey said he feels that it is time to renegotiate. The agreement was
rst created to prevent the city from annexing some county land and required the county
to share some of its revenue with the city in exchange. Annual estimates of the revenue
share have been roughly $16 million.
With topics like addressing climate change swirling in many local and state elections,
Harvey acknowledges it at a local, state, and federal level, but said he feels that locally, it is
not as signi cant a priority to him as addressing economic opportunity and land use in the
county. He did note the attractiveness of implementing more solar energy both as a cost-
saving technique and environmentally friendly option.
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“The county signed a resolution stating the biggest problem facing Albemarle is climate
change. On its surface, I disagree with that,” Harvey said. “I don’t think it’s the biggest
problem facing local government. I see escalating debt, heavier reliance on residential
property taxes. I think these are the kind of issues that a local government.”
One such topic that caused controversy in the county in the spring of 2018 was the
proposed stormwater utility fee that came to be colloquially referred to as the “rain tax.”
The idea was to tax properties based on the size of their impermeable surfaces that
contribute to runoff — something many local farmers say would affect them more.
While the majority of agricultural properties have permeable land or crops, their sizable
infrastructure, such as barns, outhouses and driveways were subject to the fee. The money
would have funded projects to clean up streams and other bodies of water around the
county.
Ultimately the board directed staff to stop work on establishing a stormwater utility in the
spring of 2018 and continued to use the general fund for state and federally mandated
stormwater maintenance.
Harvey asserts that he would not support the “rain tax” as part of his advocacy for farmers
in the county.
“The general fund is the most cost ef cient and fair method,” Harvey said. “That’s what I
will advocate for while in of ce.”
Another priority for Harvey’s campaign is enhancing rural broadband access — an issue
that has garnered bipartisan support with government, nonpro t, and for-pro t
investment.
Harvey earned a business degree at Notre Dame, where he also met his wife. During a
backlog for ight school in the military, Harvey worked in nance, managing mutual funds
for Sun America in New Jersey. He then went on to serve as a Black Hawk pilot for six
years before his medical discharge and return to Albemarle.
Like fellow Republican supervisors candidate in the Scottsville District, Mike Hallahan,
Harvey said he aims to bring that perspective to the currently Democratic board.
Harvey is running as a Republican for the White Hall district. Election day is Nov. 5.
Questionnaire

As my children grow up in Albemarle County, I believe it is my duty to help shape the

community they will learn, love and someday inherit. As a medically retired US Army
Aviator, I have had ample opportunity to witness and combat the pitfalls of bloated
bureaucratic machines. Though these institutions are the very best the world has to offer,
they also cost by far the most. Albemarle County should be nimble and ef cient, not
striving to grow the local government by leaps and bounds. As a new farm owner and
father of three, I want to address economic opportunity, educational best practices and
regulatory reform. Ever-escalating debt, perpetually increasing taxes and rapidly
expanding budgets are unsustainable. Eighty-eight percent of our local revenue comes
from property taxes. With the enormous 5.25% tax hike this April, the cost of living and
working in the county has gone from burdensome to oppressive. Agribusiness
opportunities, new housing projects and small business ventures in the county have been
drying up for a decade. These are the challenges I will take on as White Hall’s
representative.
What do you see as the top three priorities should you be elected?
1.Escalating Taxes and Property Assessments: Largely due to depressed revenues from
the business sector, the county has placed more and more of the tax burden on families
and farmers. Implementation of long overdue reforms to the architectural review process
and eliminating abusive regulatory burdens will result in increased business revenue. The
county should be seeking to increase business, not taxes!
2. County leadership divorced from pragmatic reality: The current BOS constantly put forth
enormously inef cient concepts, such as the anti-farmer/family/church Rain Tax. When
confronted with public outcry and criticism over their failed concepts, the supervisors
consistently ‘table’ the controversial issue only to revisit the proposal at a time when they
believe there will be less scrutiny–perhaps when fewer constituents are present during
deliberations. This gutless approach to governance has no place in a democracy.
3. Conservation through farmers, not at: Farmers were the rst–and continue to be the
best-conservationists. They are the ones with the greatest investment in maintaining the
beauty and health of our rural district. The average age of a farmer in Albemarle County is
60. Should we be relying, almost exclusively, on our grandparents to put food on our
tables? We need to incentivize a new generation of farmers. Currently, the barriers to
entry for young, prospective farmers is too great. Reducing the requirement for Land Use
tax status from 5 years down to 2 would be a signi cant step forward and must be a
priority.
elected?
I have spent over 40 hours a week for the past two and a half years meeting with business
owners and constituents in and around Albemarle County. These meetings were
speci cally designed to discover ways government has hindered their success. I have
heard, rst hand, from people of all political, social, religious, activist and economic stripes.
I intend to use that experience to inform my leadership decisions at the county level to
improve the ef ciency and effectiveness of government and to expand the freedom of
Albemarle’s constituents.

center model?
It is always a good idea, if the option is available, to “test things small” before sinking hard-
earned tax dollars into a project. Albemarle taxpayers funded the project on a trial basis,
with the understanding that additional tax dollars would not be expended unless the
bene t exceeded the outlay. Generally, however, I think expanding rural broadband access
and promoting online courses would have a wider reaching and more cost-effective impact
for our students and their families.
Do you think Albemarle should invest more in affordable housing? If so,

would you support a permanent affordable housing fund (i.e. with more
dedicated funds than the end-of-year surplus)?
This is an issue with its core nested in awed management going back over a decade. If
the Board of Supervisors had not been purchasing development rights to any property
they could get their hands on we would not have these roiling affordable housing issues.
The county must stop using Transient Occupancy Tax funds to in ate the price of property
and must overhaul the Architectural Review Board procedures. These initiatives will serve
to diminish housing affordability issues … without increasing taxes.
20 years out I see a substantial uptick in electric and self-driving vehicles. For public
transport I envision human assisted autonomous public and private buses. These kinds of
advancements in public transport are currently unavailable due, in large part, to our Board
of Supervisors stonewalling 3G connectivity. In the long run I think we will notice a
reduction in congestion due to increased high speed internet access in rural areas as e-
commerce continues to grow. When I am elected, rural broadband access will become a
top priority.
50 years out, most transportation will be electric and automated.
500 Years out, teleporters and hoverboards.

Robotics, Central Virginia Electric Cooperative, and Potter’s Craft Cider)
(This is a 2000-word series of questions, I’ll do my best to stay brief)
In short, I don’t approve of project ENABLE. It is a whole lot of talk with very little action.
Additionally, there are enough mandates written into the project to justify a wave of new
and unnecessary county hires–staffed on the backs of Albemarle County taxpayers.
Project ENABLE doesn’t mention reforms to the Architectural Review Board, special use
permitting, or pad ready sites. These are the three items that need to be xed to improve
the economic development situation in Albemarle County. It seems that this plan is little
more than political posturing in a failed attempt to sate unhappy small business owners.
Additionally, it would have been nice to see something in the document addressing the
much needed land use reform. The average age of a farmer in Albemarle county is 60.
What can be said about any industry with such a skewed demographic? The patchwork
beauty of Albemarle County is at stake and project ENABLE does nothing to address this
dire situation.
Do you think Albemarle County should commit to “net zero” carbon

emissions in the county by 2050, as staff has proposed?
The climate is changing and human activity is obviously a non-zero contributor to that
change (NASA satellite imagery indisputably shows unprecedented increases in global
vegetation over the past 35 years). That being said, destroying the economy of Albemarle
County will only serve to increase CO2 emissions. Localities with less authoritarian rules
and regulations will happily invite businesses scared off by these tactics and we will have
done nothing to improve the situation. I believe that county leaders pushing for regulations
in line with “net zero” carbon emission commitments are either ill informed on economics
or are knowingly mouthing politically motivated “virtue signaling.” Rapidly advancing
technology is the key to environmental protection and reducing our carbon footprint. A
vibrant economy is critical to that end.

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1/17/2020 Albemarle County Board of Supervisors – Rivanna District
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2019 Voter Guide
Albemarle County Board of Supervisors - Rivanna District
Bea LaPisto Kirtley

ALBEMARLE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS-
RIVANNA DISTRICT
Bea LaPisto Kirtley won her Democratic primary in June. Her opponent, write-in candidate Mike
Johnson could not be reached for the guide. His campaign website can be found here.

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1/17/2020 Bea LaPisto Kirtley • Albemarle County Board of Supervisors- Rivanna District
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RIVANNA DISTRICT
Bea LaPisto Kirtley

Albemarle County Board of Supervisors- Rivanna
District
Having lived in the Rivanna District for the past 12 years with her husband and their two
rescue dogs, Bea LaPisto Kirtley has been involved in various volunteer groups. She has
worked as a teacher and a principal. She also served on the City Council on Bradbury,
California, as its mayor, and on its Planning Commission.
LaPisto Kirtley said that in November she received a call from Rivanna Supervisor Norman
Dill asking her if she would be interested in running, since he did not plan to seek
reelection. Having worked in various political positions over the years and her background
in education, LaPisto Kirtley is eager to bring her experience to the Board of Supervisors,
should she be elected.
Her top priorities are education, transportation, affordable housing and climate resilience.
For affordable housing, she is in favor of setting up a special fund for the county to
purchase property to be used for affordable housing and offering 30-year tax breaks to
developers who promise to retain affordable developments.
“In the urban areas, we need to increase bus service — ideally electric. Probably have
smaller buses that run more frequently,” LaPisto Kirtley said. “That way, people don’t have
to be in their cars or, if they can’t afford a car, we still have better public transportation to
get them around.”
As another way to reduce greenhouse gas from cars on roads, she suggests more park
and ride facilities in more rural areas of the district.
While in California, she also worked with California Contract Cities — a regional group of
localities that contract for re and police services. She said this helped to lower costs for
cities. She was involved during and after the formation of the San Gabriel Valley Council of
Governments, so she enjoys regional approaches to solving local transportation issues.
“For sustainability, we want to protect the rural areas, but we do have growth areas in
Rivanna,” she said of Pantops and 29 North. “We want to have manageable growth areas
where we can have some higher density.”
As for education, her favorite topic, she said she would like to see the School Board move
towards having a pre-K in all of the schools.
“I would also like to see some after school programs targeting the struggling students to
give them that extra push,” LaPisto Kirtley said. “I would even like to see some starting
school even younger than pre-K because the formative years are younger. We have to do
what we have to do in that age group. If students are coming to school already behind
when they start kindergarten, we need to make sure that they are on equal footing so that
all students achieve.”
https://www.cvilletomorrow.org/people/albemarle-county-board-of-supervisors-rivanna-district/bea-lapisto-kirtley 1/5
She noted achievement gaps that are tied to students from lower income backgrounds as
something she feels a budget investment in school programs can help alleviate.
“If you’re from a family that reads to their children every night, that provides them
opportunities before they start kindergarten, they’re already starting out school ahead of
the others who maybe their parents are working two or three jobs to make ends meet, and
maybe there’s a number of siblings, so they’re not getting the advantages and they’re
starting out behind.”
LaPisto Kirtley said she also wants to encourage support of local entrepreneurship. She
also supports expansion of broadband access in the county.
Originally born in Portsmouth, LaPisto Kirtley later moved around the world as the
daughter of a soldier. After attending high school, beginning her career and meeting her
husband in Southern California, LaPisto Kirtley began to feel the pull of her home state.
“We always knew when we retired, because we’ve seen the world and we’ve seen most of
the other states, we knew we weren’t going to stay in California,” she said of their 2005
decision to purchase land and build a home in Albemarle.
In the years since, LaPisto Kirtley decided to use her free time to actively volunteer with
groups like Piedmont CASA and League of Women Voters. With the inspiration to jump
back into politics, she said she’s ready to tackle issues, should she be elected to Board of
Supervisors.
LaPisto Kirtley will face off against Jerrod Smith in the June 11 Democratic primaries for
the Rivanna District.
Questionnaire
I felt my experience would be of service to the community to address the challenges that
are before us such as transportation, affordable housing, quality education for all our
children, protecting our rural areas, planning for climate change and sustainable growth.
My experience includes a career in education and serving on city council in my former
community as well as being a director on a transportation authority, an air quality
management board, a council of governments and an organization that managed public
safety service contracts. Serving in these ways has given me a broad background and
expertise in working collaboratively with a variety of organizations and communities to
seek and implement solutions to these kinds of issues.

elected?
Ensuring we provide the funding required to ensure a quality and equitable education for
all our children; working on solutions to our signi cant affordable housing issue, and
maintaining a balanced approach to those areas of development that we as a County can
control so that we are doing our best to manage the growth areas along with necessary
infrastructure to ensure growth does not become a distraction to our quality of life.
Given your background, what do you think you can bring to

the table if elected?
The experience of successfully working collaboratively with individuals, groups and
organizations to bring about solutions to the issues we are facing in Albemarle County,
because many of our most pressing issues are in fact regional in nature and cannot be
addressed by the County alone.
What do you think of Albemarle’s new project-focused high

school center model? Would you support a bond
referendum to build additional high school centers beyond
what is currently budgeted?
I see the new project-focused school center as an innovative approach to meeting the
myriad
needs of our students. This gives us the opportunity to address the needs and interests of
our students in an ever evolving world – which I feel is our obligation as a community to
the investment in our youth. The projected growth in parts of the County require that we
plan for additional infrastructure in our school system. It is de nitely possible that the high
school center could be the approach used for development of the next secondary
education facility built to manage our growing population. Yes, I would support a bond
referendum.
Do you think Albemarle should invest more in affordable

housing? If so, would you support a permanent affordable
housing fund (i.e. with more dedicated funds than the end-
of-year surplus)?
Yes, with 25% of the County population cost burdened, we will need a broad plan to
ensure that these burdens are lessened to a reasonable level for these citizens. We need a
permanent fund that can be used, as one example, to purchase real estate when it comes
on the market so that the affordable housing stock can be augmented and achieve some
real growth. The fund would require allocation of funds each year by the BOS as a
designated line item in the budget. It will take a concerted effort to plan and execute
measures that will address the worst problems most immediately, as well as more
thoroughly over the long term.
What do you see as the future of transportation in

Albemarle?
We require a regional public transportation system, and there is already an Authority
established. But it needs to become a high priority to become very active to ensure that
public transport is widespread throughout the urban ring and also actively addressing
commuting populations. As regional transit grows, we also need to move to carbon free
systems, such as electric, which are becoming more common. Working with Charlottesville
and UVA, we can all bene t by a “right-sized” regional bus system that runs more
frequently and has excellent connections. We can add more circulation routes, which the
City’s Free Trolley is – in certain areas where it allows the people who live in the area
access to nearby shopping or even work that otherwise would be dif cult to achieve
without using their car, simply because of localized road and traf c impediments. We also
need bus service to the airport. And nally, providing more alternative transportation
(walking, biking, etc.) access along primary arteries through designated lanes, paths, etc.
What do you think of the county’s new economic

development plan? Which of the office’s recent activities
(deals with WillowTree, Perrone Robotics, Central Virginia
Electric Cooperative, and Potter’s Craft Cider) do you think
are most successful and why?
I am in favor of the new economic development plan because it supports various types of
businesses, small start-ups and entrepreneurs which in turn bene t the County. I think
they are all successful in their own way – Willow Tree for bringing IT jobs and being the
driver for the redevelopment of the Woolen Mills facilities, Perrone for their robotics
advancements with local bene ts via JAUNT, Central Virginia Electric Coop for making the
investment of bringing high speed internet access to their rural customers In Albemarle
County and Potter’s Craft Cider for two entrepreneurial friends bringing their passion to
Albemarle to share with all of us.
Do you think Albemarle County should commit to “net zero”

carbon emissions in the county by 2050, as staff has
proposed?
Yes, addressing climate change at all levels of government is critical for the future of
humanity and the planet. Albemarle County government has limited control – basically its
own buildings and operations, which is a very small part of the whole. We have to get our
citizens on board with making positive changes in their lives, and we need to work with
our community partners to facilitate these changes – an example would be a program for
energy audits and making residential and commercial structures more energy ef cient. We
have organizations now that can provide all kinds of services – the County can educate its
citizens on ways to reduce their carbon footprint as well as collaborate with these
community partners who can help with that carbon footprint reduction.

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Pi li | St ff + B d | Fi i l | Edit i li d d li
1/17/2020 School Board – Charlottesville City
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2019 Voter Guide
School Board - Charlottesville City
James Bryant Lashundra Bryson Morsberger

CHARLOTTESVILLE SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATE CHARLOTTESVILLE SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATE
Chris Meyer Jennifer McKeever

CHARLOTTESVILLE SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATE CHARLOTTESVILLE SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATE
Sherry Kraft
CHARLOTTESVILLE SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATE

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1/17/2020 James Bryant • Charlottesville School Board Candidate
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James Bryant
Charlottesville School Board Candidate
James Bryant shares his fellow incumbent candidates’ goals to continue the work they
have started. The retired educator and counselor has continued to serve youth through his
appointment to the Charlottesville School Board on April 11 last year — his birthday — to
ll out Adam Hasting’s un nished term.
Along with various stints in Madison County and Richmond, Bryant has spent much of his
career in the Charlottesville/Albemarle area. Among his former students is Denise Johnson,
who is currently the supervisor of equity and inclusion for Charlottesville City Schools.
“I felt the School Board was a good t for me because it gives me an opportunity to still
have that extension and have an impact in the community,” Bryant said.
Having originally studied music with goals to be an opera singer, Bryant became
encouraged to become a teacher — something he used to play-pretend with his siblings
when they were children.
He still sings and is active in his church.
Bryant supports middle school recon guration, social-emotional learning, efforts to

restructure the Quest gifted program and include more diverse perspectives in history
courses, among other things.
It’s addressing equity, however, that is a top priority for him and the board.
In October 2018, a New York Times article indicated equity issues and achievement gaps
that featured two students from Charlottesville High School’s Black Student Union. The
efforts of the board since still reverberate in the election, as Bryant and colleagues aim to
continue their progress and fresh candidates step in to lend their assistance as well.
Bryant said the New York Times article “opened the door to address a lot of issues
surrounding equity.”
Bryant said that the board has been getting feedback from students and parents in various
communities as it has worked towards shaping more equitable policies and making moves
like hiring more teachers, adjusting the testing grade for Quest and making a push for
hiring and retaining more minority teachers.
Bryant said it has been especially important to listen to “the communities where we don’t
always hear their voices and to have a balanced conversation.”
Of the three student representative positions who attend School Board meetings, Bryant
said he was “happy to have those voices and insights on the board.”
https://www.cvilletomorrow.org/people/school-board-charlottesville-city/james-bryant 1/4
Bryant recalled when schools were segregated and noted that despite progress since
them, Charlottesville City Schools still have a way to go.
“Going into this election, I could have said no or ‘Do I want another couple years?’” Bryant
said. “But I’m committed to see the job done. We have a lot of work to do with equity and
when I think back to my early years in school, segregated schools, as we transition from
segregated schools to integrated schools, that issue never went away.”
Bryant is running for one of 4 seats up for election on school board among the 5
candidates. Election Day is Nov. 5.
Questionnaire

What inspired you to run for the school board?
To represent the students, parents, teachers, support staff, and other stake holders. To
work in collaboration with the current school board to continue to make Charlottesville City
Schools exceptional for all students, and to continue the equity initiative which was begun
during my current term.
Given the ongoing conversations around equity in Charlottesville

Schools, what are some of the most significant strides that you think
could be taken to address opportunity and achievement gap?
The question we face is “Having seen your data, what are you doing to move forward?
After a year of community listening, and over the summer we formulated four focus areas
this year, ranging from:
Staff to instruction to school culture to foundational principles.
In our last school board meeting, we heard updates in each of these areas, and it was
truly heartening to see and hear all that’s underway, from the diverse hiring of
teachers and administrators we had this summer.
Extensive professional learning around areas such as implicit bias, local history,
restorative justice.
redesign of the gifted program
expansion of honors-options and unleveled classes at CHS, Buford, and Walker
broadening our history curriculum to include diverse perspectives
expanding our commitment to positive student supports, intentional community, and

social-emotional learning.
to learn more about these and other equity updates, please visit Charlottesville
schools.org/equity
As expected, the data for the last year continue to show a mixed picture. On one
hand, we have SOL data that continues to show racial disparities. At the same time,
other measures show a more positive light such as:
high graduation rate
Improved SAT scores
Earned credits in areas in areas such as world languages and engineering
Our teachers and administrators are digging deep into our data good and bad to
learn and adjust so that we can serve all our students better
The current school seems ready to restructure the middle schools in

town. Where do you stand on this?
I am in favor of sending the fth graders back to the elementary schools. In doing so,
Charlottesville Schools will be able to expand on an already excellent early childhood
initiative which will ensure every child have the prerequisite requirements to be successful
in the Charlottesville City Schools. The creation of more space for the 3 and 4-year-old
program will be an asset that will increase standardized test scores and have all students
on a level playing eld. It will also cut down on transition, and redesigning Buford will
inspire our middle school students for 21st century learning.
What do you see as current strengths and weaknesses of our school

system here, and what would you change or not change about the way
the school districts influence the school structures?
Top 3% Ranking among US School Division (Niche 2020)
# 8 Placing Overall Among Virginia School Divisions (Niche 2020)
#11 Blue Ribbon Awards to Excellence in Music Education
#2 of 132 Most Diverse School Divisions (Niche 2020)
#9 of 132 Districts with Best Teachers in Virginia (Niche 2020)
#4 of 132 Best Places to Teach in Virginia (Niche 2020)
On Time Graduation Rate 95.9% 2019 Black Students
Drop-Out Rate 1.02% 2019 Black Students
As I said earlier the data for the last year continue to show a mixed picture, and we
have SOL data that continues to show racial disparities. At the same time other
measures show a more positive picture as I stated above. All our students are making
positive gains especially our black and brown students and we are moving in the
right direction. Simply stating “the work continues.”
Last fall, a New York Times article shed light on some equity issues within
city schools and featured two members of Charlottesville School’s Black
Student Union. As a member of the School Board, would you propose to
change school zone boundaries and tracking programs like Quest.
In order to change school zone boundaries, it would require the entire school board having
input and many community discussions. When and if that time comes, I will then put forth
my proposal to the board. As far as Quest is concerned, the school board has already
voted on the new push in model, which is part of the equity initiative we have
implemented this year.
In closing, I would like to end on this note. Virginia’s Secretary of Education Qarni visited
Charlottesville High School [recently] to talk about school culture and mental wellness. He
was blown away by the students he met and the programs in place at the school and in
our division. Everybody at the school and on the School Board agrees that we need to do
better. But it is encouraging to have the state’s Secretary of Education visit and say, “You
are a model for Virginia”.

