Stafford County

Democratic candidate for governor, Terry McAuliffe, was the 72nd Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia from 2014 to 2018. McAuliffe was unable to seek reelection in 2017 due to a state law that bars sitting governors from serving consecutive terms. McAuliffe attended The Catholic University of America and Georgetown University Law Center. A lifelong businessman and entrepreneur, McAuliffe has lived in Fairfax County for more than 20 years with his wife, Dorothy. The couple has raised five children together.

McAuliffe is centering his campaign on building a strong Virginia economy that works for everyone. He plans to raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2024, two years ahead of the current schedule. He wants to require employers to provide paid sick days along with paid family and medical leave to all workers. Because Virginia is the 10th most expensive state for childcare in the country, McAuliffe wants to assist families burdened with childcare costs by providing subsidies, funneling federal money to families, and making it easier for people to qualify for assistance.

McAuliffe plans to invest $2 billion in Virginia’s education system every year so that teachers are paid above the national average, children have access to universal pre-K, and every student can get online. To make college more affordable to students, McAuliffe will offer more financial aid and expand on current Governor Ralph Northam’s program that makes community college free to low- and middle-income students studying in certain fields. McAuliffe also wants to boost enrollment at Historically Black Colleges and Universities by providing free tuition to students who promise to teach for five years in the state’s high-need areas.

While serving as Governor of Virginia, McAuliffe took action to reduce carbon emissions in the state and received a $120.5 million federal grant to combat the rising sea level on Virginia’s coast. He wants Virginia to reach 100% clean energy by 2035 and make access to clean energy and transportation infrastructure more affordable by providing subsidies for solar usage and public transit construction. McAuliffe also plans to address the racial impacts of climate change by providing funding to communities hit by extreme heat and rising sea levels.

McAuliffe pushed for Medicaid expansion during his first term and wants to increase access to affordable healthcare by supporting Virginia’s plan to create a state-run health insurance marketplace. He backs lowering prescription drug costs, reducing health insurance premiums, and creating a Medicaid buy-in option for people who make too much to qualify for the program but still can’t afford out-of-pocket costs on the marketplace. When he was governor, McAuliffe vetoed Republican legislation that would have limited abortion access. If reelected, McAuliffe plans to incorporate Roe v. Wade into Virginia’s constitution to guarantee that abortion access is protected.

McAuliffe is running against multimillionaire Republican Glenn Youngkin, the former president of Carlyle Group, one of the world’s largest private equity firms. Youngkin wants to channel the state’s money from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) to fund private schools. Youngkin has admitted that he opposes abortion access and will work to dismantle protections for reproductive freedom in the Commonwealth. Youngkin is also against making health coverage more affordable in Virginia.

McAuliffe is also facing a challenge from activist and educator Princess Blanding, an Independent candidate. Blanding is the sister of Marcus David-Peters, a young Black man who was killed by police in 2018. Blanding wants to hold police accountable by ending qualified immunity and shifting funding away from police departments to invest in community services. She also wants to make health coverage more affordable by creating a public healthcare system.

Due to his record in providing leadership for the Commonwealth and his support of Virginia working families, the environment, affordable health coverage, and reproductive rights, Terry McAuliffe is the most progressive choice in this race.

The daughter of a Salvadorian and North African immigrant father and a Lebanese and Irish mother, Delegate Hala Ayala was one of the first Latina women elected to the House of Delegates, having one her first election to represent the 51st District in 2017. She worked for over 20 years as a cybersecurity specialist and is the single mother of two grown children. If chosen by voters to be the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, Ayala will be the first woman and Afro-Latina to do so.

Affordable access to healthcare is a central focus for Ayala. As a first-time mother, Ayala depended on Medicaid to give her son life-saving care. In 2018, Ayala voted to expand Medicaid to 400,000 Virginians. In 2020, she co-patroned legislation to cap the cost of insulin in the state. In 2021, she voted to make the cost of prescription drugs transparent and to boost Virginia’s capacity to administer the COVID-19 vaccine. She also wants to reduce Black maternal mortality and create a universal paid family and medical leave program in the Commonwealth.

As a graduate of Prince William County schools, Ayala believes that a well-funded education system is critical to a thriving Commonwealth. In 2021, she voted to increase teachers’ salaries by 5%. She also supported the “Get Skilled, Get a Job, Give Back (G3) Fund and Program, which provides free community college to low- and middle-income students who are studying in certain fields. As lieutenant governor, Ayala will prioritize expanding access to pre-K, reducing overcrowding in classrooms, and dedicate more funding to improve school infrastructure.

