Zachary Brown, Ghazala Hashmi, and Eileen McNeil Bedell are running in the Democratic primary for Virginia State Senate District 10 on June 11, 2019. There are no candidates on the ballot in the Republican primary at this time. Glen Sturtevant is the elected Republican incumbent.
This might seem a little late in the game, but here are some pointed questions for the Democratic candidates leading up to Tuesday’s primary. Oregon Hill is a key neighborhood of voters in the 10th. Hopefully candidates will take the time to leave answers in the comments on this post.
Since other neighborhoods (and countries) have received written commitments from the Virginia Commonwealth University administration, as our State Senator will you require a written agreement from VCU that they will not encroach further into our historic neighborhood? In other words, what will you do specifically to protect our neighborhood from VCU, a state institution that the City cannot or will not control?
Some background on this can be found here, here, and here.
Anyone who has lived in Richmond for any length of time knows or should know that the City government is ripping its own citizens off with its water utility. Despite all the conjecture and follow up attempts, the current City administration has not showed any interest in reform and points to state code that they say allows them to continue with the status quo. As State Senator what will you specifically do to address this gross environmental/economic injustice?
More Oregon Hill neighbors have expressed interest in adding solar to their roofs. As a candidate for State Senate, do you support eliminating the 1% cap on distributed solar?
Many neighbors view climate change as the most important environmental issue impacting not only our natural environment but our economy, our quality of life and our national security. As a candidate for State Senate will you sign the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter’s climate pledge and permit them to list you among the candidates signing the pledge?
Oregon Hill is not one of Richmond’s wealthier neighborhoods, and in fact, in part due to its student population, is technically an impoverished area. As State Senator will you support legislation to address any disproportionate economic impact that changes in energy and climate policy have on disadvantaged communities?
Oregon Hill is one of the City neighborhoods that has been redistricted in recent years. In the 2019 session, the General Assembly passed a redistricting reform resolution that would amend the Virginia constitution to significantly improve the redistricting process. Passage of the same resolution in 2020 is necessary in order to move this reform along as a Virginia Constitutional amendment subject to a referendum on the November 2020 ballot. As State Senator will you vote for and support in the 2020 legislative session the redistricting reform resolution that passed in 2019?
Again, I invite candidates to leave their answers as comments on this post.