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1/17/2020 Lashundra Bryson Morsberger • Charlottesville School Board Candidate
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Lashundra Bryson
Morsberger
When Charlottesville School Board candidate Lashundra Bryson Morsberger’s daughter

started kindergarten in 2017, Bryson Morsberger decided to be more involved in local
schools and began attending meetings. During that time, there was a school lockdown
following a threat, and she said she felt there could have been better communication to
parents. Additionally, there was the publication of a New York Times article that
highlighted achievement gaps between groups of students.
“The more I would nd out, I would get frustrated,” Bryson Morsberger said.
After Adam Hastings left the School Board, Bryson Morsberger applied for the interim
position. She said not being selected then almost deterred her from running now, but that
she still wants to be involved.
“I was tired of complaining and ready to be part of the conversation,” Bryson Morsberger
said.
As a potential new board member, Bryson Morsberger said she supports redistricting
school zones to be more racially and socioeconomically diverse, hiring more counselors in
schools at every level, and redesigning the Quest gifted program.
While she supports the current changes with the push-in model for Quest, she feels
children are still identi ed for the program too early.
“We’re making these changes, but those changes are to what end? Are we changing the
ways we identify kids? Are we changing their trajectory? I just feel like there’s a lot going
on with the Quest program in that the additional teachers aren’t necessarily the answer.
What testing models are we using?” she said. “I’m always apprehensive of any program
that segregates children. If you’re a kid who is past those grade levels, what opportunities
do you have?”
While she is supportive of hiring additional teachers she “just wants them in a position to
best help and support students.”
She said she also supports high school students knowing options beyond just attending
college, to include vocational schools and the ability to acquire various internships. Bryson
Morsberger supports all of the demands made by Charlottesville High School’s Black
Student Union in March.
On what she can bring to the table as a candidate, Bryson Morsberger said she has “skin
in the game” — a child in the school system who will be affected by changes or lack
thereof.
“I think that’s an important perspective to bring,” she said. “The other perspective I bring is
that I’ve lived through going through different types of public school systems”
https://www.cvilletomorrow.org/people/school-board-charlottesville-city/lashundra-bryson-morsberger 1/4
Bryson Morsberger grew up in rural Arkansas, where schools received less funding than
those in Virginia. In that school system, she was in a gifted program, but when her family
moved to Richmond, she was funneled into a different cluster.
“I’m sensitive to the idea that kids are on a track. I don’t know how, if you’re kid right now
and you know you want to do more, how do you even get off of that?”
As the current School Board aims to hire more minority teachers, Bryson Morsberger
suggests a visiting teacher pilot program where teachers can have yearlong residencies.
“Right now, we don’t have a lot of success in hiring teachers the traditional way,” she said.
“My background is in [human resources], and sometimes in HR, you recognize that ‘If I
can’t have someone here permanently, maybe I gure out a way to have someone
temporary or people to rotate through.’ You have to nd a way to make things happen if a
traditional approach isn’t working.”
Her pilot proposal follows the model of some teaching fellowships.
“You don’t have to move to Charlottesville forever, but commit to a year and we can set up
some kind of housing somewhere like when you have visiting fellows or teachers in
colleges,” she said.
She added that perhaps Charlottesville’s schools’ efforts to address equity and improve
may be appealing to teachers from elsewhere who want to be part of a solution.
“I feel like Charlottesville — with the current climate and some of the things that have
happened here — there are a lot of people who would be willing to come here to teach
and be a part of making things better.”
It’s that sentiment that in uences Bryson Morsberger in her efforts to join the School
Board.
Bryson Morsberger is running for one of 4 seats up for election on school board among the
5 candidates. Election Day is Nov. 5.
Questionnaire
What inspired you to run for the School Board?
I was inspired to run for the School Board rst and foremost by my children. I started
going to School Board meetings because of my safety concerns, after my daughter’s
school was locked down in October of 2017. My involvement grew from there. I met with
the superintendent and spoke at School Board meetings. I attended safety forums and
equity forums, and I nally realized that, without a seat at the table, your voice goes into
the abyss. Showing up to meetings gave me the space to voice my concerns, but to what
end? Without a seat at the table, you’re powerless to make change. I don’t want to be
powerless anymore. I don’t want the community to feel powerless anymore.
Given the ongoing conversations around equity in

Charlottesville schools, what are some of the most
significant strides that you think could be taken to address
opportunity and achievement gaps?
I think we should redraw elementary school districts. In my district, the Venable district,
the kids in Westhaven were purposefully cut out of the Venable district. Our current
elementary school districts are a holdover from the last efforts of massive resistance in our
city, and from Brown v. Board of Education, pupil placement laws and elementary school
zoning.
Then, we need to look at individual reading interventions for students not reading at grade
level, which includes the 52% of African American students who are not reading at grade
level. Reading is the foundation for everything else. One idea, posed by [former Councilor
and School Board member] Dede Smith, was individual reading interventions at the
fourth-grade level as a starting place. Last year’s SOLs show that the biggest drop for
African American students was between fourth and fth grade, so we could also look to
piloting interventions in fth grade. Fifty-two percent of Black fourth-graders were
pro cient in reading in 2017-18, but only 31% of Black fth-graders were pro cient in
reading in 2018-19.
After that, I think we should look at how kids are “tracked.” Whether we’re calling it
tracking or clustering, there is a system for how kids are placed our schools. A lot of times
tracking, or clustering, is another way to segregate kids.
The current School Board seems ready to restructure the

middle schools in town. Where do you stand on this?
We absolutely need to address capacity issues. However, the restructuring plan has
changed signi cantly over the past few years, and I think we need to make sure we’ve got
a comprehensive plan. During the proposal, I saw in early 2018, there were plans to build
a new elementary school on top of the Venable district (at the current site of Walker). I
thought this further segregated the elementary districts (by cutting off the af uent portion
of the Venable district from the less af uent side). When I asked about it, I was told the
new school would take students from all the districts. I asked for a mock-up of what that
would look like and was told it was not possible. Now, the current plan brings fth grade
back to elementary, remodels Buford to accommodate sixth to eighth grade and creates a
universal pre-K; and the new elementary school has disappeared. Will moving to a
centralized preschool address the overcrowding concerns at the elementary school level?
Before I commit to any plan, I need all the information. I don’t like committing to partial
plans because I need to see a comprehensive plan.
Also, we need to address how kids come together in our middle schools. There seems to
be a lot of ight of families to private schools at the middle school level. We need to take a
close look at how our middle schools are doing and how we can help.
What do you see as current strengths and weaknesses of

our school systems here, and what would you change or
not change about the way the school districts influence
the school structures?
I think that the biggest strength is our community. People in the community want to help
and want to make things better. The community has shown up at forums on equity in
large numbers. Our teachers, principals and school staff are amazing and committed to our
students. So, our strength is our people. I think our biggest weakness is how we approach
challenges. It’s more reactive than proactive. The New York Times article was news to a lot
of people, but the current school leadership was aware of the statistics, yet it took the New
York Times article, and public outrage, to make it a priority. As a school division, we have
to be willing to be open and honest about our shortcomings, in the same way that we are
open and honest about our successes.
Last fall, a New York Times article shed light on some equity
issues within city schools and featured two members of
Charlottesville High Schools Black Student Union. As a
member of the School Board, what would you propose to
change school zone boundaries and tracking programs
like Quest?
I believe a rst step is to look at the elementary school districts and redraw them to correct
the segregation that was purposefully drawn into them. The NYT article discussed how
hard it was for a few families, who lived near Venable, to get their kids reassigned to
Venable in 2003. When you look at the elementary school zoning maps it’s easy to see the
intent to segregate. The only way to x it is to undo it. We should start with families and
students who are along the current boundaries or cut out by the current boundaries.
As for the Quest program, at one of the equity forums, someone asked, “Can we repurpose
something when it’s original purpose was to segregate children?” We’re making some
changes, like moving toward a push-in model, but to what end? Will children still be
segregated and tracked later down the road in middle school and high school? I also feel
that what’s missing from this whole conversation about Quest is that all students should
be served by our schools. 50% of African American students can’t read at grade level. If
I’m a student who isn’t in the Quest program, my needs should still be met.

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1/17/2020 Chris Meyer • Charlottesville School Board Candidate
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Chris Meyer
Chris Meyer is leaping towards more public service in his run for Charlottesville’s School
Board.
Meyer also is executive director of Local Energy Alliance Program — a nonpro t

organization that works to enhance energy ef ciency in homes — as well as a member of
the Housing Advisory Committee. Like fellow School Board candidates with children in the
school system, his children also play a role in his inspiration to serve on the board.
“I have a young child who is in the school system and another one who is going to be
soon,” Meyer said. “I want them to have the best school system possible for them, their
friends and the children of Charlottesville.”
He aims to apply his background in policy work to working constructively as a potential

member of the School Board. Originally from Washington state, Meyer spent the past
decade in the other Washington while working for the Environmental Defense Fund. His
family relocated from the District to Charlottesville two years ago, and he joined LEAP in
March of this year.
As for Meyer’s goals, should he be elected to the School Board, supporting the
recon guration of middle schools and improving equity to students are his top priorities.
Presently, fth- and sixth-grade students are housed in Walker Upper Elementary School
while seventh- and eighth-grade students are housed in Buford Middle School. With the
recon guration plans, Walker is slated to become a preschool center.
Knowing that the recon guration had been considered, but not implemented, for many
years and his desire for his own children to go through the entirety of Charlottesville City
Schools helped solidify his desire to run.
“Hearing from other parents in the system about how kids leave and then, when they
come back, you have this high school system that’s two-tiered and wanting my children to
go through the whole system and not leave is really when I said, ‘OK, I have a set of skills
that would help to ensure us to get this funded and do it in the right way that would
actually strategically position the schools for growth and providing opportunities for all
children.’”
“Day One for me is looking at the consolidation of Walker Upper and Buford Middle
School,” Meyer said. “I think that is an underlying challenge that needs to be addressed.
There’s too many transitions.”
Meyer said he aims to ensure collaboration between city staff and school staff so that the
recon guration plan can “address not only the equity issues that we see but also prepare
us for growth in the system in the near future that we expect to see.”
https://www.cvilletomorrow.org/people/school-board-charlottesville-city/chris-meyer 1/5
He feels his relationships with various candidates and current government of cials will be
helpful. While the School Board sets its own budget, it’s the City Council that approves the
numbers. Through his work on the Housing Advisory Committee and on policies with
LEAP, Meyer has experience working with the council.
“This is going to have to be done hand in hand with City Council,” Meyer said. “We already
have some of the highest spending rates in the state per pupil. There’s also going to need
to be some prioritization through quantitative data analytics at which programs are
working and which ones aren’t — and allocating scarce resources to those, freeing up
more budget to pay for the facility improvements that we need — in addition to going to
City Council and working with them.”
As the current board looks to hire more teachers of color, Meyer said that good salaries are
an important factor for attracting and retaining teachers.
Last fall, Meyer attended a consultation after a New York Times article that highlighted
equity issues in Charlottesville schools and said he encountered a former teacher who
explained why he left the profession.
“In the small group I participated in, there was one African American gentleman who used
to be a teacher,” Meyer said. “His observation was that — and it wasn’t a speci c policy
that drove him out of the profession — it was that he didn’t get paid enough.”
Other ways Meyer supports attracting Black teachers is through recruiting from historically
Black colleges and ensuring that mentors are available for all new teachers.
Meyer is supportive of recent proposed changes to the Quest gifted program involving a
push-in model as opposed to a pull-out model, along with changing the universal testing
from rst to third grade. The new push in model allows all students to receive instruction
at the same time, as gifted specialists collaborate with classroom teachers.
“Evaluating a kid in rst grade is not the way to do it,” he said. “All students should be
challenged. They’re not necessarily gifted in everything, but by pushing in the teachers,
you’re able to challenge all students and provide them the same opportunity of being
challenged and having a higher level and trying to raise everybody up. That’s the way we
should be doing it.”
While he is complimentary of some actions taken by the current board and

superintendent, he said he will keep a critical and constructive eye open, as he has done in
his other experiences in public service.
“What I bring to the table is a history of sitting on boards in different programs, a lot of
that advocating for marginalized groups and ensuring that administrations and staff are
implementing programs appropriately and resources are being deployed equitably to
everybody,” he said. “That experience has been one where I’ve had to the hard questions,
the uncomfortable questions. I’ve done that at the international level, and I’ve done that at
the micro level on nonpro t boards.”
Meyer is running for one of 4 seats up for election on school board among the 5
Questionnaire
My kids. My son is a 1st grader at Jackson Via and my daughter will join the system in
2021. I attended a K-12 public school system and saw the power of the opportunities it
gave every student regardless of race, ethnicity, or socio-economic status. I want to make
sure all kids in Cville – including my own – have the same educational opportunities.
Given the ongoing conversations around equity in

Charlottesville schools, what are some of the most
significant strides that you think could be taken to address
opportunity and achievement gaps?
I believe real classroom integration is essential in tackling the achievement gap. I
understand real integration (both classroom and school) to be the best thing to do in order
to improve academic outcomes. And more importantly, this integration needs to happen
from kindergarten all the way through to 12th grade. I found a podcast from This
American Life on NPR to be very powerful in helping me better understand the integration
challenge. For example, programmatically we will have to keep an eye on the Quest
replacement program to ensure all of the elementary schools’ students are receiving
challenging content.
This point on real integration is a hard one to tackle and involves the whole City.
Integration goes against many parents’ instincts, who of course focus on their child(ren)’s
unique experience and might consider a classroom a zero-sum environment – either my
child is getting teacher attention and being challenged or they’re not and thus, losing out. I
would like to see the Administration discuss with parents their concerns in a constructive
manner and request feedback. Ask them what they want their child to not only achieve
academically, but also social and emotional learning aspects. At least one previous
response from the administration to the parent concern around the new Quest program
was to question their validity. That is not the way to handle the issue and would change if I
was on the Board.
Finally, I want the Board to consider opportunity gaps between public and private schools
from an infrastructure and programming. I think we’re doing pretty good on programming,
but infrastructure de nitely needs to be addressed. Updating our actual school buildings
through the recon guration process I think would help signi cantly to level the
infrastructure opportunity gap.
The current school board seems ready to restructure the

middle schools in town. Where do you stand on this?
My. Number. One. Priority.
My goal is to have it open by the end of my term (end of 2023), which is according to the
current timeline, if no major hiccups occur. Close collaboration with the City Council will be
required to get the funding approved. I have the relationships with existing City Council
and Council candidates to ensure a constructive collaboration, in order to secure the
funding necessary and timely implementation by City staff.
What do you see as current strengths and weaknesses of

our school systems here, and what would you change or
not change about the way the school districts influence
the school structures?
I think the system’s racial and socio-economic diversity is its biggest asset. Our children
need to have the emotional intelligence and understanding of how to work with people
from different backgrounds and experiences. Those aspects are essential to success in
today’s and the future’s workforce (and life in general). I would argue it would be more
dif cult to nd this exposure at the private schools. I appreciate the diversity my child
experiences everyday at Jackson Via elementary school one of the most diverse in the
City.
Another strength is the amount of learning opportunities the schools can offer for all
students – both traditional and those with special needs. Private schools in the area do not
compare in the breadth of content and award winning STEM program that the Cville
middle and high schools have.
At the same time, there are weaknesses and unfortunately, I think there has been
hesitancy to address those because of being scared about what the public might think.
Every system and organization has weaknesses. Burying our heads in the sand and
glossing over them is not the way to solve them. Rather, we need to discuss them in a
constructive manner, identify actions, experiment, review the results, and discard those
programs and actions that aren’t working. Some programs probably need to be shuttered
and news ones tried. Making decisions on research driven results/data and not qualitative
feel good stories needs to be the norm and presently, it doesn’t seem to be the case.
Last fall, a New York Times article shed light on some equity
issues within city schools and featured two members of
Charlottesville High School’s Black Student Union. As a
member of the school board, what would you propose to
change school zone boundaries and tracking programs
like Quest?
The new enrichment program that is replacing Quest needs to be implemented and
reviewed, so let’s give it time to see how it works. The design of pushing in and reaching
all students delivers more opportunity and challenge to all students in theory.
With a recon guration of the middle schools and pushing back 5th grade to the
elementary school, a rezoning will most likely need to happen. Rezoning should be done
through establishing the criteria we want to use and then putting it into the agnostic
model. Politics can happen around the criteria, but once the criteria get put into the model,
then we all need to live with the results.
More importantly, integration in the classroom and within the school needs to be a focus.
Unleveling of classes and changing the Quest program are ways to do that. I’d push the
administration to nd more.

