Minutes of the July 8th meeting of the SSC
We had over twenty people at the SSC meeting on Sunday, including a reporter and photographer from the Fauquier Times-Democrat.
The meeting began with two "flash reports."
We heard from Caroline Streat of the Gainesville Democratic Committee about the campaign of Jeanette Rishell for Delegate. Rishell lost by only 400 votes in the previous election but now stands a great chance of winning the seat formerly held by Delegate Harry Parrish. Please check out her campaign website at: www.JeanetteRishell.com
We also heard a campaign update on the Karen Schultz campaign for the Senate seat in the 27th District.
Schultz is running against Jill Holtzmann Vogel for the seat formerly held by Russ Potts. Schultz's campaign is doing well financially and is pleased with the response they've received but they need our help. Learn more about her campaign at www.karenschultz.org
Following a brief break for delicious desserts (those who weren't there don't know what you are missing!) we were honored to hear from two candidates for the Virginia House of Delegates, Bill Day and Carlos Del Toro. Although I've tried to summarize their positions below, I invite you to check out their websites for more details on the candidates and their positions as well as for ways you can help their campaigns.
Bill Day: www.dayfordelegate.org Candidate for the 31st district seat currently held by Scott Lingamfelter
Bill Day's primary reason for running is an intense desire to make a difference in the lives of people. The issues of most importance to Day are:
Transportation: Roads are not the way out of our current transportation crisis.
We need to explore mass transit options- in particular rail and buses
Smart Growth: Favors denser growth (vertical growth rather than sprawl)- people living, working, shopping, in
the same area. Clarendon is a great example of the success of this strategy. Vint Hill could
also be successful with this.
Energy Policies: Virginia currently has NO energy policy
We need to explore renewable energy sources, conservation and green building.
Affordable Housing
Carlos Del Toro: www.deltorofordelegate.org Candidate for the 88th district seat, currently held by Mark Cole
Carlos Del Toro's primary reason for running is his frustration with the lack of leadership and the "do nothing" approach offered by Delegate Cole through his 6 years in office. Del Toro believes that his naval background and his experiences with working with people of all different backgrounds to achieve a common goal have prepared him well to serve as delegate. The issues of most importance to Del Toro:
Improving education: We must maintain the standards of excellence which provide for the future of our children and the nation.
Bringing in good jobs: If we had higher paying jobs in our communities the need to commute would lessen, thus reducing traffic congestion and improving
quality of life.
Del Toro's plan is to recruit IT companies to the area through creative partnerships with industry. He mentioned specifically targeting the
medical industry in areas such as pharmaceuticals and bioresearch.
Smart Growth
Preserving open space: Only approximately 25% of the 88th district is still open space. Land use policies must protect this.
In response to a question about the death penalty, Bill Day stated that he is unequivocally opposed to the death penalty while Del Toro favors the death penalty in certain cases but believes there must be many safeguards in place such as DNA testing and the opportunity for appeals.
Both candidates hope to have the opportunity to debate their opponents in the near future. We thank them both for joining us at this very busy time in their campaigns!
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Please join us for future Sunday Supper Club meetings:
Sun. Aug. 12- Guest speaker Sandra Mitchell, Associate Superintendent for Instruction of the Fauquier County Public Schools
Sun. Sept. 9- Guest speaker Virginia State Senator Creigh Deeds
Sun. Oct. 14- Guest Speaker Tara Reber, Case Manager with the CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) Program of Prince William County
Sun. Nov. 11? Guest Speaker Jack Payden-Travers, Director - Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty
Hope that by reading this diary progressive folks all over Virginia can be inspired to form a group like the Sunday Supper Club....they are amazing and really make a difference.