Recognizing the climate crisis as a national security threat, Ayala believes the state needs to play a bigger role in addressing the impacts of climate change. She co-patroned the Virginia Clean Economy Act in 2020, which will eliminate carbon emissions in the Commonwealth by 2050. She also wants to dedicate more funding to communities dealing firsthand with the effects of climate change, believing that solutions to the crisis must be created with racial equity in mind.

Ayala personally understands how hard it is for families to make ends meet. Her family struggled financially when she was a child, and she worked and raised children while obtaining her degree. In 2020, Ayala voted to raise the state’s minimum wage. She supports making paid family and medical leave available to all Virginia working families. In 2021, she voted to strengthen the rights of tenants and protect them from eviction during the pandemic. She also sponsored legislation to protect workers during the pandemic by requiring employers to provide them with personal protective equipment and hazard pay.

Ayala is running against former delegate Winsome Sears, a Republican who represented Norfolk in the House of Delegates from 2002 to 2003. Sears owns a plumbing and appliance repair store in Winchester. Sears opposes legislation that would make our communities safer from gun violence. She also supports using public money to fund private schools and wants to create deliberate barriers to voting access that make it more difficult for people to participate in our democracy.

Due to her support of affordable health coverage, the environment, public education, and Virginia working families, Delegate Hala Ayala is the most progressive choice for lieutenant governor in Virginia.

Incumbent Attorney General Mark Herring is seeking his third term in office after having been first elected in 2013. Raised by a single mother in Loudoun County, Herring obtained a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from the University of Virginia before earning his law degree from the University of Richmond School of Law. He and his wife of 30 years, Laura, raised two children together.

Herring has stood up for access to affordable healthcare by fighting off efforts by the Trump administration to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). In 2021, Herring defended the ACA by joining a coalition of 21 attorneys general to argue in front of the U.S. Supreme Court against a lawsuit from the Trump administration that would have dismantled the ACA, protections for people with pre-existing conditions, and Medicaid expansion.

Herring is a champion of reproductive rights and abortion access, and has used his office to support a person’s right to decide when and whether to become a parent. He has signed onto several lawsuits that challenge different states’ restrictive abortion laws. He issued an opinion in 2015 to strike down medically unnecessary Targeted Restrictions on Abortion Providers (TRAP) laws that shuttered women’s health centers in the Commonwealth. In 2019, he successfully filed an injunction against the Trump administration’s efforts to halt contraceptive coverage in health insurance.

Herring has worked to keep our communities safe from gun violence by standing up to the gun lobby. In 2020, he defended two common-sense laws passed by the General Assembly aimed at preventing gun violence, the one-handgun-a-month law, and extended background checks. The same year, he also successfully defended a challenge to Virginia’s extreme risk protection law, which keeps guns out of the hands of people who pose a risk to themselves or others.

During his time in office, Herring has fought to keep the promise of democracy real by protecting access to the ballot box. This year, he applauded the passage of the Voting Rights Act of Virginia and joined other attorneys general in urging Congress to pass safeguards that guarantee people’s rights to participate in our democracy by voting. In 2020, he ensured that voters did not face intimidation while casting their ballots in our fair and free elections. In 2016, he defended a decision from former Governor Terry McAuliffe to restore the rights of returning citizens in the Commonwealth.

Herring is facing a challenge from Delegate Jason Miyares, a conservative Republican who wants to create deliberate barriers to voting access, undermine workers’ rights by keeping Virginia a right-to-work state, and oppose efforts to shift funding away from police budgets to community services. As a delegate, Miyares voted against raising the state’s minimum wage, expanding access to affordable healthcare to hundreds of thousands of Virginians, abolishing the death penalty, and legalizing marijuana. He also opposes abortion access.

Due to his support of access to affordable healthcare, abortion access, gun violence prevention, and voting rights, Attorney General Mark Herring is the most progressive choice for this race.

Michael Drewry is a farmer and lawyer. His family has farmed in Virginia for 400 years. He earned a business degree and a law degree from the College of William and Mary. He currently runs his family’s farm while running a law practice. His farm is a large gathering place where he and his wife, Amy, host festivals and picnics. He is currently the vice-chair of the Surry County Board of Supervisors where he was first elected in 2015.