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1/17/2020 Jennifer McKeever • Charlottesville School Board Candidate
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Jennifer McKeever
Incumbent Charlottesville School Board candidate Jennifer McKeever has been a part of
Charlottesville’s board for eight years and is now seeking her third term. As a board
member and current chair, she’s been involved in several measures the body has
addressed and said she wants to see progress through.
“I think we have some signi cant momentum around equity and around recon guration,
and being able to see that through is something that I really want to be able to do,”
McKeever said. “Over the past eight years, it’s been a challenge to focus on equity in a very
meaningful way and now I see the momentum, and I hope to continue to be able to be a
voice around it for the next four years.”
While she notes ongoing work that needs to be done, McKeever said she is pleased with
recent moves, like the creation of Denise Johnson’s supervisor of equity and inclusion
position within Charlottesville city schools and proud of strides and she and other board
members have made in addressing equity overall.
“There’s several things I’m proud of,” McKeever said of her rst two terms on the board.
“One of the things I’m proud of is the graduation rate at this point continuing to increase. I
just think that represents a very signi cant focus of the School Board and the division, and
you can see the results in our community.”
McKeever said she is proud of the board’s work to place instructional assistance back into
second grade classrooms.
“I can’t tell you how important it is to just have another grownup in the classroom in
second grade as the children are learning to read,” McKeever said. “So, I feel like having
that extra adult in the classroom is vital.”
On the board’s establishment this year of a living wage salary, McKeever called it
“tremendous.”
“I’m so grateful for the support of the taxpayers in Charlottesville and the commitment of
the school division to getting wages that provide dignity to all of our employees,”
McKeever said. “So many of our students don’t know the difference between who is the IA
[Instructional Assistants] and who the teacher is, and while I know and recognize that
teachers have the professional degrees and are certainly a leader in the classroom,
providing that dignity to our IAs and our custodial staff and nutrition staff who look in the
eyes of our students every day is something I am really proud of and grateful for.”
When McKeever was rst elected to the School Board, a vote had just passed to
recon gure the city’s middle schools. McKeever cites the economic environment as part of
why the process has not been underway, the way that it can be now.
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“I think research bears out that the less transitions at the middle school age, the better it is
for children,” McKeever said. “We’ve de nitely seen in our test scores how dramatic the
transitions can be and I would like to see us really focus on recon guration as a priority
over the next term.”
Another priority the board has taken has been addressing equity in schools. While
McKeever said conversations of that nature had been happening for some time, the Fall
2018 New York Times article helped spur the momentum.
“This roll out of the Quest changes is sort of to take advantage of the momentum around
equity. We need to strike while the iron is hot. This is a huge issue where our children end
up in our division,” McKeever said. “So, if we are doing it in the very early grades making
these changes, it certainly will lter up as these children get older.”
McKeever said she supports the new changes to the Quest program with its push-in
model that will be “scaffolded so that it is differentiated for children to be able to reach
goals at their levels.”
While McKeever was rst inspired to run for school board because of her children, it is all
the children in Charlotteville city schools that keep her motivated to continue her work on
the board.
McKeever is running for one of 4 seats up for election on school board among the 5
Questionnaire
Initially, I ran for school board because I had two children in the division and a baby who
would go to CCS. I wanted to ensure that the opportunities they had to succeed were also
given to all the students in our division. Having grown up in this area, I how want to make
sure that all students have access to the same opportunities. Today, I have four kids, three
in the division, one beginning next year. I continue to want the same opportunities for all
students.
The Division has begun to focus on equity. The work is just beginning in many ways. As an
advocate for equity the during my time on the Board, I want to ensure the hard questions
are asked and momentum around equity continues. Further, I believe a competitive
election allows the community to engage more around education issues and
understand what the division and the Board have been doing.

schools, what are some of the most significant strides that you think
could be taken to address opportunity and achievement gaps?
While there are many programs and policies the Board is working on to create a more
equitable environment, I believe the following will speci cally address the so called
achievement/opportunity gap.
1. Honors only classes with no remediation classes. Remediation classes isolate students, I
want students in classrooms that are diverse in every way as all our students have
something meaningful to contribute. I trust our teachers to provide the differentiated
instructions to build the skills that each student needs. Inclusive classrooms offer the rich,
vibrant environment that will challenge all of our students.
2. Recon guration to include one middle school 6th, 7th, 8th grades and one preschool
that includes community resources to support preschool families. Middle school is a unique
time in a person’s life. Accessing a modern learning environment will demonstrate to
families and students who attend the new school that we value their learning,
achievements, and interests.
3. Graduation rate of 100%, We have seen great improvement as a result of the emphasis
on graduation rate. High school graduates are more likely to be employed, earn more
money, and even are more likely to vote than those who do not graduate. This number
should remain a guidepost for our community, one we strive to improve every year.
The current School Board seems ready to restructure the middle schools
in town. Where do you stand on this?
Recon guration is in the best interests of CCS students and our community. I can not
emphasize how critical this investment is for education in our City. 1. 5th graders are more
aligned developmentally with elementary school students. 2. Transitions profoundly
impact 5th-8th graders as outlined in the annual measures of academic success. The
impact of transitions for preschoolers are far less dramatic. 3. The learning environment
affects achievement. The community has left Walker and Buford largely unchanged since
the 1960s. The City has done a good job maintaining the buildings, but our students still
consider the spaces are “less than” thus are inclined to feel “less than.” In a community
with the resources that Charlottesville has, it is not acceptable to have any student feel
“less than” in a city school. In contrast, the modernization efforts underway at the City’s
elementary schools have created a resurgence of achievement, creating a serious
academic environment that students are proud of and are allowed to ourish. I believe
recon guration of the middle schools will increase student achievement.

systems here, and what would you change or not change about the way
Strengths:
Stable leadership at the division and Board level. Dr. Atkins has provided steady
leadership. This is not something to take for granted. As a Board member I have seen the
ways divisions have oundered under constantly changing visions of new
superintendents. Our division has been able to focus on key areas and shown dramatic
results including incorporating STEM type learning opportunities from kindergarten
through 12th grade. More importantly, the focus on graduating and the resulting increase
in graduation rate is a direct result of steady, consistent focus on ensuring students can
access the resources they need to graduate.
Resources- the City has routinely supported the divisions annual requests, and this has
been helpful as the state support has diminished. The taxpayer support of the schools is a
very signi cant strength. While the division was hard hit by state funding cuts during the
recession several years ago, the City’s support helped to navigate the turbulent times and
now many of the cuts that had to be taken during those years have been restored.
Committed and talented teachers and staff. Relationships are the cornerstone of this
division. The teachers lead the way by connecting and supporting students. I am routinely
in awe of their energy and commitment. We are fortunate to have very talented teachers.
Weakness:
Historic failure to promptly integrate schools. Flight of families from the City’s middle
schools. Lack of modernization commitment over the last forty years. We have some
structural weaknesses. I believe recon guration and continued investment in the schools
will continue to help overcome those weakness
city schools and featured two members of Charlottesville High School’s
Black Student Union. As a member of the School Board, what would you
propose to change school zone boundaries and tracking programs like

Quest?
I appreciated the NY Times article since we are now focusing so intently on equity. I think
the new pathway around giftedness is bold, I hope to continue these innovative
approaches that essentially detracks and gives all students access to engaging learning
environments. I think its well past time to consider changes to the school boundaries. I
think it’s a painful process, but one that must be done in concert w/ recon guration when
5th graders return to elementary school

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1/17/2020 Sherry Kraft • Charlottesville School Board Candidate
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Sherry Kraft
Incumbent Charlottesville School Board candidate Sherry Kraft said she is running again
so she can follow through on the progress she and the board started.
“I feel like I can contribute in a way now that would have been dif cult when I rst got on
the board,” she said.
An October 2018 New York Times article, in partnership with ProPublica, revealed
achievement gaps in city schools, and the board’s work to address the matters became
accelerated.
“There are projects going on and priorities that I share that I really want to see through,”
Kraft said. “We are in the middle and on the cusp of a lot of really big changes. It’s
important that we have a good process so these can really happen. We’re not just talking
and using this year’s buzzwords but making fundamental changes where we need to.”
In the past year especially, the board has strengthened its efforts at addressing equity in
schools through moves like bumping testing for the Quest gifted program from rst to
third grade and making an effort to hire more teachers for the program, along with more
minority teachers. Some of these efforts, Kraft said, came from the board taking feedback
and concerns and turning it into something constructive.
“You need to learn and listen. I’m a pretty good listener. That’s part of the process we’ve
gone through this past year,” Kraft said. “We’ve listened to people. I think our staff has
done a good job reaching out to the community and allowing people to express their
feelings, thoughts and priorities.”
Among one of her own priorities, and with her background in psychology, Kraft said she
wants to continue her advocacy to address mental health concerns in the schools. She
cited the stress that students and families can feel, especially in higher grades when it
comes to postgraduate life.
“I want to keep being a voice to say we need to keep talking about these things,” Kraft
said. “Not that we have one answer that ts everybody, but we need to have this
conversation. Kids and parents need to be honest with their fears and worries. As a
community we need to look at that and help them navigate.”
Kraft supports efforts to enhance students’ mental health and a push for social-emotional
learning so that students can develop strong coping skills for stress.
“There are mental health issues that impact learning and well-being,” Kraft said. “We’re
doing some really good things with our social emotional learning in classrooms and
training teachers in trauma-informed care. So, we are beginning to understand the need to
incorporate those perspectives.”
https://www.cvilletomorrow.org/people/school-board-charlottesville-city/sherry-kraft 1/5
She said she also understands how dynamic the developmental period can be for middle
school age students and is grateful that research is being conducted from University of
Virginia’s Curry School, of which a working group she has participated in. Kraft said she
also supports the idea of re-con guring middle schools in the city.
“At these transition times, student achievement falters,” Kraft said as she critiqued the
current middle school structure. “It’s not developmentally appropriate. I think we
understand that now. It’s hard on the kids and also hard on the school because having
students for just two years isn’t enough to create a sense of community.”
Kraft also supports arts education in schools as it “exposes students to a wider world.”
“Charlottesville Schools has been a leader in providing outstanding Arts Education, and I
want to make sure we continue to offer these opportunities to all our students,” she said.
Kraft also re ected on her evolution as a member of the Charlottesville community and
how it helps shape her service on the School Board.
“I used to think that if you give more resources to help the needier, then you’re taking away
from others. When your kids are in the system, you focus so much on that. I think a lot of
people harbor that fear,” Kraft said. “For me, I’ve had to really learn and grow in ways and
to come to see this differently. It’s part of my political views about justice. It’s sort of been
there in my bones, but I think that being on the School Board and having that platform to
look at some of these issues, to come to see what lives of some of our kids are like [made
me more aware]. For other kids in our community, they are just so privileged. They have
lots of options in terms of resources. Their families can afford to pay for tutoring or
counseling so we have to provide some of that for kids whose families can’t.”
As she seeks another term, Kraft said she wants to continue the board’s work on equity.
“The school division and public education is the heartbeat of the community in my
opinion,” Kraft said. What we do and how we move forward to make equity more of a
reality, shapes the whole community and ripples out to the rest of the community beyond
the school system. It’s important for us to be leaders in this effort.”
Kraft is running for one of 4 school board seats among the 5 candidates. Election day is
Nov. 5.
Questionnaire
I rst ran for the School Board out of a deep commitment to public service. I also felt that
my years of experience working with children and families as a mental health professional
would be an asset to the Board. With four years on the Board, I now have a richer
understanding of the scope and complexity of the work we do as a school division. We are
in the midst of making big changes, and I want to see these projects through to
completion.

Schools, what are some of the most significant strides that you think
could be taken to address opportunity and achievement gaps?
I believe that our public schools are the heart and soul of equity issues in Charlottesville.
Our schools are where we all come together to form communities of learning and
friendship — where our children grow, learn, eat, sing and play together. We also
understand more clearly that the playing eld has not been equal in our schools, which
mirror the inequities of poverty and racial injustice in the larger community. Children who
come from poverty, and who are disproportionately children of color, come to our schools
a year or more behind in physical, cognitive and social-emotional development. Equity is
shaped by access to resources. We know that, from the earliest months of a child’s life,
access to resources powerfully predicts success in school. I believe that one of the most
important steps we can take toward equity is to reach our families earlier and more
comprehensively. We need an Early Childhood/Preschool Education Center to close these
developmental gaps more effectively and to offer needed services to families such as
aftercare, parenting workshops, social services & mental health services. I am committed
to ensuring that this Center becomes a reality.
The current School Board seems ready to restructure the middle schools

in town. Where do you stand on this?
I am a strong proponent of recon guring our schools. I believe the current con guration
requires too many transitions, which impede the progress of our most vulnerable student
populations. For the past 2 years, I participated in the “Middle Years Working Group” at
UVA, which brought together educators and researchers in adolescent learning and
development. We learned about what approaches and environments lead to higher
motivation, engagement and academic success for young adolescents. We can use this
information to create a learning environment that will support our instructional efforts and
help our diverse student population engage and develop the skill sets they will need for
academic and life success. Our new middle school must also use space to help students
with their emotional needs, which impact their ability to learn effectively. I believe that
physical structures can be game-changers for students. That is what I want to see in our
state-of-the-art middle school.

systems here, and what would you change or not change about the way
A great strength of Charlottesville City Schools is our exceptional leadership beginning

with our outstanding Superintendent, Dr. Atkins. Her stable and consistent leadership has
guided the division in facing challenges and building on our assets. Dr. Atkins has been
very effective in forming strong relationships with city government leadership, with the
University of Virginia, and with educational leadership at the state level. These
relationships have resulted in nancial and programmatic resources for our school division.
Our admin team and instructional leaders are highly skilled, effective and committed to
meeting the needs of our diverse population of students. Our School Board has also
bene ted from stable membership and long-term commitments of its members and from
our ability to work collaboratively as a Board.
Poverty poses the greatest challenge to our division. Forty-seven per cent of our students
are economically disadvantaged. For African-American students the poverty level is 73%.
At the same time, other parts of our community bene t from signi cant economic
resources. This leads to property values within the city that continue to rise, making our
city unaffordable for many middle class families and a tremendous struggle for others. I
believe that we need to address barriers such as affordable housing in Charlottesville;
these needed changes go hand-in-hand with our school division’s ability to address
achievement gaps and work toward true equity.
City Schools and featured two members of Charlottesville High School’s
Black Student Union. As a member of the School Board, what would you
propose to change school zone boundaries and tracking programs like
Quest?
I strongly support the changes to the gifted education model which was approved by the
Board on Oct. 3 and which is already underway. These changes begin to address the
long-standing structural inequities that have been a part of our city (and surrounding
counties) and that have been re ected in our schools. Residential segregation is a reality
in our community and affects the demographic balance of our neighborhood schools.
Adjustments to this balance should be on the table as part of our effort to address all
aspects of equity in our school division.

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1/17/2020 School Board – Albemarle County
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2019 Voter Guide
School Board - Albemarle County
Judy Le Juliana Ko Arsali

ALBEMARLE COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATE ALBEMARLE COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATE
Anne Elizabeth Oliver David Oberg

Ellen Osborne Jonno Alcaro


About Topics
https://www.cvilletomorrow.org/2019-voter-guide/school-board-albemarle-county/ 1/2
1/17/2020 Judy Le • Albemarle County School Board Candidate
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Judy Le
Albemarle County School Board Candidate
Longtime Virginian Pilot journalist Judy Le relocated to the Charlottesville and Albemarle
area in 2015 for an editor position at the University of Virginia alumni magazine. While she
has an elementary-age son in the local schools Le said it’s the events that transpired on
Aug. 11 and 12 in 2017 that play a part in her choice to run for the Rivanna District seat
on the School Board.
“As a non-Black person of color, I had my own privileges that I needed to understand,” Le
said. “I think that people who have access and opportunity need to be ghting for people
who don’t have access and opportunity. I have been extremely lucky to have those things.”
As the urgency to address systemic equity issues increased, Le said she began to look into
matters and view things more deeply than she had.
“I think when I looked at achievement gaps in the past, I didn’t understand that
generations of students had not been served well,” Le said.
Addressing equity issues at various levels in the community and within schools is a large
priority for Le — one she sees as having several intersections in policies.
As the region focuses on hiring more minority teachers, Le said she has rsthand
experience with what that hiring process can look like. Le recalled a time she was
interviewed for a job where she felt the hiring managers already had someone else in mind
but put her through the process in the name of diversity.
“Newspapers went through a time where they had to have at least one minority candidate
for a round of interviews,” Le explained. “I had to think like, ‘Am I going to move to this
town, upend my life and move my family there?’ I met with the diversity committee and
[the other candidate] met with nobody. It really shook my con dence.”
The experience has had a lasting impression on Le, and she said she feels it’s an area to be
more aware of in the hiring process.
“The rst time you taste a culture is when you step into the interview process,” Le said.
“It’s important to me that it’s not just a numbers game. Any policy we enact to have more
diverse teaching has to take into account that each person applying is a person, not just a
face, a color or a statistic.”
Outside of being more inclusive and intentional in the interview process to welcome and
attract diverse educators, Le said retention can be attained through mentorship by more
seasoned teachers and outreach to students who may want to stay in the community as
teachers themselves in the future. Considering affordable housing is an issue the city and
county are contending with currently, Le said advocating for it can also attract and retain
teachers so that they can afford to live where they work.
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Originally from Minnesota, Le’s parents immigrated from Vietnam before her birth. She
went on to work for various newsrooms before landing a position she coveted at The
Virginian Pilot. She was attracted to the Charlottesville area – outside of her editor role at
Virginia Magazine — was partially because she wanted to raise her child in the area.
While the population density increases in the area, contributing to some overcrowding in
schools, Le said she is keeping her eye on several potential remedies that include building
onto certain schools or even redistricting school zones.
On redistricting, she said she’s cognizant of the emotional impact it could have on parents.
“I know we chose our house because of what school we would be going to. Other parents
do that,” Le said. “I understand it’s an emotional topic, and we need to look at that with in
mind. It also would depend heavily on what a lot of smart people would say.”
Le is in favor of elding input and feedback from experts and constituents when
considering policy proposals. Weighted grades are assigned numerical advantages in
calculating grade point averages (GPA) for honors or advanced placement courses. On the
division’s consideration of removing weighted grades, from the school system, Le said she
would learn more about it before supporting or opposing the removal of weighted grades.
In her experience as a journalist and editor over the years, Le is accustomed to listening to
sources and experts. It’s an ability she said she plans to apply as a School Board member
to listen to advice and recommendations from committees and experts, as well as the
needs and concerns of her constituents.
“I think it’s important for School Board members to be analytical and pragmatic. As a
journalist, I used those skills every single day for many years,” Le said. “I’ve been asking
questions and listening to people for decades. What is the end result here? I’m able to look
past shiny objects.”
Le also said that it is important for School Board members to not just work together as a
board, but to engage with other local government of ces and governing bodies and to
advocate to the general assembly at the state level.
Le is a candidate for the Rivanna District. Election day is Nov. 5.
Questionnaire
What inspired you to run for school board?
For me, it’s two things. First, education has always been incredibly important to me. I am a
product of public schools myself, and the daughter of ESL teachers. My family was able to
succeed because of my parents’ hard work and our work in the public schools. Moreover,
my son has spent all his schooling in Albemarle County Schools. So education, and
especially education right here, means so much to me.
But I hadn’t considered running until several months ago, and it was because of what
happened here in 2017. Being here that summer changed my worldview; one of the most
pivotal moments came the day of the KKK rally on July 9. Like many people in our
community, I had never faced that kind of situation and was wondering how to do the
right thing. That morning I went to a Black Lives Matter symposium at the Jefferson
School, and the woman running it said something to the effect of: “Sure, you can stay
home. But where do you want the world to be in 3 years? Does staying home help us get
there? Apathy is a choice.” That moment changed the way I looked at things forever. And
since that day, through the ugliness I saw on the streets on August 12, and then the tough
but necessary conversations I see us having as a community, I’ve realized that while my
son has had a wonderful experience in our schools, I need to do everything I can to help
address the systemic inequities that have plagued them for far too long.
Do you think Albemarle should rename any of its schools (ex. Cale
Elementary, Meriwether Lewis Elementary, or Jack Jouett Middle School)?
What do you think the criteria for renaming should be?
I appreciated the recommendation of the committee on whether to rename them — they’re

the ones doing the work and have the most information. But my criterion is simple and
student-centered: Are we serving the students in those seats today and the ones who will
come in the future? The question to me isn’t whether we can prove that a person was
suf ciently racist to strip away the honor of having a namesake, or suf ciently nonracist to
keep it (or dishonorable or honorable, or any other measure); we shouldn’t be naming
schools after people in the rst place. It’s very limiting. It ties the school to a singular
moment in history, and to a singular perspective from that moment, when we need to be
looking forward. I would support renaming all of them, and location can be a wonderful
way to name a school.
What do you think of Albemarle’s new project-focused high school center

model?
We need to be looking at the data to see whether project-based learning — or any type of
curriculum or initiative — is preparing our students effectively and equitably. Has the
project-based focus in Albemarle County improved achievement for all of our students? I’d
say I still need to be convinced.

