If there’s one thing uniting all three political newcomers in a wide-open House of Delegates race in Portsmouth, it’s tolls.
All three candidates running this year in District 80 agree a contract creating tolls to cross the midtown and downtown tunnels was a raw deal for Portsmouth, and that getting answers from the government about questions can take forever.
“The toll on the midtown and downtown tunnel was part of the worst transportation deal in the history of the commonwealth,” said Ryan Benton, a Realtor who’s from Portsmouth and at 35 is the youngest of the trio.
Benton, an independent, is facing off against Republican Jim Evans, who spent 22 years as a financial consultant before retiring this year, and Democrat Don Scott, a well-known local attorney who runs his own law office. The seat was left open when Del. Matthew James, a Democrat, stepped down to take a state economic development job.
While the race features three candidates brand new to politics, it has not gone without frequently used political tactics.
In recent weeks, Benton has published three videos on his Facebook page — his campaign hasn’t raised enough money for television ads — attacking Scott.
The videos have called into question Scott’s time in the Navy, where he was a lieutenant, junior grade and served aboard the destroyer John Hancock from September 1988 to June 1990. Two more ads have gone after an old child-support case and court testimony Scott gave 25 years ago as part of a federal drug trafficking case in Texas.
Scott, 54, opened up with The Pilot last year about being arrested in connection with a drug deal, then serving seven years in federal prison after pleading no contest. Federal prosecutors painted him as the ringleader of a drug ring, but Scott downplayed his role to the newspaper, saying he never saw drugs.
Scott believes his story offers a positive model: He got knocked down, got back up and made a successful career for himself.
If elected, Scott thinks he can use the experience to address criminal justice reform as a delegate.
Benton thinks voters need to know more about Scott before they decide how to vote.
Scott said the issues raised in two of the ads have already been settled decades ago, and he said he wouldn’t stoop to Benton’s level.
“There used to be a time when folks didn’t attack veterans,” Scott said.
Benton’s first video centers around a letter his campaign unearthed as part of a pre-sentencing report in Scott’s 1994 drug case.
The letter is signed by the commanding officer of the John Hancock on the eve of Scott’s separation from the Naval Service. It says he had a “UA,” or unauthorized absence, for three days and missed the ship’s movement on Aug. 28, 1989.
The letter adds that while Scott, then in his mid-20s, had “enormous potential and intellect,” he had let personal problems get in the way of his performance as an officer. He was satisfactory as a legal officer, the unnamed commanding officer wrote, but “excessive indebtedness, recurring financial difficulties, and untrustworthiness” led to his security clearance being revoked.
Scott declines to talk about what happened, saying it was a long time ago.
“I’m proud of my service,” said Scott, who was honorably discharged. “I’m never going to be embarrassed or ashamed about the service I provided to my country.”
A second ad questions his changing testimony about his involvement in the drug case, in which he pleaded no contest to take advantage of a plea deal. The third ad was about a $108,354 lien for unpaid child support, originally dating to 1991, which court records show Scott paid off in 2013, three months after getting the lien.
Of the three candidates, Scott had the most campaign cash on hand so far, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. His war chest was $40,000, while Evans had $4,000 and Benton had close to $1,100.
Evans benefits most from the recent redrawing of district lines. House District 80 gained 9 more points on the Republican side, VPAP data show.
For Evans, 64, education is at the top of the mind.
“Without good education, you won’t have economic development,” said Evans, who most recently was a senior advocacy coordinator with Capital One.
Evans said he got into the race after a conversation he had with a client who lived in another state and whose city and county tax rates were increased, doubling her real estate taxes. She was on a fixed income and was worried about making payments.
It made him realize how out of touch local leadership was on bigger issues like taxes and schooling.
If elected, he said, he would expand career and technical education opportunities to get young people into available jobs around Hampton Roads.
He’d also like to find ways to bring in more guidance counselors to schools.
https://public.flourish.studio/resources/embed.js
Question
What would your first bill or budget amendment be if elected to the General Assembly?
