The Peninsula’s delegation in the General Assembly will include two new faces after Election Day, regardless of voter turnout.
Dels. Gordon Helsel, R-Poquoson, and Brenda Pogge, R-James City, represented the 91st and 96th districts, respectively, before both chose not to seek re-election this November.
Their absence means two new delegates will bring fresh approaches to ther districts during next year’s General Assembly session.
A new 91st
Del. Helsel held firmly onto a conservative district that once stretched from York County, into Poquoson and northeastern Hampton. This year, a redrawn district includes more Democratic-leaning voters in Hampton, meaning a GOP win isn’t so certain.
In the 91st District, voters will find Republican Colleen Holcomb facing Democrat Martha Mugler on their ballots.
Ms. Holcomb is a lawyer who runs a firm that specializes in divorce and custody cases with her husband Wayne. She has focused her campaign on right-to-work laws, education funding and job training, among other issues. Sea-level rise and climate change are concerns she says need to be immediately addressed.
During her editorial board interview, Ms. Holcomb had a nuanced understanding of the judicial system and the pressures lawyers and judges face. She believes more judges should have training, and some could be dedicated to cases where mental illness is an underlying factor.
Ms. Holcomb admits that she is in-line with her opponent’s views on the need to fund education at higher levels.
An area that she will need to research – and it was surprising when she was not up to speed during our Sept. 25 interview – is Fort Monroe. The property is in the 91st District and is still partially owned by the commonwealth. It remains a nearly $5 million dollar line item on the state budget.
Democratic challenger, Ms. Mugler, is a Hampton School Board member who was first elected to the position in 2008. During that time, she served as chairwoman from 2012 to 2016. She is employed as an executive assistant at Old Point National Bank.
Ms. Mugler rests on that board experience to help fortify the foundation of her campaign. She wants to increase school funding, and she believes some of those dollars should be given without restrictive strings.
She also believes the academies model adopted by Hampton schools in 2018 could be adopted by divisions statewide to build-up workforce development.
Ms. Mugler said the health of the Chesapeake Bay is a priority, and society must begin to focus on using alternative energy sources which may include electrifying public transportation.
She would also support legislation that keeps guns off school grounds and would vote for a law allowing only one handgun purchase per month.
Trio vies for 96th
Voters in the House’s 96th District will see three new names on the Nov. 5 ballot. That’s because a fourth name is noticeably missing.
Del. Pogge was a stalwart of Republican circles for 11 years before she chose not to run for re-election.
On Election Day, voters will find her former legislative aide, Amanda Batten, is facing Democrat Mark Downey and Libertarian candidate James Jobe.
Mr. Downey is a pediatrician who found a second career calling after spending several years as a chemical engineer.
He uses his work experience to expound on positions about early childhood care and education, of which he believes the state need to foster better access.
He believes Medicaid expansion did not go far enough and will lobby to ensure dental and vision coverage are included.
Mr. Downey says gun violence can be stunted by ensuring potentially irresponsible people do not have a chance to own firearms, although he does not advocate for taking guns away from existing owners.
Ms. Batten had made a career of being close to legislative policymaking, as an aide to both Del. Pogge and Sen, Thomas “Tommy” K. Norment, and as a fundraising manager for the Medical Society of Virginia.
Ms. Batten supports programs for high school students that open pathways allowing them to gain certificates and other job experience, rather than funneling every graduate to college.
She supports greater penalties for people who use their weapons during a crime, although she believes there are some due-process issues with so-called red flag laws.
She believes people seeking treatment from a healthcare provider should know upfront how much they are being charged for tests and treatments.
Mr. Jobe is a Libertarian candidate who declined a chance to discuss substantive issues with the editorial board. It’s a shame considering such debates are a core function of the General Assembly.
Look for this board’s profile of the Peninsula’s House and Senate district races in the coming days. And remember to vote on Nov. 5.