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1/17/2020 Juliana Ko Arsali • Albemarle County School Board Candidate
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Juliana Ko Arsali
From educator to potential School Board member, Juliana Ko Arsali has worked in the
education eld in various states for the past decade, along with three of those years as a
teacher before settling in Albemarle County. Now with a newborn daughter, Ko Arsali has
become inspired to impact educational environments in a different way should she be
elected to serve on Rivanna District seat.
“The moment I decided it was important for me to run was when I looked at the
graduation rates for high schools in the county,” Ko Arsali said. “I have a newborn
daughter, and the high school she will be going to has a rate that is 8% lower than the
highest rate in our county. I think that’s a signi cant gap and something that we need to
improve. I believe that every child should have access to quality education. That’s who I am
and what I’ve been working towards the past 10 years.”
Social and emotional learning is something that Ko Arsali said she wants to prioritize in
schools, as well.
“If we are really serious about reaching every child, then we have to make sure that we
know every child. That those students who are marginalized for whatever reason have
access to resources to be supported and be successful in school,” she said. “Often the
discussion about edu-equity goes straight to academics. While we have metrics around
that, it’s not the whole picture.”
Ko Arsali said through enhanced social and emotional learning, schools can better help
students become independent thinkers and be able to cope with various stressors in
academics and life. A personal teaching experience in New Mexico where one of her
students took his life changed her perspective forever, Ko Arsali said.
“Often in education, we are looking at the whole class or school or speci c groups within
that school, but I feel it’s important to look at each individual student,” Ko Arsali said.
“That’s where social emotional learning comes in. When he took his life, I was teaching
eighth grade math. I did everything I could to help the rest of my students. I had other
students asking what’s the point of learning pre-algebra when they were dealing with
issues beyond the scope of classroom?”
That year, there was an epidemic of youth suicide in the area, Ko Arsali said. She teamed
up with a local tribe and church to establish a nonpro t that evolved into a community
center that with after-school tutoring, counseling and a computer lab.
She noted how social emotional learning programs have received support in elementary
schools and said that there should be support for it at every level.
“Academics and social emotional learning are not separate of each other,” Ko Arsali said.
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To help accomplish this, Ko Arsali said student counselors need to be able to reach out and
build relationships with students.
“A lot of our high school counselors are busy helping students with academic counseling
right now,” Ko Arsali said. “It’s important to give them space in their schedule to build
relationships with children to support them socially and emotionally as well. I think those
are two important pieces.”
As the division has considered removing weighted grades, Ko Arsali still feels that classes
with higher rigor should have a weighted grade. Weighted grades are assigned numerical
advantages in calculating grade point averages (GPA) for honors or advanced placement
courses.
“We can combat student anxiety in other ways, like supporting their self-ef cacy and
supporting them in choosing classes that are meaningful to them,” she said. “Further, I
think that weighted GPAs are important in promoting access to higher courses for all
students and an important equity piece as they offer an incentive to students who might
be less-inclined to take a rigorous unweighted class.
Originally from Florida, Ko Arsali taught middle school math in New Mexico. It was there
that she formed the nonpro t center in 2010. A few years ago, she and her husband
decided to relocate to Albemarle to start their family. By 2017, she earned a master’s
degree in educational leadership from Florida Atlantic University where she focused her
studies on equity and completed a yearlong internship at a Title I elementary school.
Ko Arsali is a candidate for the Rivanna district. Election day is Nov. 5.
Questionnaire
For over ten years I have been ghting for educational equity as a teacher, a non-pro t
founder, and through my studies which led to a Master of Educational Leadership degree.
When I learned that there are signi cant gaps in achievement and graduation in our
county, I knew I needed to step up and serve.
From my experience in this eld, I know the importance of social and emotional wellness
and it needs to be the primary focus in our schools. As a teacher, I did everything I could
to help my students achieve, and academically they soared. Then, one of my eighth-grade
students took his life, and I have never been the same. I have become a erce advocate for
student well-being and a proponent of social and emotional learning. I’m running because
we need to make sure these are priorities at every level of schooling—elementary through
high school.
In the 13 years that our children attend public school, there are bound to be challenges
they face including bullying, family members going to war, substance abuse, and parents
separating. Our students need to know that we are there for them rst as children, then as
academics. If we just focus on academics without consideration of the whole child, we will
be missing the mark.
The birth of my daughter last October is also a motivating factor in my run for school
board. Both my husband and I attended public schools and our daughter will as well. Like
all parents, we want her to have the best education possible, and I plan to do everything in
my power to realize that not just for her but for every child in our county.
Do you think Albemarle should rename any of its schools (ex. Cale Elementary, Meriwether
Lewis Elementary, or Jack Jouett Middle School)? What do you think the criteria for
renaming should be?
I think a school’s name can be a powerful source of pride and unity. It should be a symbol
that all its students, teachers, and staff can rally behind. When a school’s name does not
serve this purpose, I think we should seriously consider renaming it and have a transparent
process for doing so.
Ultimately, the school belongs to the community – the students and families of students
attending the school as well as the teachers and staff who spend much of their time in the
school. We should have a clear process for petitioning a change, listening to the
community, and taking action.
It is unfortunate when a school’s name takes center stage over the school’s activities and
student learning. Hopefully, we can adopt a procedure to streamline the renaming
process, so, we can focus on policy and practices that make sure all of our students feel
safe, have access to resources, and leave our schools with a plan for their future.
What do you think of Albemarle’s new project-focused high school center

model?
I think Albemarle’s project-focused high school center model is a great idea. We have to
make sure that each and every student leaves our schools with a clear path for their future
after graduation. I believe the high school center model is designed to give students a
helpful transition from sitting in the classroom to academia or the workplace and will help
them de ne their post-graduation path.
Additionally, I support the policy of making these high school centers available and
accessible to all students in the county, regardless of where the students are living. It is
important for students to have choices and access to programs that allow them to thrive.
Another promise of the project-focused high schools is fostering an environment that is

conducive to not just the academics, but also the social and emotional development of
students. Curriculum that incorporates working with other students, staff, and members
of the community on student-directed projects gives students the opportunity to build
strong relationships and develop interpersonal skills that are essential for the work
environment and life in general.
While the idea of the high school center is exciting, innovative, and potentially a game-
changer for our students, we need to make sure the implementation and results of this
model meet our expectations before we decide to invest heavily and replicate the centers.
This is just the second year that the High School Center I @ Seminole Place has been
operating (last year it opened as Albemarle Tech). The promise of the model is there, and I
think the motives and innovation behind the centers are right on target, we just need to
make sure they get the results we expect.

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1/17/2020 Anne Elizabeth Oliver • Albemarle County School Board Candidate
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Anne Elizabeth Oliver

Real estate agent and former USA Today journalist Anne Elizabeth Oliver moved to
Albemarle County 16 years ago after working in Texas. After having spent a summer at
the University of Virginia during college, she recalled her fondness for the area and
returned with her children. Having had her children attend both public and private schools
in the area as a result of listening to her children’s needs, she plans to retain an open mind
should she be elected to serve on the School Board.
“I believe the School Board has to be responsive and receptive to parents — especially in
addition to staff, students and the community at large — to encourage and open a two-
way dialogue,” Oliver said.
She acknowledges how that can be a challenge when lots of parents attend meetings and
want to sign up to speak.
“What if I’m attending a board meeting, and I didn’t sign up for anything, but I learn
something new and I have a question?” Oliver said. “I just think that’s something that I feel
is very important and something I want to address. How else can we know what their
needs are if we’re not giving them a voice? Every household is totally different. Every child
is different — even each child in a household is different like mine. They need different
things.”
Oliver said addressing inclusivity is another factor that is inspirational in her run for School
Board.
“We need to hire more diverse teachers. I would think especially African American
teachers. Based on SOLs our children, Black children in particular — based on the last
report we received, we’re at the bottom in reading, math and writing. I think it helps to
have a mentor or teacher that you see and say, ‘Oh, she’s a teacher and she looks like me.’”
Working in real estate, Oliver said she has developed good abilities to speak and to listen.
She also has a patient disposition she feels will be an asset to the board.
“I will bring patience, I will listen, collaborate and communicate. I respect other people’s
ideas, and hopefully they will listen to mine,” Oliver said. “Together when we can listen to
each other’s ideas and really think about what is the best solution here — it’s not about
who’s right or who’s wrong, it’s about the best solution for the children to address a
situation.”
As the county has considered the possibility of removing weighted grades in the school
system, Oliver said she isn’t quite certain that’s the best solution, stating that students
who want to take more rigorous courses should have the option to do so. Weighted
grades are assigned numerical advantages in calculating grade point averages (GPA) for
honors or advanced placement courses.
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“If other schools are using weighted grades, and they’re removed from the county, how
will the students who wanted to take those compete when they are applying to college?”
she said.
On counseling in school, Oliver said She supports more counselors.
“We need a support system beyond teachers, because they teach, that’s their
responsibility,” Oliver said.
She said that counselors can help students develop coping mechanisms and guide them
through stress, but academically, they also guide students through realizing what they
want in life. Oliver also said students’ mental health also is a concern for her.
“There are some things in place, but there’s not enough. There are many children in our
school system who were not diagnosed with anxiety or depression and that plays a huge
role in their academic performance,” Oliver said. “We need to nd a way to intervene as
early as possible. You even have elementary age children with anxiety or depression who
can be acting our or very reserved, and maybe that’s why.”
Oliver suggests perhaps a newsletter concerning mental health could be set to parents
about things to look for in their child.
“I think, in some way, if we can give them more information, then maybe they’ll come to us
or take their child to the doctor,” Oliver said. “Maybe they’re not doing their homework
because they can’t, but because they’re depressed.”
While her son attended Montessori school, Oliver worked there. She also worked for Big
Brothers and Big Sisters
“I ran day-to-day routines, interviewed parents and children looking for mentors,” Oliver
said of her time with the mentoring nonpro t. “They talked to me about their challenges
and why they wanted a mentor.”
Having been involved in Montessori, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, along with having her
children attend public and private schools, Oliver said she has gained different insights.
“I think I can use that to help resolve some of the problems that we’re facing,” Oliver said.
“Most importantly is engaging with families that need more — not just access to things,
but they need other things we may not be aware of that will help make their child more
successful.”
She noted how each child may have a different home lives that create different educational
attention or needs.
As both of Oliver’s children have grown up, Oliver calls herself an “empty-nester” who has
the experience and time to be involved with the School Board.
Oliver is a candidate for the At-Large seat on school board. Election day is Nov. 5.
Questionnaire
Children are the future of our society and our most precious resource. They all have special
gifts and deserve to nd out what their gifts are. I believe that it is our responsibility to
provide a safe, inclusive environment where they can develop a love for learning as they
develop to their fullest possible potential. Elected school board members have been
entrusted by the community to look after the best interest of our children. If given the
opportunity to play even a small part in this effort it will not be taken lightly. With trust
comes responsibility. With education comes opportunity. These two principles were
instilled in me by my mother and father. I believe that my ability to work as a team player
and life experiences can bring useful characteristics and new ideas to the table. Most
importantly, I have a passion for education and the future of our children.
I think the criteria for renaming should be based off a positive symbol of connection.

center model?
I’m in favor of project-based combined with traditional learning.

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1/17/2020 David Oberg • Albemarle County School Board Candidate
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David Oberg
While incumbent candidate David Oberg is running unopposed for the White Hall seat on
the Albemarle County School Board, he is re ecting on his rst term and the work he will
continue to do.
Oberg said he always has been passionate about education. Originally from Alaska, Oberg
is the son of a public school teacher and also has lived in upstate New York, where both he
and his wife worked as attorneys, before they decided to settle down in Albemarle. He
was elected to the School Board in 2015 and his wife has served on the Parent-Teacher
Organization board for their daughter’s school.
On what he brings to the board, Oberg cites his legal experience, passion for children and
nerdiness.
“I’m analytical. I’m good with budgets. I’m an employment attorney, so issues with
employees and stuff like that I’m pretty square on,” Oberg said. “I’m fundamentally a nerd
as well. I also think the key thing you have to have is that you have to love our kids. If
you’re going to be a successful School Board member, that has to be a focus.”
On weighted grades, he said, “We ought to be getting past this concept of a competition
grade” and that “learning is its own value.” Weighted grades are assigned numerical
advantages in calculating grade point averages (GPA) for honors or advanced placement
courses.
He said that students often will miss out on other courses they are interested in because
they feel like they have to take a class with a weighted grade.
“AP ought to be classes that are designed and function for areas of passion. If you’re
taking U.S. History and you love it and want to take an advanced placement because it’s a
deeper dive, great. Don’t take it just to get a different GPA.”
He said the board should want students to follow their passion, rather than feel they have
to be on a track.
“If you look at people who are successful, it’s because they’re passionate about what
they’re doing.”
On hiring more diverse teachers, Oberg said that the board is going to have to show as a
division that it is committed, and minorities need to feel welcome.
“If I were a person of color, I would have a hard time relocating to a place where I didn’t
feel comfortable. Historically, the Piedmont region of Virginia has been very polite with
how it deals with its racism. It’s not something we can allow to continue,” Oberg said. “It’s
painful to address it and it’s painful to grow but it needs to happen.”
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1/17/2020 David Oberg • Albemarle County School Board Candidate
He said the board is being very intentional in recruiting minority teachers.
“It’s not always based on race; we need more men in our elementary schools. We know
that we have kids at home who don’t have a male role model, so maybe it would be helpful
for some of them to have a male in their life at least through school,” Oberg said. “And if
you’re a person of color and you go to a school and there’s no one who looks like you in the
school system, we know that impacts learning.”
Something Oberg said he plans to continue to address is increasing student enrollment as

more people move to the county.
“It comes to the fact that right now we’re being reactive, we need to be proactive, but
you’re talking about a tremendous amount of money to do that,” Oberg said. “We have to
prepare for the fact that Albemarle is not a small little rural community anymore. We’re a
geographic hub. People are moving here; companies are coming here.”
He also wants to enhance addressing mental health in schools.
“Our kids are facing stress that my generation did not have,” Oberg said. “We have a lot of
children who have unmet societal, psychological and emotional needs.,” Oberg explained.
“You shouldn’t have middle school kids who are despondent to the point they become
suicidal. We’ve got to gure out what’s causing the pressure and an outlet for it. We need
counselors in the schools who can deal with emotional welfare, not just academic
guidance.”
On addressing equity in schools, Oberg said that while some students do well and others
don’t always, “it’s not coincidental, it’s institutional.”
He said he supports superintendent Matt Haas for leading the charge and reaf rmed the
board needs to be dedicated.
“Right now, we’ve sort of gotten to the point where there’s an acknowledgement of the
issue and we can’t be quiet about it,” Oberg said. “If we don’t it’s going to go back to that
politeness.”
Oberg is the candidate for the White Hall district. Election day is Nov. 5.
*A questionnaire will be posted when it is received. Check back for it.*

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1/17/2020 Ellen Osborne • Albemarle County School Board Candidate
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Ellen Osborne
Adult literacy administrator Ellen Osborne is running unopposed for the Scottsville seat on
the Albemarle County School Board. Though she faces no contenders for the seat, she
would like for her district to meet her, if they haven’t already.
Osborne is the executive director of Literacy Volunteers of Charlottesville/Albemarle and

said that through working in adult literacy, she has seen what happens when people don’t
get what they need in their K-12 educations. She feels her background in educational
administration will be an asset to the board.
Her priorities include tackling the achievement gap by looking at what has been successful
for other schools in the state and attracting and retaining quality teachers while listening
to and valuing all educational staff. She said she also favors measures that expand access
and learning styles for students, such as hands-on learning.
Osborne said she supports expanded options for high school students and sees the high
school centers and the Charlottesville Albemarle Technical Education Center as valuable
resources for students to engage in hands-on learning.
“I love CATEC. I think it is the most awesome thing,” Osborne said. “I think more kids
should go to CATEC. Perhaps if we enhance the guidance department some and help their
workload, maybe they would recommend CATEC to more students.”
One of her sons enjoyed involvement in a veterinarian technician program he attended at

CATEC recently and she said it got him excited about school. However, she felt the travel
time cut into his day too much. As a Scottsville resident, Osborne would like to see
something similar closer to home.
Regarding an August 2018 arrest of speakers during discussions on banning Confederate

symbols in schools, the organizer of the county’s Hate Free School Coalition attributed that
to lower turnout in subsequent board meetings, such as discussions regarding the
renaming of Cale Elementary School. Osborne said she sees responsibility in people’s
positions of power and wants to make sure people feel safe to be heard.
“I don’t want a tone police, and I don’t want to lean on the practices of civility to quiet
people,” Osborne said. “So where is that balance between allowing people to say what’s
on their hearts and minds — because some of these things are very emotional and making
sure it’s a safe space for everybody.”
Osborne said there’s a number of things that people in positions of power can do to not
make situations worse.
“I don’t think we’ve all been very cognizant about ‘I want to hear this person, even if I do
feel attacked, what can I do to not escalate things?’” Osborne said. “I think some of that is
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1/17/2020 Ellen Osborne • Albemarle County School Board Candidate
the responsibility of people in power to not escalate it.”
As both the city and the county make efforts to hire more diverse teachers, Osborne said it
goes beyond just the hiring process.
“I think that’s a bigger thing than minority teachers,” she said. “It’s also how to keep them
here. I think that’s a community effort, as well as a School Board effort. I think culturally
responsive teaching shows promise. I think there’s still things that could make that better.”
Osborne is the candidate for the Scottsville district. Election day is Nov. 5.
Questionnaire
I was inspired to run for the school board because my children have had a very good
experience in the Albemarle County School system, and I want all kids to have that
positive experience. I will be forever grateful to the teachers, administrators, and support
staff that have made my kids’ K12 experience a success. (Those folks have helped me raise
them to be the ne young men they are today, as seniors at Monticello!) Also, I work in the
eld of adult education, so I see what it’s like for people who don’t get what they need
from a K12 system.
I am in agreement with the decision to re-name Cale. I believe that when we appoint a
task force or a committee to look into something, we need to take their recommendations
seriously, especially when their decision is unanimous. At this point, instead of looking at
each of those schools you mentioned individually, it might be better to decide we don’t
want buildings named after people, and we should rename all the ones that are. We
should just use geographic nomenclature or some other descriptive standard and change
them all at once.

center model?
I am interested in understanding who wants to go to the centers, how (and which)

students are encouraged to participate in project-based earning, and how they well they
succeed in the program.

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1/17/2020 Jonno Alcaro • Albemarle County School Board Candidate
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Jonno Alcaro
Incumbent School Board member Jonno Alcaro has had education instilled in him his
whole life.
His father was the rst person in the family to attend college and earn a medical degree.
His mother, a magazine writer, went on to earn her master’s and doctorate degrees at 75
years old and taught until she was 94.
Alcaro has spent more than 35 years working in nancial services and moving around the
country. When he decided to relocate his family to Albemarle and sell some companies, he
nally had the time to devote his service to the School Board.
“I’ve had 45 addresses in my life as I was moving around a lot for business,” Alcaro said. “I
couldn’t commit four years to run for School Board anywhere until I got here.”
In seeking his second term, Alcaro said he wants to continue the work he has been a part
of on the board and ensure that students have access to resources and learning spaces as
enrollments continue to increase in county schools.
As the board has considered altering weighted grade courses in county schools, Alcaro
explained some of why the board has contemplated the move. Weighted grades are
assigned numerical advantages in calculating grade point averages (GPA) for honors or
advanced placement courses.
“It is one of the considerations along with limiting the number of [Advanced Placement]
courses a student can take,” Alcaro said. “You can come down on both sides on that. I
think, for example, with the people in AP, there will be certain exemptions for people who
have a compelling reason for wanting to take additional courses.
“In the case of weighted grades and AP, the intention is to encourage students to take
courses they want to take, not just something to have something to improve their resume.”
He said that his daughter has previously felt like she couldn’t take certain courses that she
wanted to because they’re not weighted.
“I support anything that is going to make life better for kids,” Alcaro said. “Their education
doesn’t mean the highest achieving, it’s more well-rounded education that’s interesting to
me.”
He said he’s talked to his daughter about pursuing a liberal arts degree because “you can
talk to anyone about just about everything.”
“Then when you pick out what you want to do, go to graduate school and focus on that,”
Alcaro said. “In high school, I believe that you’ve got to be well-rounded and the
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universities are looking at that.”
Alcaro, who also is chairman of the Charlottesville Albemarle Technical Education Center
Board, said he also supports students’ exposure to trade and technical skills.
“Not all of our students go to college,” Alcaro said. “We want them to be the best prepared
that they can be for going directly into the workforce, or the military or other interests that
they have.”
As the county tries to hire more diverse teachers, Alcaro said he wants to continue those
efforts.
“That’s a big focus for us,” Alcaro said. “I know that the school division has been widening
the area in which they cast their nets trying to attract teachers in general. We can’t keep
doing the same thing over and over again.”
Meanwhile, as more and more people move to Albemarle and enrollments have gone up in
schools, Alcaro said he is concerned about ensuring schools can accommodate the
growing populations. In response to the increase of student population, the division has
piloted a high school center. Alcaro said that the concept of the high school centers divides
capacity of overcrowded schools by moving a number of seniors out of high schools and
into centers.
He said this approach will reduce crowded populations in certain schools while
modernizing and retaining schools, some of which are more than 40 years old. It also will
be more cost-effective than building new schools.
“The choice was, we were faced in 2017 with a choice between building a new high
school, and that would have been $120 to $140 million,” Alcaro said. “Or to put together
the center project, upgrade the existing high schools, as the existing high schools were
somewhat still in need of repairs or not as modern. That was factored in there and that
total came out to about $80 million. So, it’s a savings of $40 to $60 million because we’re
pretty good stewards of taxpayers’ money.”
Alcaro is a candidate for the At-Large seat. Election day is Nov. 5.
Questionnaire
The importance of a good education was drilled into my two older brothers and me by our
parents. Our father was from an immigrant family and was the rst in his family to attend
college and medical school. My mother was a Sweet Briar graduate who wrote for The
New Yorker, Good Housekeeping and Women’s Day in the 1940s when they were literary
magazines. When I left graduate school in 1976, she started graduate school at age 64.
She graduated with two M.A.s and a Ph.D. degree at age 75 in 1987. She published her
rst book at age 79. She then lectured and taught until she was 94. They were both great
inspirations to me throughout my life.
This subject will be discussed on our October 24th meeting.

center model?
Albemarle High School and Western Albemarle High School are 66 and 42 years old,
respectively. Both school s are in need of modernization efforts to bring them up to par
with Monticello High School , Center 1 and Center 2. Monies for modernization for these
schools as well as renovations and expansion at several of our schools may require
referenda in the 2020s.

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1/17/2020 Albemarle County Sheriff
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2019 Voter Guide
Albemarle County Sheriff
Chan Bryant Ronnie Roberts

ALBEMARLE SHERIFF CANDIDATE - DEMOCRAT ALBEMARLE SHERIFF CANDIDATE - INDEPENDENT
Chief Deputy Chan Bryant and Independent Ronnie Roberts are candidates for Sheriff in the
November elections.