Ryan Benton
Ryan Benton: The biggest hindrance facing Portsmouth’s economic development are the tolls on the Downtown and Midtown Tunnels. Ultimately, these are an unfair tax on the citizens of Portsmouth and we have to find some relief even if we cannot end the toll. As the next Delegate from the 80th district, I will fight for refundable tax credits equal to at least 50% of what residents spend on tolls every year. I will also look for ways to ease the rising costs of the tolls such as a fixed rate monthly pass or discounted rates for our seniors or military.
Don Scott
Don Scott: Virginia ranks 29th nationwide for teacher pay; this is unacceptable. Coupled with lack of school funding, teachers often use their own funds to provide classroom supplies. We can’t expect our educators to provide world-class education without competitive pay and adequate school funding. My first priority in the General Assembly will be to introduce legislation to increase teacher pay and address school funding. In conjunction with teacher pay and school funding, the Commonwealth must increase funds for technical education and workforce development. For many, college is either not an option or a goal. Providing quality CTE education builds economic opportunity and equality for these students while creating a qualified and well-equipped workforce. With a strong workplace already in place, we can better attract new business and industry to our area. Our public schools should be first-rate; we can’t begin to achieve this without providing funds to address teacher pay, upgrading our technical education, and guaranteeing educators — regardless of their zip code — resources.
Jim Evans
Jim Evans: For the 80th district it would be to expand the CTE/Vocation Training opportunities and provide funding not through new taxes but focusing current funds away from administration to classroom support and by removing unfunded mandates forced on our local School system. The bill would include the removal of SOLs which would be replaced by differing assessment tools. The responsibility for distributions of funds would be guided by the local school systems, teachers and parents not Washington and Richmond. The local people know what is needed and what is best for themselves. Also Mental Health issues addressed to immediately respond to students who are acting out and disrupting class due to life situations outside of the school.
Question
How would you address issues of racial tensions and disparity inside police departments?
Ryan Benton
Ryan Benton: Under no circumstances should we condone or allow racist behaviors or practices to enter our workplaces or our communities. In the case of the Portsmouth Police Department, I have spoken with the current police chief who said she has neither seen nor never experienced any systemic racism in the department. I trust her and think it’s fantastic we have a strong black woman leading our department an ensuring we have inclusivity and diversity. As delegate, I will do all I can to support our police officers and ensure we bring unity, equity, and fairness to every corner of our diverse community.
Don Scott
Don Scott: Any business or organization’s culture is created from the top. To properly address racial tension and disparities within the police department, it’s imperative the department’s leadership is diverse, forward-thinking, and receives specific training to manage diverse staffs and resolve conflicts. Leadership must be reflective of the community it serves. To achieve this, we have to focus on hiring and recruiting from diverse and minority communities, and offering strong professional development programs to promote from within. We can further address racial tension and disparity when officers feel confident their supervisors — as well as their leadership — are receptive to criticism, welcome discussion, and will back up officers who come forward with suggestions to improve workplace culture. Finally, all department-written policies and procedures should reflect the environment they seek to create. We need an open policy that promotes a culture of accountability that allows the police department and the citizens they are sworn to protect to have a strong partnership and open communication. Partnership and open communication done correctly can create an atmosphere where trust can flourish and racial issues are not ignored but are acknowledged and addressed.
Jim Evans
Jim Evans: The police department is a unique association where wonderful people volunteer to serve and protect all of us. I truly appreciate these people putting their lives on the line for all of us. When you have to stop bad behavior due to someone having a lack of self-control … no one likes you. First, we must determine in departments if racial tensions and disparity exists. We must take all allegations serious and do a thorough investigation of such allegations. Secondly, if there is a question that disparity exists then we must find the answers why before we make any decisions. Our men and women on the thin blue line deserve at least this consideration.
Gordon Rago, 757-446-2601, gordon.rago@pilotonline.com