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1/17/2020 Chan Bryant • Albemarle Sheriff Candidate - Democrat
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Chan Bryant
Albemarle Sheriff Candidate - Democrat
Albemarle County Chief Deputy Chan Bryant wants to be the county’s next sheriff, and
she has the endorsement of the current one.
In her 20 years of law enforcement experience, Bryant has worked as a volunteer reserve
deputy, an emergency medical technician with the Charlottesville-Albemarle Rescue
Squad, a police sergeant in Scottsville and a deputy in Madison County.
In 2009, she became the rst woman sergeant within Albemarle, as well as the rst
woman to serve as chief deputy when she was promoted in 2015.
“I take pride in knowing that I started as a volunteer and I have worked my way up
through the chain of command,” Bryant said.
In her role as chief deputy, Bryant has been responsible for daily operations of the sheriff’s
of ce and has acted in the sheriff’s role in J.E. “Chip” Harding’s absence. She said she has
worked to secure grant funding for the sheriff’s of ce and also advocated for a budget
increase to accommodate the needs of growing the staff.
“Our cases are growing in court, but our manpower has stayed the same since about
2005, so I put a request in our budget for more manpower and I had to go in front of the
Board of Supervisors and explain why we needed more staf ng,” Bryant said.
Should she become the next sheriff, Bryant plans to continue to her work on community
service, a pillar of her campaign and experience.
Bryant plans to continue aiding county, city and University of Virginia police departments
on an as-needed basis.
She said the Harding allowed her to bring some of her ideas to the table when she was
promoted. Those have included working towards better pay for deputies and increased
training. Should she be elected from second to rst in command, she said she has plans.
“I want to bring a career development system where the deputies get an incentive to do
more and be better,” Bryant said.
She also started a community outreach program where police go into schools to have
lunch with the students.
“That has now grown into lunch and recess,” Bryant said. “The kids want to challenge us
in kickball or dodgeball or soccer. So, we’re building relationships with these kids in
elementary school where it’s a positive instead of seeing us always on the other side of
things. So, to build this bond that we hope will last a lifetime.”
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1/17/2020 Chan Bryant • Albemarle Sheriff Candidate - Democrat
She also plans to incorporate more community service projects and social outreach.
“The deputies want to be involved because they know how I feel about how we need to be
part of the community and make as much difference as we can make,” Bryant said.
As sheriff, she said she wants to establish a program called Community of Trust.
“We can go to each community in the county and take our command trailer and all the
ngerprint services for the kids, have games, have a bounce house, have food and make it
a community involvement where the people get to meet the deputies and other law
enforcement agencies, as well as the re and rescue,” Bryant said. “I want to bring
everyone in for the community to interact, for us to get to know each other and feel
comfortable.”
The idea harks back to her own experience meeting a law enforcement of cer when she
was young. Born and raised in Greene County, a chance meeting with a deputy inspired
Bryant’s career goals.
“I had the pleasure of meeting a deputy with the Greene County Sheriff’s Of ce, and he
became like a mentor to me,” Bryant said. “At that point, I gured out that’s what I wanted
to do. Since I was 15, all I wanted to do with my life was be a law enforcement of cer.”
Bryant is running against Ronnie Roberts. Election day is Nov. 5.

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1/17/2020 Ronnie Roberts • Albemarle Sheriff Candidate - Independent
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Ronnie Roberts
Albemarle Sheriff Candidate - Independent
Ronnie Roberts, a well-known Albemarle County resident and current chief of police in
the town of Louisa, has a personal goal of representing everyone in the community.
“My reputation as a law enforcement of cer, I was always available to people. The door
was open,” Roberts said. “Even when I’m off, if the phone rings, I answer it. Because that’s
who I work for. I work for the citizens in this community. I put community rst.”
That is why he decided to run for Albemarle sheriff without a political af liation.
He has more than 40 years of various experience in law enforcement. Roberts began his
position as police chief in the town of Louisa after retiring in 2014 as a lieutenant in the
Charlottesville Police Department. During his time with the CPD, he oversaw a school
resource of cer program, the traf c unit and community policing. He also served as a
spokesman for the department.
It was his relationships within the community that played a role in his choice to run for
sheriff.
“I was asked by a number of citizens, as well as people that work in the businesses here, if
I would consider coming back to Charlottesville and working in Albemarle County and
running for sheriff,” Roberts said. “I sat down with my wife, and we had the conversation
about it and it was pretty easy to be right back here where I spent most of my career.”
Building relationships between law enforcement and the community, especially youth, is
important to Roberts.
“I’m de nitely one of those who has a philosophy that it’s very important that we build
relationships with our community and law enforcement,” Roberts said. “It doesn’t take
much to take your hand and wave at a car that is going by at the other driver, and most
people are going, ‘The policeman waved at me?’”
He said he supports the idea of engaging with students in schools to foster relationships
between civilians and law enforcement and also potentially inspire some students to go
into a career in public safety.
“I’m also cognizant of the fact that it’s not just law enforcement, the public safety arena-
working in re and EMS, they’re part of our team, also. We are a team, and we serve the
people.”
Roberts has spent his career collaborating with various teams and coming to solutions. It
is an ability he said he plans to apply to his work if elected as the next sheriff.
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1/17/2020 Ronnie Roberts • Albemarle Sheriff Candidate - Independent
“I think that my working relationship in having worked with a number of the command
staff within the city and within Albemarle and the University [of Virginia] — I’ve been gone
for 4½ years; there’s been some changes of administrators — but working together is one
of my key points,” Roberts said. “Of working with groups, coming to solutions and looking
at the larger picture. That even goes down to our hiring practices. It’s important of the
young people that we bring on board, to teach them, because that’s the next generation
that will take on law enforcement and carry it on.”
With the advancement of technology, Roberts said he would incorporate that into budget
plans for the department. He aims to have computers in every vehicle, along with
supplying deputies with body cameras and in-car cameras. Currently, the police
department utilizes body cameras, but the sheriff department does not. Roberts said he
also plans to build on what other sheriffs have done already with programs like TRIAD, a
partnership between Charlottesville and Albemarle law enforcement to reduce criminal
victimization of elderly residents. He also aims to place some deputies in elementary
schools to begin building relationships early on.
“If we wait until we get to the age of middle school, we’ve missed that opportunity to build
a relationship with our youth,” Roberts said.
On his experience, Roberts has served four chiefs of police before becoming one himself,
and he notes the lessons they taught him as inspiration for the lessons he teaches.
“Those four leaders taught me how to be a leader,” Roberts said. “And to take care of your
people to lead an organization forward.”
Roberts is running against Chan Bryant. Election day is Nov. 5.

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1/17/2020 Albemarle County Commonwealth Attorney
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2019 Voter Guide
Albemarle County Commonwealth Attorney
Robert Tracci Jim Hingeley

ALBEMARLE COMMONWEALTH ATTORNEY - ALBEMARLE COMMONWEALTH ATTORNEY -
REPUBLICAN DEMOCRAT
Incumbent Republican Robert Tracci will be challenged by Democrat Jim Hingley. Election Day is Nov.
5.

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1/17/2020 Robert Tracci • Albemarle Commonwealth Attorney - Republican
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ATTORNEY
Robert Tracci
Albemarle Commonwealth Attorney -
Republican
After living and working in the nation’s capital, incumbent Commonwealth’s Attorney
Robert Tracci was rst lured to Albemarle County due to his wife’s surgeon position at the
University of Virginia Health System. Previously, he had served as deputy assistant
attorney general in the U.S. Department of Justice and chief legislative and antitrust
counsel for the U.S. House Judiciary Committee. He was elected to serve as Albemarle’s
commonwealth’s attorney in 2015 and said he still has more work to do.
“I think the things that compelled me to run last time are the things that are animating my
campaign this time, which is a commitment to Albemarle County. To keeping our
community safe and having a law enforcement system that recognizes the importance of
giving voice to victims of crime while ensuring that criminal defendants are accorded due
process under the law.”
Of his accomplishments during his rst term, Tracci has worked with partners to ensure
DNA collection for misdemeanor offences and helped establish mental health dockets.
“I also talked about having non-penal alternatives for low-level offenders, and I am proud
to have helped establish a therapeutic mental health docket to give low level nonviolent
offenders access to mental health treatment rather than jail,” Tracci said.
The discussion had preceded his election, but his input in the process came from joining a
steering committee to be a public advocate for how the process would work. Tracci said he
was proud to have it approved by the Virginia Supreme Court.
“That was a collaborative effort, but I was glad to help invigorate the process through
which that program became a reality,” Tracci said. “I’ve worked to be proactive in terms of
initiatives to make sure that we are identifying and diverting people from the criminal
justice system when it’s appropriate.”
Tracci said that, if he were reelected, he would like to participate in efforts to enhance
reentry programs for those residents who have served time for their convictions and are
settling back into society. He also said he would work with the Albemarle Board of
Supervisors and the General Assembly when needed on the matter.
“There is a reentry counsel in the community. I’d like to actively participate with that
reentry counsel and bring the kind of public attention to the issue that it deserves,” Tracci
said. “Making sure that people who have paid their dues to society and served their time
are given every chance of success post-incarceration is not weak on crime, it’s smart on
crime reduction.”
Addressing mental health and diversion tactics where applicable, along with reentry
programs, are something Tracci and his challenger, Jim Hingeley, agree on. However, Tracci
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said he has some concerns about his challenger’s approach. He says that the role of a
commonwealth’s attorney — despite being an elected position — is that of a law
enforcement of cer, rather than a “political activist.”
“I think the way we are established now, people have the choice to run as a Democrat, a
Republican or an independent. My concern with my opponent in this race is not that he’s
progressive,” Tracci said. “It’s that he has adopted the progressive prosecutor mantra.
When you attach an ideological label to a commonwealth’s attorney, you are politicizing
the of ce in a way the public and law enforcement doesn’t favor.”
Like many local elections in the Charlottesville and Albemarle area, events of 2017 still
reverberate within the campaigns. As the events, which culminated on Aug. 11 and 12,
showcased a ux of far-right groups and militias, white nationalists and Confederate
supporters that led to the death of activist Heather Heyer and the injury of many others,
some legal cases have been brought. Meanwhile, the torch-bearing white supremacists
who rallied on the UVa Lawn and Rotunda have not been prosecuted. Some community
members have argued it is a responsibility of a commonwealth’s attorney to bring those
charges. Incumbent candidate Tracci has said that the General Assembly would have to
amend Virginia’s burning object statute rst.
“There were three tiki torch marches. One in May 2017, one in August 2017 and one in
October 2017,” Tracci said. “Tim Heaphy who wrote his independent investigation, on
pages 174 and 175 of that report recommended a legislative change to lower the intent
standard and change the de nition of burning objects under that statute.”
Del. David Toscano, D-Charlottesville, carried legislation in this year’s General Assembly
session that would have further de ned burning objects with intent to intimidate as a
Class 6 felony. Tracci said he supports amendments to the burning objects statute and
alluded to the former city commonwealth’s attorney’s decision to not prosecute the
participants of a tiki torch march that took place in the city due to restrictions concerning
the state’s burning object statute.
“The former city commonwealth’s attorney wrote a memorandum that raised threshold
questions with respect to conforming an open ame into the de nition contained in the
burning objects statute. Prosecutors have an obligation to bring cases consistent with
facts available, evidence and existing law. My opponent has stated even though he doesn’t
have all facts presented by this case, he would have indicted the case to ‘see what a court
would nd.’ That is not what prosecutors do. We have an obligation to bring cases only
when they are supported by the facts, the law, and evidence and do so after probable
cause.”
Former city commonwealth attorney Dave Chapman did note that perhaps the violent
skirmishes with the torches that occurred on Aug. 11, on UVa Grounds — which are within
Albemarle county’s jurisdiction — could be subject to prosecution.
UVa law professor Ann Coughlin recently penned an editorial in C-Ville Weekly noting the
media reports of the present fear and injuries that took place Aug. 11 and stated that
“Tracci should take immediate steps to show that Albemarle County has zero tolerance for
white supremacist violence and intimidation.”
Also published in response, Tracci referred to the legislation Toscano carried this past
General Assembly session, stating “I supported — and still support — its favorable
consideration.”
The city of Charlottesville is working to fully establish a Police Civilian Review Board in the
aftermath of 2017. When asked if he believes the county should have one as well, Tracci
said he has reason to be hesitant.
“I think the experience of the city with respect to their review board should give suf cient
reason for pause in consideration about the wisdom of adopting a model that hasn’t
worked in the city in the county of Albemarle,” Tracci said.
On his personal background, Tracci said he is proud to be a rst-generation American as

the son of Portuguese and Spanish immigrants and that Portuguese and Spanish were the
most prominent languages he heard growing up. Having served legal positions at the
federal level, his experience straddled the administrations of Presidents George W. Bush
and Barack Obama. While he is running as the Republican candidate, he cited his
experience in bipartisanship and collaboration in his body of work.
Tracci is the republican candidate for Albemarle County’s Commonwealth Attorney.

Election day is Nov. 5.

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1/17/2020 Jim Hingeley • Albemarle Commonwealth Attorney - Democrat
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ATTORNEY
Jim Hingeley
Albemarle Commonwealth Attorney -
Democrat
After 43 years of practicing law and working other jobs (but more on that later), Jim
Hingeley is the Democratic candidate for Albemarle County Commonwealth’s Attorney.
Virginia does not have statewide public defender of ces, so Hingeley started two — one in
Lynchburg and one in Albemarle. Among his priorities, if elected, are criminal justice
reform, addressing racial disparity in the justice system and being mindful of ne costs for
low-income offenders. He also said he supports marijuana decriminalization and vows to
refrain from seeking death sentences.
On criminal justice reform, Hingeley said he plans to increase diversion practices, as

opposed to mass incarceration for many nonviolent offenders. When it comes to issues
regarding substance abuse or mental health, Hingeley said he wants to treat the root of a
crime as to better prevent it from happening again. He says keeping people in the
community, rather than locked up, is most bene cial to them at rehabilitating their lives.
“While they’re in the community, we can provide resources. We know that big drivers of
criminal behavior are substance abuse and mental illness,” Hingeley said. “For people who
have those problems, we can give them treatment.”
He also says that taxpayer money that otherwise goes towards housing people in prisons
could be directed towards other things.
“The upshot if you look at it in the long run is that people who go to jails and prisons come
out much worse off,” Hingeley said. “Nothing’s been done to address their criminal
behavior, and now they have a record, they’ve been torn away from the community for so
long that coming back is hard for them. So, the chances that they might commit crimes in
the future go up.”
He says that his approach to keeping people in the community through a diversion
approach can make some people less likely to commit offenses again.
Hingeley also said he seeks ways the prosecutor’s of ce can be engaged with the
community.
“If I’m elected, I’m going to have a citizens advisory committee for the prosecutor’s of ce
so that we can engage with the community,” Hingeley said. “We can hear back from the
community and the community can see what’s going on in the of ce. It worked so well
with the public defender of ce that I know it’s going to work well also for the prosecutor’s
of ce.”
As the city of Charlottesville is working to set up its Police Civilian Review Board, and
asked if the county should have one as well, Hingeley said he supports the notion of
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information being available to the public where it can.
“I’m generally interested in the idea of it from the standpoint that it’s good to have
information about the police and what they’re doing in the community made available for
the community to look at,” Hingeley said. “I say that from the standpoint myself if elected,
I’m going to publish information about prosecution decision making. My interest is in
establishing that our prosecution decision making is unbiased and that we have good
intentions. Nobody goes into an of ce like that thinking that they’re going to discriminate,
but I think it’s beyond good intentions, we need to demonstrate what the facts are.”
The city’s CRB was, in part, created as a result of the 2017 Unite the Right rally. The
events of Aug, 11 and 12 showcased a ux of far-right groups and militias, white
nationalists and Confederate supporters that lead to the death of activist Heather Heyer
and the injury of many others. While experts say the establishment of CRBs usually stems
from a controversial incident with law enforcement, part of the catalyst for Charlottesville’s
CRB stems from law enforcement inaction. An independent study, referred to as the
Heaphy Report, noted law enforcement missteps and lack of preparation by the City
Council in advance of and during the rally.
There also has been criticism on Albemarle’s response. Torch-bearing white supremacists
who rallied on the University of Virginia Lawn and Rotunda have not been prosecuted.
Some community members have argued it is a responsibility of a commonwealth’s
attorney. Incumbent candidate Robert Tracci has said that the General Assembly would
have to amend Virginia’s burning object statute rst.
The amendment was recommended in the Heaphy Report conducted after the rally, and
Del. David Toscano, D-Charlottesville, has carried legislation of that nature that did not end
up receiving a hearing in the House of Delegates. Hingeley said feels a prosecution could
have happened without the change in legislation.
“He [Tracci] says the statute doesn’t t, and I disagree,” Hingeley said. “Those of us who
believe [charges] should be brought feel like it’s a way of defending the community and
trying to get justice for victims.”
Tracci also has alluded to similar torch-bearing incidents that occurred in the city that the
city’s attorney did not prosecute. However, former Charlottesville Commonwealth’s
Attorney Dave Chapman had stated that the Aug. 11 incident downtown could be “on rm
ground” to prosecute because of legitimate fear of death or harm.
UVa law professor Ann Coughlin recently penned an editorial in CVille Weekly noting the
media reports of the present fear and injuries that took place Aug. 11 and stated that
“Tracci should take immediate steps to show that Albemarle County has zero tolerance for
white supremacist violence and intimidation.
“When people like Dave and Ann say that the statute does t, then I agree with that,”
Hingeley said. “If the issue is really uncertainty about interpretation of a relevant statute,
that is a question for the courts and certainly not a barrier from bringing the case and
justice to our community.”
While his campaign cites his decades of legal experience in civil litigation and criminal
defense that he can bring to the table, Hingeley has had a wide range of careers.
After college, he entered a program called VISTA, similar to Teach For America. For two
years, he taught civics, government and history.
“All things I am interested in as a lawyer,” Hingeley said.
He also went to vocational school and worked as a welder for a few years while he saved
up for law school at the University of Virginia.
Hingeley retired from law and presently teaches law at UVa. He said his experience
inspired him to run for Commonwealth’s Attorney, along with wanting to change aspects
of the criminal justice system in Albemarle.
“I saw things that were happening in the prosecutor’s of ce that concerned me a lot,”
Hingeley said. “I decided I would step forward and take on the challenge to see if we
could change our criminal justice system.”
Hingeley is the democrat candidate for Albemarle County’s Commonwealth Attorney.

Election day is Nov. 5.

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1/17/2020 Sally Hudson • Virginia House of Delegates - 57th District Democrat
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DISTRICT
Sally Hudson
Virginia House of Delegates - 57th District
Democrat
Originally from Iowa, 57th District candidate Sally Hudson grew up moving around as the
daughter of a minister.
“Preacher’s kids and ‘military brats’ cover a lot of ground,” Hudson said. “When you get
dropped in different communities you nd your feet fast. You learn to nd new friends and
grow new roots.”
In her three years in Virginia as a professor at the University of Virginia, she has planted
roots she intends to deepen should she be elected delegate.
Hudson’s background is in economics, and she said that she feels she can apply that to her
role as a state delegate. In her work as an economist and professor, she said a lot of her
work has taken her to Richmond before to spend time with delegates and advise on
legislative issues and consult with the Northam administration on similar topics.
“For a long time, I thought that was going to be really ful lling work. I love teaching. I love
that nitty gritty stuff that makes government go around,” Hudson said. “But I got to a
point where I felt like, in this current political climate where there is so little patience or
appetite for that careful rigorous work, it was time to shift gears and use a different part of
my toolkit to be a more effective advocate for public policy.”
Hudson sees her background in economics as a training ground for state-level action.
“So much of what we [economists] do is study how different states approach the same
problem and then learn from that. States are the laboratories of democracy, so those are
the laboratories of an economist,” Hudson said.
A priority for Hudson if she is elected is health care. She does not support monopolies on
markets that lead to price spikes, like the one central Virginia experienced in 2017.
“We had folks who maybe made just a little too much to qualify for Medicaid, or small-
business owners and entrepreneurs or freelancers who didn’t have employer-sponsored
health insurance who got rocked.” Hudson said. “As shocking as that was to many
consumers, we shouldn’t have been surprised. Economists know that health insurance
markets are designed to fail. It is the classic example of a product that the private market is
not equipped to provide. “
Hudson suggests developing a statewide option for public health insurance.
“We should build on the bones of our existing Medicaid system, and offer what we call a
‘Medicaid Buy-In’ so that anyone, no matter their income level, could purchase the
Medicaid plan from the state so that there is always another provider in the mix.
Maintaining that competition keeps prices low.”
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A topic that has come up across city, county and state campaigns has been the Dillon
Rule, which limits the amount of autonomy local governments may have on certain actions
and instead pushes responsibility to General Assembly.
“There are progressive cities that may want to pursue some policies that are a little bit
ahead of where the state is,” Hudson said. “But also, there are some true small-L
libertarians in the Republican caucus who believe in local governance. Those folks should
be getting together.”
The rule originates in Hudson’s native Iowa. The state, not unlike Virginia, has pockets of
urban density and vast rural areas with different needs. Iowa’s repeal of the rule allowed
for the diverse localities to have more control. Hudson said she thinks the rule in Virginia
could be something on the table in future legislative sessions.
“So, many of the issues that are peak debates here revolve around the Dillon Rule, or the
general attitude that we defer to the state on matters of local governance,” Hudson said.
“So whether you’re talking about giving the city exibility to address our affordable
housing crisis or raising wages so that workers can have incomes they need to meet the
high cost of living here, it stands between that.”
Hudson noted the $15 dollar per hour movement that has echoed throughout the nation.
While she is in favor of raising minimum wage, she said it’s important to recognize that
cost of living varies by locality, and it should increase in accordance with that. For example,
she cited how $15 per hour could feel like $10 in a place like Arlington.
Other issues Hudson plans to tackle are renewable energy and voting reform. Hudson is
also a volunteer with OneVirginia2021 and supports redistricting reform.
Questionnaire
What inspired you to run for state delegate?
I believe we’re at a critical juncture in Virginia’s history. Virginia Democrats are just one
seat down in both our House and Senate, nally in striking distance of ipping the General
Assembly. In moments like these, districts like ours need to send strong reformers to
Richmond who will lead on economic equity, genuine justice, a real climate change
agenda, and the democratic reforms that make all other progress possible. As an
economist, I’ve worked on the nitty gritty details of policy drafting. As a grassroots
organizer, I’ve learned to rally support for reform agendas, too. I think we could use more
of both those perspectives in Richmond: an eye for the details that deliver results and the
big picture view of coalition building.
Del. Toscano has submitted legislation that would allow

localities their own authority on what to do with its
monuments, such as the Confederate monuments in town.
Are you interested in submitting similar legislation, and if so,
how would you work to pass it through the House?
I would absolutely resubmit that legislation. I’m afraid it’s a non-starter until Democrats ip
the General Assembly, though. The bill is almost guaranteed to die in any Republican-led
subcommittee. That’s why it’s essential that we elect a Delegate who will support
statewide organizing for the general election this fall. I’ve worked in the last two election
cycles helping candidates running in red districts, and I’ve been honored to earn their
support for my campaign. All four Democratic candidates who ran for Congress in the 5th
District last fall have endorsed my campaign, as have four of our nearby Delegate
candidates. They know I’m a team player who will work hard to get great candidates
elected statewide.
On a broader scope, what are your thoughts on the Dillon

Rule in the state of Virginia? What are some areas you feel
localities should have more autonomy on outside of the
General Assembly? Or do you support Virginia as a Dillon
Rule state?
I’d like to see Virginia pursue the path to Home Rule. Charlottesville and Albemarle are
among the most innovative and progressive communities in Virginia, so we often want
exibility that our state government doesn’t grant us. On balance, I think it’s better for
states to give local leaders freedom to tailor policy to local needs and use statewide
regulations to set guidelines, as needed. Absent a wholesale shift to Home Rule, I’d
especially like the General Assembly to grant localities more autonomy over local zoning
and wage regulations so we can develop the housing and job opportunities our
community needs.
As more and more people rally in support of legislation to

address climate change, what are some proposals you
would consider drafting bills around?
We need to empower clean, local power producers to generate more energy. Some
concrete reforms include:
– lifting caps on net-metered solar so households can feed more power back onto the grid
if they produce more than they need
– granting local governments rights to install larger solar facilities on public property, like
the roofs of schools
– supporting third-party power purchase agreements (PPAs) to ease nancing of solar

installations for homeowners
What do you see as some District-specific topics you’d like

to tackle, along with some statewide issues you would like
to work on?
Charlottesville sits at the epicenter of so many challenges. We should be leading from
experience:
– We saw the highest health insurance premium spikes in the country last year, and we
can’t wait for a federal solution to our local problem. State leaders need to step up and
expand public health insurance options so that every Virginian can afford quality care. I’d
work to develop a statewide Medicaid buy-in plan so that any one can buy insurance
through the state if they don’t like what they’re getting from employers.
– We’re a hub for clean energy rms, but Richmond favors state utilities over local power
producers. We need to slash the barriers that slow solar and wind production to confront
climate change head on.
– We know racism is so much more than hateful slurs. It’s the structural barriers that
prevent people of color from securing the resources we all deserve. Really confronting
racism requires investing in our public schools, affordable housing, and a criminal justice
overhaul. I’d work hard to secure the resources we need so that every family in our
community can thrive.
And until we x the bones of democracy itself, so many of the others reforms we sorely
need will stay on the back burner. I think Virginia needs a modern Voting Rights Act, a
comprehensive election reform package to secure democracy for the long haul. We need
automatic registration, early voting, independent redistricting, campaign nance reform,
and a host of other electoral upgrades so that politicians are more accountable to the
people they serve.
What are some state-level issues you think you would want
to seek bipartisan partnership with on? Is there any
incumbent Republican or Democrat delegate, that pending
a reelection, you’re eager to work with?
I have experience working with both Republicans and Democrats in Richmond on election
reform. In 2017, I founded FairVote VA, a cross-partisan, statewide coalition advocating
for ranked choice voting in Virginia. We helped draft a local option bill with bipartisan
sponsors that earned unanimous support in the House Privileges & Elections committee.
As a Delegate, I’d be eager to continue that work along with other election reforms, like
expanding ballot access and securing an independent redistricting commission.
As for incumbents, there are so many I’d be honored to join as colleagues. I’ve been
grateful to earn endorsements from several sitting members of the House of Delegates:
veterans Pat Hope from Arlington and Sam Rasoul from Roanoke along with freshmen
Debra Rodman and Schuyler VanValkenburg from Henrico. They’re all leaders in the
growing coalition of reformers who want to make Richmond more responsive to all
Virginians.

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1/17/2020 Virginia House of Delegates – 58th District
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2019 Voter Guide
Elizabeth Alcorn Rob Bell

VIRGINIA HOUSE OF DELEGATES - 58TH DISTRICT VIRGINIA HOUSE OF DELEGATES - 58TH DISTRICT
DEMOCRAT REPUBLICAN
Delegate Rob Bell, the Republican incumbent will be challenged by Democrat candidate Elizabeth
Alcorn in November.
A map of the district can be viewed here.

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1/17/2020 Elizabeth Alcorn • Virginia House of Delegates - 58th District Democrat
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DISTRICT
Elizabeth Alcorn
Democrat
Elizabeth Alcorn spent the summer knocking on doors canvassing during an especially hot
Albemarle County summer. And it’s heat she is bringing as she challenges longtime
incumbent Republican Del. Rob Bell.
The retired dentist is red up to talk about issues like health care, gun safety and
education, as well as those that are speci c to the rural parts of the 58th District, like
broadband access.
“I was inspired to run because I have seen over the past 25 years that the Democratic
Party has done a poor job elding candidates in rural areas, and, in a lot of cases, those
races end up uncontested. That disenfranchises portions of the community voices being
heard,” Alcorn said.
She said she also has grown frustrated with Bell’s representation of the district and feels
she can do better.
“I want to get him off the Courts & Justice Committee [in the General Assembly],” Alcorn
said. “He’s not doing what needs to be done.”
Some priorities for Alcorn, should she be elected, are adding more renewable energy to
the power grid, enhancing broadband infrastructure and improving healthcare access.
“It’s a necessary utility in our society,” Alcorn said of broadband internet access. “In the
rural areas lacking it, it’s choking off economic development.
Alcorn said she sees a public-private partnership as a path to enhancing broadband. As

for healthcare, it’s a topic that hits personally close to home for her.
“As many people know, our district had the highest health insurance in the district in
2018,” Alcorn said. “My husband and I lost our insurance when our rates went to over
$6,000 a month for self-employed small-business people.”
While Alcorn is a retired dentist as a result of arthritis and hand surgery, she and her
husband own a small business that builds affordable homes in Albemarle. At the time she
and her husband lost their insurance, central Virginia faced a near health care monopoly
with prices on the rise from lack of competition.
Inspired to act, Alcorn joined a local group called Charlottesville for Reasonable Health
Insurance and began lobbying at the state capital.
“We did research and lobbied at the General Assembly for changes as private citizens,”
Alcorn said.
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Like fellow regional state candidate Sally Hudson, who won the Democratic primary in
June for the House’s 57th District, Alcorn suggests the possibility of a statewide health
care option people can buy into.
“We can require more oversight and transparency in the pricing process,” Alcorn said of
the State Corporation Commission, which the General Assembly appoints.
“Rob Bell has been in the position for a long time. A lot of people like him, but a lot of
voters in the district are unaware of his voting record,” Alcorn said. “I want to get that
message out there how he has voted. His votes do not coincide with the concerns and
interest in his community. For instance, voting against Stanley’s bill in subcommittee.”
Prior to an April 2019 budget amendment that temporarily removed driver’s license
reinstatement fees for nonviolent offenders who’d lost their license from unpaid nes, Sen.
Bill Stanley, R-Franklin County, had submitted similar legislation during the 2019 assembly
session. Bell voted against the measure both times.
“This was a Republican and he voted against it, and it really hurts people in our district,”
Alcorn said. “We have a rural district with less public transportation and people can’t get
to work.”
If elected to the House of Delegates, Alcorn said she also would like to enhance trade skills
in K-12 schools and community colleges.
“We have a serious workforce issue in trades, and we need to ll those jobs,” Alcorn said.
She also said she sees clean energy sources as better for the environment and also a fast-
growing industry for employment that can serve rural and urban areas of her district.
Alcorn said she will champion raising the electric grid cap on renewable energy from 1%
to 5%.
On gun safety, Alcorn supports gun owner’s rights, but she has plans to make gun
ownership safer. Alcorn aims to implement universal background checks for gun shows
and internet sales. Presently background checks are offered at gun shows by state police,
but not required. Alcorn said she does want to ban high-capacity magazines and bump
stocks. She also wants to enhance red ag laws, which allow for police and families to
petition a court order to remove rearms from people who may be a danger to themselves
or others.
Another issue Alcorn said she wants to tackle is campaign nance. She would like to see a
$5,000 donation limit from any one person or corporation, as many candidates in the past
have taken large sums of money from companies like Dominion Energy. In the current
election cycle, numerous candidates in the state have refused to accept funds from the
utility.
“People are fed up with career politicians. They don’t see their interests,” Alcorn said.
“Health care and affordability is what people want. I think that’s a good thing. We need
new voices and new ideas for new problems.”
Alcorn is the democratic candidate for Virginia’s 58th House District. Election day is Nov.
5.
Questionnaire

As a dentist who maintained a private practice for 30 years, I witnessed many problems in
the healthcare system, including the overreach of insurers who put pro ts over patients.
Throughout my career, I volunteered providing care for people who couldn’t afford it and
HIV patients many dentists refused to treat. When an insurance monopoly tripled
premiums in our region, my husband and I went uninsured. I joined Charlottesville for
Reasonable Health Insurance as a citizen lobbyist and learned how the agencies chartered
to protect Virginians aren’t doing their jobs. It’s going to take a change in the General
Assembly to protect consumers and improve access to affordable healthcare for everyone.
Funding for Virginia’s public schools still has not returned to pre-recession levels. Our
schools need resources to teach students the skills they need in a rapidly changing society.
Our region’s needs aren’t being met with infrastructure as a root problem, including
broadband. Students can’t do their homework without reliable and affordable internet
service. Adults can’t apply for jobs without it, and our region risks falling behind while we
wait.
As severe drought and historic oods impact the commonwealth, I fear for the future of
our planet and all generations to follow. We must replace coal- and gas-funded politicians
like my opponent with those who commit to clean energy and take action to ght climate
change. As a citizen and solar panel owner, I worked in Richmond for the Solar Freedom
Bill, which would give individuals and localities greater access to solar energy. My
opponent voted against it. We need representatives who will advocate for our
communities, not corporate donors.
Del. Toscano has submitted legislation that would allow localities their
own authority on what to do with its monuments, such as the
Confederate monuments in town. Are you interested in submitting
similar legislation, and if so, how would you work to pass it through the
House?
Monuments to the Civil War should be treated separately from war memorials. These
statues memorialize a war that would have propagated slavery and were erected as
symbols of Jim Crow. There are a limited number of monuments in my district, so I don’t
think I’m the appropriate person to carry this legislation, but I would certainly support it. I
would work with the bill’s patron in whatever way is appropriate and impactful. I would
think we could nd common ground across party lines on this issue. Any consistent
conservative should see the current law as an overreach by the state into local matters.
On a broader scope, what are your thoughts on the Dillon Rule in the
state of Virginia? What are some areas you feel localities should have
more autonomy on outside of the General Assembly? Or do you support
Virginia as a Dillon Rule state?
I would support Dillon Rule repeal by working with fellow Democrats who support the
legislation as well as consistent conservatives who see the Dillon Rule as what it is, default
state overreach. Localities should have more control over their affairs on issues related to
liquor regulations, types of local taxes, planning and zoning, proffers and impact fees for
development.


There are many pieces of legislation already on the table that could set Virginia on a path
to addressing climate change. This General Assembly session, I went to Richmond as a
citizen in support of the Solar Freedom Bill, which would have given localities and
individuals greater opportunities to develop solar energy. My opponent voted against the
bill, and it failed to pass. We need to enable individuals, local governments and other
entities to harness their own clean power, which would also open up new revenue streams
for farmers who own untillable land as well as for other individuals and businesses.
One of the primary reasons Virginia has failed to address climate change is the hold of
Dominion Energy and coal interests on the General Assembly, gained through decades of
campaign contributions and an overwhelming team of lobbyists that limit the development
of clean energy. I have pledged not to take donations from Dominion or Appalachian
Power, and I will support legislation to eliminate campaign contributions by corporate
monopolies. Addressing this campaign nance problem would help elect representatives
focused on smart clean energy solutions that bring good paying jobs to our communities.
Not only is clean energy better for the environment, but it’s a growth industry. There are
more solar jobs in Virginia than coal miners.
What are some state-level issues you think you would want to seek
bipartisan partnership with on? Is there any incumbent Republican or
Democrat delegate, that pending a reelection, you’re eager to work with?
One important area ripe for bipartisan cooperation is criminal justice reform, such as
repealing the law that suspends driver’s licenses for failure to pay court costs. The
punishment for failing to pay court costs shouldn’t prevent people from paying their court
costs. My opponent helped kill the repeal legislation in a partisan subcommittee vote. After
the governor sent similar legislation to the House oor by way of a budget vote, it passed
with broad bipartisan support. I would love to coordinate with Sen. Bill Stanley, R-Franklin
County, who carried the repeal bill in the Senate, to pass similar criminal justice reforms.
Our students and teachers deserve fully funded schools. Virginia’s contributions to local
school districts are still below 2007 levels after severe cuts during the recession. State
funding for local schools impacts rural districts differently than urban schools, so as a
Democrat representing a rural district, I’m likely to nd allies among rural Republicans. I
will make sure our schools, students and teachers get the support they deserve, which
means cooperating with legislators from both parties and all parts of the state.
1/17/2020 Rob Bell • Virginia House of Delegates - 58th District Republican
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DISTRICT
Rob Bell
Republican
Rob Bell, the incumbent Republican candidate for the House of Delegates’ 58th District,
has a list of accomplishments he’s proud of and said he wants to continue to work in the
state capital.
“I like to think we’ve done some very good work, but there’s still more to do,” Bell said.
“This last year, we’ve made some big steps in mental health and school safety with school
buses, but we’re not sure what we did will be enough or accomplish what the goals are, so
I’d like to see how this unfolds.”
During his tenure at General Assembly, which began in 2002, his background as a
prosecutor has shown through in much of his legislation. He has passed criminal justice
laws such as legislation that expands protection orders in the state, gives life sentences to
those convicted of raping children and addresses sexual assaults on college campuses.
“Addressing issues around domestic violence and school safety is something I’ve worked
on since the very rst day I walked in,” Bell said. “And I suspect the day I walk out it will
still be something that the person who follows me will have to work on.”
Mental health policy has become something he has worked to improve in recent years. In
2014, he worked on a bill that ensures available beds at state hospitals for those who have
been court ordered to get treatment. He also presently serves as co-chair of the Deeds
Commission, a bipartisan subcommittee on mental health that is chaired by Sen. Creigh
Deeds (D-Bath).
His efforts regarding mental health also stem back to the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007,
where the campus shooter who killed 32 people had mentally been adjudicated the year
prior.
“It was a place where I was in the right committee with the right seniority, at the right
time,” Bell said. “They were looking for people who were interested in mental health laws,
so we worked on post-Virginia Tech mental health reform.”
As the Virginia Tech shooter managed to legally purchase his two semi-automatic
rearms, it became apparent a breakdown in communication had occurred regarding his
court order to get therapy.
“Another issue we’ve tried to address is the siloing of information,” Bell said. “Student
council knew something. Law enforcement knew something. His roommate knew
something. His academic advisors knew something. They were all pointing in the same
direction. But because they felt they couldn’t share the information, nobody put it all
together.”
Bell notes that legislative work around mental health is far from over.
“Unfortunately, we’ve had a series of incidents every few years that lead us to believe this
is going to be an ongoing project,” he said.
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1/17/2020 Rob Bell • Virginia House of Delegates - 58th District Republican
In his time as delegate, he’s served as chair of Courts & Justice Committee (where he has
done much of his work), the Health Welfare and Institutions Committee, as well as the
Commerce and Labor Committee. At the General Assembly, legislation is ltered through
specialized committees before it can potentially receive full oor votes in the House and
Senate. He has also been on the Virginia state crime commission — the group tasked with
studying gun safety bills after the adjournment of this summer’s special session on gun
violence. In July, Bell was one of 50 delegates to vote to adjourn and reconvene after
elections this November.
In his work with the commission, he’s been part of studies that revealed missing
ngerprinting data and unclaimed restitution.
“That was just another one of these ‘Oh my gosh, the system is not working the way that
it is supposed to work, we need to write legislation to x it’ [moments]. And so, we did,”
Bell said.
As the subject of the Dillon rule has popped up in various local and state races, Bell said
that he supports it. The rule limits the amount of autonomy local governments may have
on certain actions and instead pushes responsibility to the General Assembly.
“There are things we let localities manage, obviously things like zoning, and then things
that the state controls,” Bell said. “Many of those are economic- or business-related. For
instance, Virginia has maintained a very high ranking in most of the business ratings and
they always say one of the most important aspects of that is avoiding a checkerboard of
regulations. If you have a big company that’s across multiple counties, it is very expensive
and dif cult to keep up with all the local changes.”
Bell attributes Virginia’s business climate and regulations from the Dillon rule as part of
why Amazon decided on the state for its second headquarters.
“When Amazon came here, the package of incentives that Virginia put together was not
as lucrative as a bunch of other states,” Bell said. “What Amazon said is, ‘Nonetheless, we
want to come here because Virginia is the right place to be as a business.’”
As for seeking reelection, Bell said he feels that serving as a delegate on the commissions
he’s been a part of is where he has made impacts in the state and he’s eager to potentially
serve another term.
Bell is the Republican candidate for Virginia’s 58th House district. Election day is Nov. 5.
**A Questionnaire for Del. Bell is forthcoming.


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1/17/2020 Virginia House of Delegates – 59th District
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2019 Voter Guide
Virginia House of Delegates – 59th District
Tim Hickey
VIRGINIA HOUSE OF DELEGATES - 59TH DISTRICT
DEMOCRAT
Democrat Tim Hickey will challenge incumbent Republican Delegate Matt Fariss in November.
Charlottesville Tomorrow was unable to nalize an interview with Del. Fariss but his campaign
website can be viewed here.
A map of the district can be viewed here.

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1/17/2020 Tim Hickey • Virginia House of Delegates - 59th District Democrat
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DISTRICT
Tim Hickey
Democrat
Longtime teacher Tim Hickey is a Democrat challenging Republican incumbent Del. Matt
Fariss for the 59th District in the House of Delegates, which stretches south from just
outside of Charlottesville toward Lynchburg.
While it includes a portion of Albemarle County, Fariss’ district is mostly composed of

portions of Appomattox, Buckingham, Campbell and Nelson counties. The district’s
sprawling terrain and variety of constituents are part of Hickey’s inspiration in seeking to
represent it.
“I think that we could do a better job of representing all of the counties in our district,”
Hickey said.
Hickey, a New Jersey native and former lawyer who returned to Virginia for both of his
degrees at the College of William & Mary and University of Virginia, went on to nd
passion in education and has spent the past 16 years teaching.
His priorities, if elected into General Assembly, are rural broadband access, investing in
education and workforce development and redistricting. His platform also includes getting
corporate money out of politics; as such, he is one of many candidates this election cycle to
refuse money from corporations, like Dominion Energy. His top donors include political
action committees Clean Virginia and Win Virginia, a PAC that supports Democratic
candidates, along with novelist John Grisham and longtime Democratic donor Sonjia
Smith.
“The rst thing I want to work on is banning corporations from contributing to political
campaigns in Virginia,” he said. “Especially with regard to Dominion Energy, there’s a
growing recognition that it is not good for the people of Virginia to have corporate
ownership of our General Assembly.”
Hickey noted that his incumbent opponent has taken large sums of money from corporate
donors, including Dominion and Appalachian Power Co.
On accepting a sizeable sum from PACs like Clean Virginia, Hickey said he will usually
spend hours seeking individual contributions while Fariss rakes in large sums from
corporations.
“It’s dif cult to run against that,” Hickey said. “So, Clean Virginia empowers me to run a
clean campaign. It allows me to spend time talking to and listening to voters, which is
what you should be doing in a campaign.”
Broadband access is another big issue for Hickey, as he sees its intersection with
education, business and quality of life for his district. Hickey said the continued use of
public-private partnerships will be helpful in expanding broadband access.
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“Building out broadband should be like when we doled out rural electri cation in the
1940s,” Hickey said.
As recent years have seen a dwindling of vocational or trades skills offered in high school,
Hickey said he wants to champion return in order for students to have more options for
their future.
“One thing we need to do a lot better in our district, at least, is investing in vocational and
tactical education,” Hickey said. “We have many kids where college is not the right path.
Many kids would be better served working to get a credential and going into the workforce
after high school, and yet, for instance, in Buckingham County, they just cut their
automotive program a few years ago so kids don’t have that opportunity now. Nelson
County cut 10 instructional staff positions. So, we don’t have anybody standing up for the
dollars from the state that we need for our rural districts”
Another educational issue Hickey said he wants to tackle is standardized testing.
“Teachers almost everywhere will say that we are all weighed down by the burden of
endless standardized tests,” Hickey said. “We’ve made some progress in the last few years
in peeling some of that back, but we need to be able to teach kids the way that we know is
best for them and that is not bubble tests.”
Another inspiration for Hickey’s run is the support of universal background checks and
other gun safety measures. Fariss has served as chair of a subcommittee within the House
Militia, Police and Public Safety committee, which has voted down gun safety measures.
“It kills all of the common-sense gun violence prevention bills,” Hickey said.
As background checks are run by law enforcement and authorized dealers, it is still not
always possible for every sale — such as private sales at gun shows where the state police
offers, but doesn’t require, checks.
“That is a wildly popular idea, even in my district, which has a rich tradition of gun
ownership and hunting,” Hickey said. “States that have enacted universal background
checks have been able to signi cantly cut gun violence.”
Hickey is the Democratic candidate for the House’s 59th district. Election day is Nov. 5.
Questionnaire
As a public school teacher of 17 years, I’ve always taken a public service approach to the
work. We serve every kid who walks through our school house doors & all of their families.
And those of us who work in public schools all have each other’s backs. The teachers,
custodial staff, bus drivers, secretaries, teacher’s aides, everyone works together to
provide opportunity and love to children in our community. That is the sort of approach we
need in our House of Delegates.
Del. Toscano has submitted legislation that would allow localities their
own authority on what to do with its monuments, such as the
Confederate monuments in town. Are you interested in submitting
similar legislation, and if so, how would you work to pass it through the
House?
I support the idea that localities should be empowered to make these decisions for
themselves.
On a broader scope, what are your thoughts on the Dillon Rule in the
state of Virginia? What are some areas you feel localities should have
more autonomy on outside of the General Assembly? Or do you support
Virginia as a Dillon Rule state?
The Dillon Rule hurts people and localities and helps industry lobbyists and corporate-
funded career politicians. It needs to go. The archaic rule forces localities to beg the state
for permission before making many important decisions that affect our communities
ranging from re safety to monuments to marijuana. Virginia is one of only a handful of
states that is a strict Dillon Rule state. It would be good for the people of our District if we
took power out of the hands of Richmond politicians and returned it to the people. This
aligns well with my approach to politics because I have not taken a dime from any
corporation. I believe in the power of people.
As more and more people rally in support of legislation to address

climate change, what are some proposals you would consider drafting
bills around?
I will proudly stand up for protections for our land, air and water. My opponent ranked
99th out of the 100 Delegates in a recent Sierra Club analysis of how legislators vote on
basic environmental protections. That’s an extreme position that is out of step with people
here in our District. In contrast, I will work to remove barriers to the solar energy market
and empower people to be more self-reliant in meeting their energy needs, hold
corporations accountable for polluting our streams and rivers, advocate for Virginia to join
the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, and end Dominon’s stranglehold on our General
Assembly. The rst thing I intend to do as Delegate is to ban corporations, starting with
Dominion, from donating to political campaigns.
What do you see as some District-specific topics you’d like to tackle,

along with some statewide issues you would like to work on?
Thousand of people in our District lack access to broadband. Just yesterday, I met a real
estate agent who lamented having to spend time and resources driving to a a coffee shop
every day to access the Internet. In this day and age, so much commerce and business is
conducted online. So lack of access means lack of economic opportunity. We have children
that have to go to McDonald’s to access resources for school assignments. In the 1940s,
we worked together to achieve rural electri cation. In 2019, we need to build out
broadband to every last mile in our rural areas. My opponent and his party cut
$30,000,000 from the proposed budget that was allocated for broadband. I see that as a
missed opportunity for people here in our District and I will ght for those state dollars for
rural areas like the 59th.
What are some state-level issues you think you would want to seek
bipartisan partnership with on? Is there any incumbent Republican or
Democrat delegate, that pending a reelection, you’re eager to work with?
Much of what happens at the state-level is bi-partisan. I value Virginia’s AAA bond rating,
I support scal responsibility, and I think we need to do better by our small businesses.
Medicaid expansion is an another issue that ultimately depended upon some bi-partisan
cooperation. Protecting it will also likely require folks on both sides of the aisle agreeing to
do the right thing by their constituents. I also see opportunity for bi-partisan work on
issues that have widespread popularity. For instance, ratifying the Equal Rights
Amendment & implementing universal background checks are both wildly popular among
most Virginians.
As far as folks I’d like to work with, I am certainly eager to collaborate with some of fellow
teachers in the General Assembly like Schuyler Van Valkenburg. I’m excited to see Sally
Hudson apply her extraordinary economic acumen to many of the issues facing Virginians.
And over in the Senate I’ve had the chance to meet Jennifer McClellan and deeply admire
her smart approach to issues like criminal justice reform. She’s also just such a down to
earth, authentic person. I’ve learned a lot by watching her and would love to work with
her.
1/17/2020 Virginia State Senate – 17th District
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2019 Voter Guide
Virginia State Senate - 17th District
Amy Laufer Sen. Bryce Reeves

VIRGINIA STATE SENATE- 17TH DISTRICT - DEMOCRAT VIRGINIA STATE SENATE- 17TH DISTRICT -REPUBLICAN
June 11 holds a primary race for Democrats Amy Laufer and Ben Hixon, as well as Republicans Sen.
Bryce Reeves and Rich Breeden.

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1/17/2020 Sen. Bryce Reeves • Virginia State Senate- 17th District -Republican
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BACK TO VIRGINIA STATE SENATE – 17TH DISTRICT
Sen. Bryce Reeves

Virginia State Senate- 17th District -Republican
Due to scheduling, Charlottesville Tomorrow conducted a phone interview with Sen.

Reeves. As of the publication date, Reeves has not responded to the Questionnaire or
sent a photograph. The page will be updated accordingly.
Incumbent Sen. Bryce Reeves, is seeking re-election in a crowded race for Virginia’s 17th
Senate District. He was rst elected in 2011 and has served on several councils,
committees and commissions during his time in Senate.
Aside from being a senator, Reeves is a State Farm insurance agent and resides in
Spotsylvania County with his wife and their children. Previously, he served in the Army in
various positions, to include airborne ranger, and spent time as a vice-narcotics detective
in Prince William County.
He is proud to have championed legislation concerning veterans and the military as well as
law enforcement. More recently, Reeves was part of a collaborative effort between state
and federal government to bring another wing of F-22 Raptors to Langley Air Force Base.
“That’s a huge impact for that area of Virginia and we directly helped lead that effort,”
Reeves said. “So, we’re making a difference and it’s awesome.”
Health care is a topic saturating many local and state races, and it’s one that Reeves plans
to keep working on.
“I think that’s a huge issue in our district, especially in Albemarle County, where premiums
have increased almost 300%,” Reeves said.
In the most recent legislative session, Reeves worked on a bill to allow different health care
insurance options that passed both the House of Delegates and the Senate, before being
vetoed by Gov. Ralph Northam. Reeves said that due to its ability to garner bipartisan
support, he plans to get a Democratic colleague to carry the bill next session.
As a strong Second Amendment supporter with an A+ National Ri e Association rating,

Reeves worked both sides of the aisle when Attorney General Mark Herring wanted to end
concealed carry reciprocity agreements with other states.
“I worked with the [Gov. Terry] McAuliffe administration to not only get our Second
Amendment rights back, but to put in protections for folks who are victims of violent
domestic abuse by putting in some safeguards there and working on the ability to have
background checks at gun shows,” Reeves said.
Civilians lack access to the National Criminal Instant Criminal Background Check system,
which is how previous private sales that take place at gun shows had gone unrecorded
and without background checks. Since 2017, Virginia State Police has offered to run
checks for private sales at gun shows. While it is not required, it is encouraged.
Though Reeves said he is looking to keep his seat in Senate, he had in 2017 a run for
lieutenant governor before losing to Sen. Jill Vogel in the primary. In this current race, one
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1/17/2020 Sen. Bryce Reeves • Virginia State Senate- 17th District -Republican
of Reeves’ challengers, Ben Hixon, took issue with a campaign tactic of Reeve’s from the
lieutenant governor race, along with his voting record concerning the LGBTQ+ community.
In 2017,. Reeves had sent out a mailer concerning Vogel, that opposed her vote to approve
the state’s rst openly gay judge. Reeves asserts his stance on the Vogel vote was
because he felt the judge would be partisan to an agenda.
“Judges should not be activists,” he said. “They are the third, and judicial, branch of our
government.”
He added that he feels the threat to the rule of law is judicial activism.
“Judicial activism means that judges strive for what they deem a ‘just’ result in a case in the
light of their own philosophies or socioeconomic values, with established legal principles
being given little or no weight,” Reeves said. “Decisions turn more and more upon ‘who’ is
the judge than upon ‘what’ is the law. The primary duty of a judge, after the facts of a case
were determined, was to nd the law applicable to the facts, and decided accordingly
regardless of his or her personal feelings.”
As for future legislative goals to tackle pending re-election, Reeves says plans to keep
working towards restructuring state Alcoholic Beverage Control laws, addressing school
safety and dealing with school funding disparities, not raising taxes, continuing reform to
foster care, supporting businesses and supporting veterans.
On a bigger-picture approach, Reeves says there will be a June 12 announcement

concerning veterans’ courts, legislation he has sponsored in the past.
“We’ll have an announcement to make along with the White House and our own state
executive-level leadership with regards to some veterans affairs stuff that we are going to
be working on and kind of be the tip of the spear for the country on,” Reeves said. “There’s
a bill running its way through Congress now that has to do with laying out a national
program with regard to veterans’ courts.”
Reeves is running against Amy Laufer for state senate district 17. Election day is Nov. 5.

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1/17/2020 Amy Laufer • Virginia State Senate- 17th District - Democrat
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Amy Laufer
Virginia State Senate- 17th District - Democrat
From the Charlottesville School Board to the Senate chambers? Amy Laufer is passionate
about education, health care and the environment and said she aims to addressed those
issues should she move up to represent Virginia’s 17th Senate District.
The district, currently represented by Sen. Bryce Reeves, R-Spotsylvania, encompasses

Fredericksburg and parts of Albemarle, Orange, Louisa, Culpeper and Spotsylvania
counties.
Laufer said she feels that her experience serving on the city School Board and the
Commission on Children and Families have helped prepare her for some state Senate
duties.
“[The Commission on Children and Families] was a group of people that are service
providers for families of children with special needs, like my own, so it really broadened my
perspective on all the different programs that are available to families,” Laufer said. “The
School Board was an extension of that, and really looking at programs that work, budget,
these are all things that legislators do as well.”
She added that nding common ground on policy was something she learned how to do
on during her tenure on the School Board.
Laufer supports universal preschool to enhance early childhood education and relieve
many parents from daycare costs. As a former teacher, she said she supports increased
technology education, increased funding for schools and teacher salaries.
As broadband access is an issue in portions of her district, Laufer said she also believes it
can intersect with healthcare. She said she plans to expand broadband access and
increase opportunities for telemedicine.
Laufer supports more competition in health insurance plans to keep out monopolies. She
said that despite pharmaceutical companies mostly being handled at the federal level, the
state should do whatever it can.
“I know from experience, especially with my family, it’s an incredible hardship,” Laufer said.
“So however we could support negotiating those [insurances].
Laufer also noted that transportation needs vary throughout her district.
“Of course we have urban and rural areas, but I would say that for Fredericksburg and
Spotysylvania, there are about 60,000 people per day that are commuting on I-95,” Laufer
said. “They will leave their house around 4 a.m. to sit in traf c for several hours to get to
work and then do the same on the way back.”
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Laufer wants to help provide more options through the Virginia Railway Express as a way
to alleviate that.
Broadband improvement is something she considers a signi cant part of her campaign
because of its intersection with transportation, economic opportunity and education, she
said.
She also aims to tackle mass incarceration, support the promotion of vocational training in
high schools, work toward passing the Equal Rights Amendment and work on
environmental and renewable energy legislation. Laufer also plans to work on legislation
that would allow residents who use solar energy to sell some energy back to the grid.
Noting the growing support from legislators on both sides of the aisle to address climate
change, Laufer said she is excited.
“It’s exciting right now that these ideas which were so progressive before are really
common sense and this is bipartisan support here,” Laufer said.
On criminal justice reform, Laufer said she would like to do away with minimum
sentencing, stating that “people are being overcriminalized and over-prosecuted.”
She noted that many people who are incarcerated cannot afford bail, so she supports
diversion programs in its stead. She said she also would like to do away with minimum
sentencing.
“We should not be criminalizing poverty, which is basically what bail does,” Laufer said of
people who cannot afford bail.
She noted how long some sentences can be with aging prison populations and the cost of
housing and feeding inmates, along with the personal rami cations of those who are
incarcerated.
“I think it’s important to paint the picture that mass incarceration rips apart families, it ruins
people’s lives and it drains our economy,” Laufer said. “So, utilizing diversion programs, no
bail and reinstituting parole gives people a second chance.”
Regarding second chances, Laufer said she wants returning citizens to have an automatic
restoration of rights upon completing their prison sentences.
Laufer is one of eight children and grew up on a dairy farm before joining the Peace Corps.
She previously taught in Louisa County Public Schools and has served two terms on the
city School Board before moving to Albemarle and resigning. Laufer also founded Virginia
List, an organization that supports progressive women candidates. In her free time, she
enjoys attending Zumba classes at ACAC, where she said the ladies involved are “very
fun.”
Laufer is running against Sen. Bryce Reeves for state senate district 17. Election day is
Nov. 5.
Questionnaire
What inspired you to run for state Senate?
I am running for State Senate because I am tired of being represented by people that vote
against the Equal Rights Amendment and ignore climate change. Bryce Reeves has a
voting record that is to the right of this district, and we deserve better representation.
I grew up on a dairy farm, I am one of eight children, and I am a rst-generation college

graduate. I worked my way through college, and graduated with a geology degree. After
joining the Peace Corps, I discovered my passion for education. When I returned to the
United States, I got my Master’s in Education from Columbia University. My rst job in
Virginia was as a science and math teacher in this district. When my second child was
born with a rare medical condition, I made the dif cult decision to stay at home to ensure
he received the care he needed.
I was elected twice to the Charlottesville school board, and was unanimously voted by my
peers to Vice Chair and Chair. While advocating for the school in Richmond, I noticed how
few women were representing us, so I founded Virginia’s List, a political action committee
to help women get elected to state of ce. This year, I am running because I want to bring
my experience growing up in a rural community, raising a child with medical needs,
teaching in our public schools, and advocating for our community on the school board to
the state senate. I want to ensure opportunities for all people living in this district.

monuments, such as the Confederate monuments in town.
Are you interested in submitting similar legislation, and if so,
how would you work to pass it through the Senate?
I would be interested in supporting or introducing similar legislation in the State Senate.
As it currently stands, communities are unable to make this decision. We need to allow
localities to determine what is best for their communities and act accordingly.
I believe that empathy and understanding is the key to working across the aisle to pass
legislation. In this case, I would explain why, to many people in our community and
especially our communities of color, these monuments can feel threatening or harmful. I
would seek to amplify the voices of the people trying to make these changes so that all
representatives, regardless of party, can understand the motivation and feelings behind
these decisions.

Rule state?
While I believe that the Dillon Rule was created for a reason, I do believe that some
changes need to be made to give localities more autonomy. In theory, the Dillon Rule could
be used to ensure that individual localities are protecting all of their citizens and treating
them fairly. In practice, a lot of our communities are more progressive than our state
legislature.
Localities need to be able to make the decisions that are right for their people. Some
communities are ready to take new steps and progress in different ways that make their
communities safer, prosperous, and more secure. We should trust the people of these
localities to know what is best for them.
In some states, such as Texas and Illinois, home rule is granted based on a set of
parameters. Similarly, in Virginia we could institute parameters to determine whether
home rule is appropriate.

The current proposal to move towards renewable energy must be supported. The large,
industrial solar and wind farms can be part of this solution, but we need to be thinking
more broadly if we are to eventually have 100% renewable energy in Virginia. One
proposal that I would be interested in introducing a bill on is to remove all caps in personal
energy creation and the ability to sell it back to the grid. Currently, our citizens with solar
panels are able to create their own energy but there are caps that keep them from selling it
back to the grid. This increases our reliance on major utility companies, such as Dominion,
and it stops us from becoming a greener state. Also, if we were to remove these caps so
people could sell back their energy unimpeded, people may be more incentivized to invest
in their own clean energy infrastructure.

to work on?
One major issue in this district is broadband. Currently, 20-25% of the 17th district does
not have access to broadband, which prevents them from being able to access knowledge,
the global economy, and even healthcare. In rural parts of this district, you can see children
in parking lots outside of closed buildings doing their homework because that is the only
place they can connect to the internet. There are people who would like to start their own
businesses and farmers who are trying to bring their goods to market who are unable to
do so because of the lack of internet access. And in rural areas like this there is limited
healthcare infrastructure, and it is often far from where citizens live. There are exciting new
opportunities to engage in telemedicine, but we need to have access to the internet in
order to take advantage of them. We need to expand broadband infrastructure so that all
of our people, regardless of their zip code, have the opportunity to succeed.
A statewide issue I am passionate about is education. As a Head Start student myself, I

know how important early-childhood education is. I believe we need to ensure universal
preschool, so that all our students enter grade school ready to learn. Additionally, the cost
of childcare is very high and for working families and especially single mothers this cost
can be economically crippling. We have the ability to help these working families and
better our education and educational equity with a single policy. I also believe we need to
have more vocational training and certi cate programs so that our students have more
educational options. If a student chooses, they should be able to leave high school
quali ed and ready to enter the workforce.
What are some state-level issues you think you would want
to seek bipartisan partnership with on? Is there any
incumbent Republican or Democrat delegate, that pending
a reelection, you’re eager to work with?
I would like to seek bipartisan partnership on a few issues that I am passionate about. One
major issue in this district and the state is the need for transportation infrastructure.
People are driving two hours each way to work every day. This causes congestion and a
lower quality of life for these commuters. We should be introducing public transportation
options that would relieve this congestion. I believe this problem is non-partisan, and I
hope to be able to work across the aisle to improve this situation.
Another issue that I believe we should be able to work across the aisle on is criminal
justice reform. Our current system of mass incarceration rips apart families and ruins lives
while costing the taxpayers millions. We need to be fully utilizing diversion programs, such
as drug court and mental health court, so that these people can attain the care they need
without costing our taxpayers such an outrageous sum. Additionally, we need to be
eliminating mandatory minimums, and when a person has served their time we should be
doing everything we can to help them transition back into their communities and the
economy.
I am excited to work with all of my peers as a State Senator, but I am especially excited to
have the opportunity to work with representatives that Virginia’s List helped get elected,
such as Senator Boysko and Delegate Murphy. I have been incredibly grateful for their
support, and I hope to be able to support them further as a peer in Richmond.

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1/17/2020 Virginia State Senate – 25th District
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2019 Voter Guide
Virginia State Senate - 25th District
Sen. Creigh Deeds Elliott Harding

VIRGINIA STATE SENATE- 25TH DISTRICT-
VIRGINIA STATE SENATE- 25TH DISTRICT- DEMOCRAT
INDEPENDENT
Incumbent state senator Creigh Deeds, D-Bath County will face challenger Elliott Harding, I-
Charlottesville in the general election.
A map with state senate districts can be found here.

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1/17/2020 Sen. Creigh Deeds • Virginia State Senate- 25th District- Democrat
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Sen. Creigh Deeds

Virginia State Senate- 25th District-
Democrat
Sen. R. Creigh Deeds was one of the incumbent legislators to receive applause as he
entered the General Assembly for the July 9 special session on gun violence. No gun
reform bills passed that day (and were instead directed to the state crime commission
ahead of a reconvened session on Nov. 18), but his was the only gun-related bill to pass in
2018’s session. Perhaps what the 25th District Democrat is most known for as a longtime
legislator has been his efforts to improve mental health care within the state.
The matter of mental health isn’t just Deeds representing his constituents — it’s also
personal in the wake of his son’s death.
While Deeds re ects fondly on the memory of his musically multi-talented son and former
campaign trail road trip buddy, Gus, he notes how the tragedy that struck his family has
been a policy pusher.
In 2013, Deeds sought to hospitalize his bipolar son on the verge of a breakdown, only to
be rejected due to a lack of available beds. Ultimately, Gus stabbed his father before
shooting himself. Deeds feels Gus’ death could have been prevented if the systems in
place to care for people were better. Shortly after the tragedy, Deeds returned to work in
the General Assembly, where he established a commission and the STEP-VA plan, which
will establish core mental health facilities statewide.
“It’s a very expensive proposition. We are still about $150 million short annually of
accomplishing the goal of getting that fully implemented,” Deeds said. “We knew it was
going to take time to get it done. We’re trying to solve some problems with overcrowding
in our hospitals. We’ve got a huge need out there and that’s one of the things that eats up
a lot of my time.”
Deeds says his work on mental health policies is the most rewarding but it also can be the
most frustrating, due to the pace of change.
“The change is so incremental,” Deeds said. “But that’s the way that democracy works.
Change is incremental, and things don’t always happen overnight. You just have to keep at
it.”
In 2018, his gun-related bill also intersected with mental health. The bill treats minors
aged 14 or older similarly to adults in regard to purchasing rearms after they have
received mental health treatment. Until certi ed mentally competent, individuals would not
be able to make the purchase.
“A lot of people already thought that was the law,” Deeds explained.
As gun-related bills often do not make it out of Republican-majority committees, Deeds

says he spoke personally to its chairman to advocate for the bill and it helped it to pass.
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“I said to him, ‘I understand the politics of these bills. I understand that you all do what you
think you have to do, but I want you to look at this bill a little bit differently. It’s not
impeding anybody’s rights, and it does what most people already think is the law.’”
When the 2019 special session convened in July, and Sen. Tommy Norment, R-James City,
submitted a gun-reform bill, Deeds says it gave him hope some progress would happen
that day, until the bill was withdrawn.
“Who really knows what happened,” Deeds said. “It’s kind of like the line from ‘Hamilton,’
you know, you always want to ‘be in the room where it happens.’”
Deeds is a fan of the musical and has taken his family to New York to see it on Broadway.
“I’ve listened to the soundtrack probably a dozen times before I nally saw it.”
Though Deeds was born in Richmond, he resides in Bath County like many generations of
his family. He went on to see his classmates from school become the teachers to his four
children. Education is another issue where he wants to see improvement in the General
Assembly.
“For the longest time, our goal was to pay teachers an average rate nationwide, but we’re
not an average state,” Deeds said. “We’re the 10th or 12th wealthiest state in the nation. It
was never my goal for my children to be average at anything. I wanted them to have the
best opportunities. If we are serious, the most important investment we make is in the
development of young people. We have to be willing to make sure our teaches our better
paid because they are the most important part of the classroom experience.”
Deeds has also supported rural broadband expansion legislation, an issue that affects
parts of his district, and one that has received bipartisan support at the local, state and
federal levels. He is involved with BARC Electric Cooperative, which is also a client of his.
“It’s [broadband enhancement] as important infrastructure-wise as electric clients are,”

Deeds said.
As he has worked in government for nearly three decades, changing times may have
called some of his previous stances into question.
Elliott Harding, a lawyer and Independent candidate challenging Deeds in November, has
criticised the senator for his past stance on the United States Supreme Court case Roper v
Simmons, which ruled unconstitutional to impose capital punishment on crimes to those
under the age of 18. At the time of the SCOTUS case, Deeds said death penalty
sentencing belonged to states.
The case came as Deeds was running for attorney general in 2005 and affected the
penalty of Lee Boyd Malvo, who was a minor at the time of the 2002 Beltway sniper
attacks he committed with John Allen Muhammad. Virginia executed Muhammad, 41, in
2009.
“Attorney general is seen as the state’s top lawyer, and a Democrat is already being
challenged as being weak on crime, anyway,” Deeds said. “So I said, ‘Virginia ought to be
able to decide this.’
“That was 2005, though. When we debated it in General Assembly later on and I’m not
sure which year it was — I think it’s been twice I’ve voted for bills that would have
prevented children from being executed.”
In his tenure at General Assembly, Deeds says he’s honored and proud to have been
involved in various legislation, but of course his policy to address mental health have been
his most personally signi cant work.
“By elevating the discussion, I hope we have begun to tear down the walls of stigma to
make it more likely that people are able to get treatment. We’ve dramatically increased the
funding sources for mental health over the last ve years, and we’re not done yet,” Deeds
said.
Deeds and his challenger have noted how politics have become a much more partisan
world than it used to be. But at the end of the day for Deeds, what keeps him inspired is
policy.
“As I see it, politics is a means to an end,” Deeds said. “The end is to be able to make policy
to improve the lives of the people you are elected to represent. I guess I started out
thinking I really liked politics — and I like politics, but what I really like is policy.”
Having spent 28 years involved in politics, serving in both the House and Senate, Deeds
said he approaches each election as incrementally as most policy is achieved. Should he be
reelected, Deeds will continue to take things a day at a time. As both a lawyer and
legislator, he feels he will never be done working for others.
The senator says he needs more time to continue his work at the state level, and that while
he won’t be a politician forever, his service to others will go on much longer.
“Lawyers don’t retire,” Deeds said. “They work until they die.”
Deeds is running against Elliott Harding for state senate district 25. Election day is Nov. 5.
Questionnaire
What inspired you to run for state senate?
I’ve always wanted to make a positive difference. That’s why I ran for the House of
Delegates in 1991 and the State Senate in 2001, and I’m seeking re-election for the same
reason. I am doing important work, and I want to keep doing it. I’m good at what I do and
this crucial work needs to continue

monuments, such as the Confederate monuments in
town. Are you interested in submitting similar legislation,
and if so, how would you work to pass it through the
Senate?
I cosponsored Delegate Toscano’s legislation. I strongly believe that localities ought to
have the right to decide how their communities look and how they re ect history. The
truth is that since 1904, Virginia state law has protected the monuments. We need to
change the law.

Rule state?
In general, I support the Dillon Rule, but I also support exceptions to allow localities more
control over matters that are truly local. The Dillon Rule gives us consistency from locality
to locality and is a useful in our efforts to recruit business from outside of Virginia and
work to create jobs throughout the Commonwealth.

We need to address climate change now. We’ve already procrastinated, ignored, and
denied the problem for too long. We need to dramatically reduce our carbon emissions in
the next 10 years if we are going to make any sort of signi cant change with respect to
global warming. The Eastern Shore and Tidewater are facing rising waters and increased
ooding, threatening precious natural resources, military installments, and entire
neighborhoods. The urgency could not be clearer.
Immediately, we need to join RGGI with other states on the east coast to reduce our
carbon emissions and invest in green energy. Our next manufacturing economy in the
Commonwealth is in the manufacture of panels for solar energy and components for wind.
We have the expertise already here in Virginia, and we must take advantage of it.
We also need to encourage recycling at every level and incentivize the markets for the
reuse of materials in manufacturing. For example, I support tax credits or grants for the
reuse of plastics in manufacturing to encourage recycling and keep materials out of our
land lls, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

to work on?
Throughout my years as a legislator, I have worked closely with the localities I have been
fortunate to represent to address local issues.
Mental Health: My top legislative priority remains improving the mental health system
here in Virginia. My of ce receives calls, emails, and letters daily from families throughout
the Commonwealth about their dif culties getting help for themselves or their loved ones.
Every Virginian who needs treatment should be able to access help.
Redistricting Reform: For over 15 years I’ve been an advocate for redistricting reform. We
nally took a major step forward during this year’s General Assembly session to amend
the Virginia Constitution to create a Virginia Redistricting Commission to create more
equitable, compact, and contiguous legislative districts. This legislation must be passed a
second time next year before it can be placed on the ballot for the electorate’s approval.
Lower Health Costs: For the past two years I have worked with the Charlottesville for
Reasonable Health Insurance group to brainstorm solutions to address the outrageous rate
increases our region experienced. While we have been successful, I anticipate introducing
additional legislation in 2020 to hold the Bureau of Insurance and health insurance
companies accountable. Our laws should not allow a company to make exorbitant pro ts
by gouging consumers.
Local Governmental Powers: I will continue to sponsor legislation to give local

governments provide essential authority to address local concerns, such as determining
rearm policies in public spaces, during permitted events, and in public buildings.
What are some state-level issues you think you would

want to seek bipartisan partnership with on? Is there any
incumbent Republican or Democrat delegate, that
pending a reelection, you’re eager to work with?
People expect me to work to get things done. That means I have a responsibility to work
with both Democrats and Republicans. That’s the only way the process works.
In 2014, I sponsored legislation creating the Joint Subcommittee to Study Mental Health
Services in the 21st Century. I appointed Senator Emmett Hanger and Delegate Rob Bell,
both Republican legislators, to chair the work groups. I have worked closely with them,
and with every member of the Subcommittee, to improve our mental health system. And I
have also worked closely with Delegate Chris Jones, the chair of the House Appropriations
Committee, on securing funding for our mental health system. In addition, I am currently
working with Democrats and Republicans on the Small Business Commission to look for
ways to enhance the small business environment around tax issues.
If I am reelected on November 5, I will work with any Democratic or Republican legislator

in the House or Senate to continue that progress. Although most of the bills that garner
media attention are partisan or divisive, the bulk of the bills we consider do not succeed or
fail along party lines. Neither Democrats nor Republicans have a monopoly on good ideas.

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1/17/2020 Elliott Harding • Virginia State Senate- 25th District- Independent
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Elliott Harding
Virginia State Senate- 25th District-
Independent
Elliott Harding can’t escape politics — it’s in his family, and he’s been engaged in it as an
adult. His grandmother served on a school board, his uncle is currently a sheriff and now
he’s challenging a longtime incumbent for state Senate in the 25th District. Although he
has been involved in the Republican Party locally — and his Republican uncle, Albemarle
County Sheriff J.E. “Chip” Harding, has endorsed a Democrat as his successor — Harding
is running on an independent platform and is aware he can be a swing vote in Richmond.
Harding is a criminal defense lawyer with his own rm, but he’s operated within politics for
the past ve years, assisting with legislation and serving on boards. He says he is running
for Senate because he feels he can better represent the district, which has changed over
the years. As for his status as an independent candidate, Harding says the parties have
changed, too.
“The Democratic Party has certainly gone further left. You see this jerking to the left now
with the democratic socialist movement and this narrative of more socialist programming,”
Harding said. “But then to the right, you see a disconnect where it’s become split.
Typically, parties that are not in power have the opportunity to breathe and have debate
and discourse, and so while Trump is in of ce, we’ve seen a few things happen where
people start to toe a party line more when, in reality, certain policies aren’t getting
advanced that they would typically talk about. We’re seeing a lot of hesitancy in the rank-
and- le members of the Republican Party.”
Harding also questions Sen. R. Creigh Deeds’ standing within the Democratic Party, and it
is part of why he is challenging him for the seat.
“He’s gone back and forth in his support of the Second Amendment to the point that he
was once the NRA’s endorsee against Bob McDonnell [in his bid for governor], and now
he’s sitting there advocating for signi cant gun restrictions,” Harding said. “I don’t know if
the district knows where he stands anymore. And if he’s not contested — let’s gure it out,
is he as progressive as the party has gone?”
Deeds had earned the NRA’s endorsement against McDonnell in their bid for Attorney
General before the association ipped their support to McDonnell when the two faced off
again for Governor in 2009. Deeds has gone on to support or craft legislation concerning
gun and mental health reform.
Harding praises Deeds’ advocacy for mental health reform in the state and if elected, plans
to take up that mantle to continue the work.
“You won’t lose an advocate on that issue if I’m elected,” Harding said.
One of the rst things Harding said he plans to tackle if he is able to join the General
Assembly is to end capital punishment, calling it the “ultimate version of government
overreach.”
https://www.cvilletomorrow.org/people/virginia-state-senate-25th-district/elliott-harding 1/6
“How can I argue for small government [and] rail against government intervention in
health care or business practices or education when, on the other hand, we still maintain a
practice that requires perfection,” Harding said. “We know the state isn’t perfect. People
are still getting exonerated for wrongful incarceration. When we know that innocent
people are still subject to execution because the state is not infallible, that bill needs to go
in rst.”
Harding says both parties have been slow to implement criminal justice reform. He is
among other candidates, like Democrat Amy Laufer in the 17th District, who say the
criminal justice system currently over-sentences people.
“Those who are typically subject to it are those without a voice in the political system,”
Harding said. “I want to be a voice for them.”
While the current Charlottesville resident has a legal background and this is his rst
campaign, he does have political experience, including two years of service on the Region
Ten Community Services Board, time spent in Albemarle’s GOP committee, and a year in
Washington, D.C., working with former Republican 5th District Rep. Tom Garrett on
policies regarding marijuana legalization and tackling student loan debt.
At one point, he also was involved in The Monument Fund, a nonpro t that supports
litigation to preserve monuments. Harding believed that the Charlottesville City Council’s
votes to remove the statues of Confederate Gens. Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall”
Jackson were outside of their power and in violation of the Dillon rule. The rule states that
localities only have powers explicitly given to them from the General Assembly.
“I assisted because I thought Virginia Code clearly applied to the monuments and City
Council’s intentional outing of the law was not only an inappropriate method for seeking
its intended outcome, but it was an extreme measure taken as a legislative body,” Harding
explained.
He is into the idea of contextualization and is encouraged by the conversations the

community has had surrounding its history and its future. In a recent example, Harding
says he doesn’t take issue with the city and county’s vote to no longer celebrate Thomas
Jefferson’s birthday.
“I’m encouraged to see our city is nally adding some of the necessary context that’s been
lacking and our community is able to rally behind a more contemporary and inclusive
narrative.”
While the Dillon rule factored into his initial involvement with the Monument Fund,
Harding says he favors a “hybrid approach” of Dillon and “home rule,” where the General
Assembly “can set the ceiling of what is illegal and then localities can lower their oors.”
Harding also said he doesn’t support the Atlantic Coast natural gas pipeline project and is
among several candidates refusing to take campaign donations from Dominion Energy. If
elected, he wants to end Dominion’s ability to donate to campaigns.
“Dominion tries to play itself off as being a public utility in one hand, but then they don’t
want to have the business practices meddled with too much because they’re a publicly
traded company that maintains shareholders,” Harding said. “If they want to have their
cake and eat it, too, they need to start carrying their end of the bargain when it comes to
buying alternative energy onto their grid. Some of their pro ts could be used to pay for
solar. It shouldn’t be coming from the taxpayers. Rates shouldn’t be going up. They need
to be treated more like the utility that they are.”
On education, Harding said he wants to address the equity issues present in

Charlottesville, in the district, and around the state. While he has been an advocate against
tuition hikes and wants to aid student loan debt, he also supports trade skills in school for
those who don’t need or want to pursue careers that require degrees. Harding supports
redistricting reform and Democratic nominee for the 57th District, Sally Hudson’s proposal
for ranked choice voting.
He and Hudson are among a wave of younger candidates to emerge in local and state
elections in recent years, and Harding is also a part of Charlottesville’s wave of
independent candidates.
“I’m not just doing this on my own,” Harding said of running as an independent.
He cited Mayor Nikuyah Walker, along with City Council candidate Bellamy Brown and
Albemarle sheriff candidate Ronnie Roberts.
“There is a countywide and citywide energy the past couple of years that is building,”
Harding said. “The parties are not adequately holding up their end of the bargain for the
people and this being my home and a place I will always be, I feel that. I get that.”
Harding is running against Creigh Deeds for state senate district 25. Election day is Nov.
5.
Questionnaire
What inspired you to run for State Senate?
Getting things done no longer seems to matter to those in of ce. Our system has become
political theater and purely partisan, meant to distract and pit one against the other in the
name of power rather than a set of principles that re ect the People. Corporate in uence
on lawmakers has grown out of control, career politicians have shown they’ll do and say
anything just to stay in power, and the political climate has fostered blind allegiance (or
unfounded disdain) for either of the major parties. I believe most politicians are so out of
touch with their constituents that they’re no longer working with colleagues on measures
we agree on. Instead, nothing gets done because they are too scared that the other party
might look good in the process. I’ve lived in a majority of the 25th District my entire life and
I’ve noticed a common thread of disenchantment with the level of representation in
Richmond and the system as a whole. I was inspired to run, particularly as an
Independent, because I can provide a pragmatic form of disruption to the status quo that
will advance common interests of this District. Whether it’s the family that’s ghting to
keep their farm from being seized for a corporately owned pipeline or it’s the parent that
wants freedom to send their child to the system that ts them best, I want to raise their
voice in Richmond. I think this District is too important and faces too many unique issues
to continue with a level of mediocre, dispassionate representation that has become too
familiar.

monuments, such as the Confederate monuments in
town. Are you interested in submitting similar legislation,
and if so, how would you work to pass it through the
Senate?
Though I don’t support removing monuments, I respect the range of viewpoints on the
issue and I generally support local autonomy and small government. My personal view
shouldn’t determine the course of historical representation for an entire community that
can make its own decisions. If the Code were to change and allow for removal, the
legislation would require signi cant overhaul from what Del. Toscano & Sen. Deeds
introduced and I didn’t nd the previous legislation to be a serious attempt to garner the
necessary support to pass. If it’s going to happen, this is what I would need to see: First,
the vote would need to be made via referendum in a general election, as it is a permanent,
disruptive action that warrants the input of the entire populace rather than a simple
majority vote by a short-term governing body. The text of such a referendum would need
to disclose the estimated cost of removal that would come to the municipality. Finally,
there would need to be a series of protections for the future of these monuments. The
locality could certainly retain possession in the case of internal relocation, but if it is not
going to keep the monument, the Commonwealth should have the rst right of refusal,
followed by other localities within Virginia, Virginia-based non-pro ts, the Federal
Government, other states, and then private parties. Not only do I think these are
reasonable conditions, they’re likely necessary in order to make it through the General
Assembly.

Rule state?
Virginia needs to amend its current structure as it relates to the Commonwealth’s Dillon
Rule and the overbearing relationship it has with local autonomy and small government.
The Dillon Rule encourages over-centralization of power and in uence in Richmond and
leads to Government expansion, cronyism, and a one-size ts all model of legislation.
Though it has the advantage of promoting uniformity and stability in the business climate,
there are revisions that can be made that preserve these qualities. I believe we need a
hybrid system that allows localities to reduce or eliminate the rules and regulations
established by Richmond but also prevents them from implementing their own set of
heightened standards. A true “Home Rule” structure is inappropriate in that it leaves
citizens with little to no notice as to what is or is not permitted in any given area. My
preferred system allows for local autonomy while erring on the side of personal liberties
and economic freedom.

First, I think the deregulation of the energy market in Virginia is overdue and I know it will
result in the rapid expansion of alternative, clean energy. The fact that property owners
can’t supply excess power from their own solar panels to their neighbor is bizarre and
re ects the sort of market suppression that stymies development of renewables. I’d also
like to see our economy promote agriculture in a way that incentivizes the cultivation of
crops, such as hemp, that have a proven record of trapping carbon emissions in high
concentration while also cleaning our soil and ground water. Finally, I’d reduce any barriers
to the introduction of smart grid technology so our energy usage is more ef cient and cost
effective.

to work on?
As for District-speci c topics, every locality in the 25th is different and faces unique issues
but here are just a few that I would address. I’d like to see Charlottesville City have more
autonomy and exibility in its taxing and zoning policies so it can promote affordable
housing and real estate development. I’d introduce legislation so that the Revenue Share
Agreement between Albemarle and Charlottesville re ects reality by suspending these
arrangements while an active moratorium on City annexation is in place. I’ll ght to make
sure that the $5 million Dominion Energy provided to the region as remediation for the
Atlantic Coast Pipeline actually nds its proper home in Nelson County rather than the
totally unrelated Biscuit Run park development in Albemarle. I’ll introduce legislation that
disincentives Dominion from felling trees along the ACP before it’s received all assurance
necessary to move forward with the project. I’d also seek funding to expand the Route 220
corridor in Alleghany County so residents have a safer passage to and from Roanoke.
As for statewide issues, there are dozens that I would focus on but my personal insight
and exposure to the criminal justice system requires me to remain committed to pushing
for reform whenever possible. Therefore, I would introduce measures to promote reentry
programs with skill development and job placement, automatically expunge arrest and
charging records after ndings of “not guilty,” end cash bail, eliminate mandatory
minimums, cannabis prohibition, and capital punishment, require in-camera suspect
interrogations for violent felony investigations, and expand the use of body-worn cameras
and mental health dockets.
What are some state-level issues you think you would

want to seek bipartisan partnership with on? Is there any
incumbent Republican or Democrat delegate, that
pending a reelection, you’re eager to work with?
As an Independent, I’ll be the most uniquely positioned member of the General Assembly
and able to work with members of all parties when it comes to passing legislation. There
are an array of issues that members of all parties can support, such as aspects of criminal
justice reform, the expansion of rural broadband, reduction in the over-standardization of
schools, and promotion of skilled workforce development. I’m most eager to work as a
Senate Patron for incoming Delegate Sally Hudson (D-57th) and Del. Nick Freitas (R-30th)
in support of Ranked Choice Voting. I believe this will disrupt our climate of hyper-
partisanship and enable candidates that re ect the interests of the People more closely.

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