Drewry wants to give rural Virginians a voice in the legislature and has worked hard to serve the interests of his rural community. While serving on the Board of Supervisors, Drewry fought to bring broadband access to every household in Surry County, which is on track to be one of the first counties in Virginia to achieve universal broadband access. He also helped secure federal funding to upgrade the county’s water system and assisted in the construction of a new community center for the county.

Drewry and his wife run a small business selling produce and meat from their farm and understand the needs of family farmers in the district. He wants to reinvigorate the local agricultural industry in the district by making it more competitive and host year-round farmers' markets. He supports innovative measures to increase access to local, healthy food like mobile food markets that deliver food to high-need areas. Additionally, he wants to make it easier for farmers and small businesses to apply for low-interest loans to grow their businesses.

As an attorney, Drewry offers pro bono legal services to local residents and specializes in land use, conservation, and government matters. He wants to reform Virginia’s code so that it is more accessible to everyday people. He refused to accept campaign contributions from polluting utility monopolies like Dominion Energy. He also wants to boost local farmers’ capacity to protect the environment by making it easier for them to apply for loans and grants to transition to renewable energy resources.

Drewry supports making the promise of democracy real for us all by expanding access to voting. He advocates for assistance for working families such as the Child Tax Credit included in the American Rescue Plan. Drewry believes in equity and inclusion for all Virginians. He wants to keep constituents in his district engaged in what is happening at the state capitol by establishing committees composed of residents on agriculture and small business.

Drewry is challenging incumbent Delegate Emily Brewer (R), who has represented the district since 2018. Brewer opposes abortion access and voted against expanding Medicaid to 400,000 Virginians in 2018. Brewer is against keeping communities safe with common-sense measures aimed at preventing gun violence. She also voted against raising the minimum wage, abolishing the death penalty, and legalizing marijuana.

Due to his support of broadband access, small farmers, the environment, expanding access to voting, and working families, Drewry is the most progressive choice in this race.

Monica Gary grew up in Fairfax County and is a pastor at New Wine Community Church. While raising her son as a single parent, she worked as a exotic dancer and experienced domestic trafficking before meeting her current husband, a marine. She then earned her degree in theology at the John Leland Center for Theological Studies and is currently studying for her Master of Divinity. She and her husband live with their seven children in Stafford County.

All of Gary’s children attend Stafford County Public Schools, so she understands the feelings of local parents. Additionally, as a child, Gary received free school lunch, as well as access to uniforms, field trips, and musical instruments from her school, so she understands the critical role schools play in uplifting children. She supports pay raises for teachers and staff so that they can afford to live in the area they teach. She also supports new investment in school buildings so that children are able to attend schools that aren’t overcrowded and receive teacher attention.

Gary is in favor of criminal justice reform that will promote the fair treatment of all Stafford residents. She has put out a statement in solidarity with Isaiah Brown, who was shot multiple times by police in Spotsylvania County. She believes increased accountability for police officers who abuse their power should be the bare minimum of criminal justice reform. Additionally, as a survivor of human trafficking, Gary is involved with a local anti-trafficking task force and has spoken as an advocate at multiple anti-trafficking events.

Gary understands the urgency of the climate crisis and advocates for protecting the environment. Recently, she spent months fighting to address the flooding on Brooke Road, which was caused by recent deforestation allowed by rezoning. She successfully organized and advocated for the board of supervisors to invest millions of dollars in updating the road. She supports efforts to get federal funding for a coastal resiliency plan as well as preservation efforts for the Chesapeake Bay.

Gary has worked to promote equity in Stafford County. She supports expanding access to voting, particularly allowing for early voting on Sunday, so that all residents can have their voices heard. Additionally, she helped lead the effort to honor enslaved individuals in the signage at Government Island. She also helped establish a multicultural coalition in Stafford County between local churches. The organization was later implemented county-wide by the board of supervisors to serve as an opportunity for community members to discuss issues of equity and discrimination.

Gary is challenging Paul Milde III, who served as Aquia district supervisor from 2006 to 2017. He opposes expanding access to affordable healthcare including Medicaid expansion. Additionally, he opposes common-sense gun violence prevention legislation and is a lifetime member of the NRA. He does not believe the rich and wealthy should have to pay their fair share of taxes.

Due to her support for public education, criminal justice reform, the environment, and equity, Gary is the most progressive choice in this race.

Maya Guy is the mother of five Stafford County Public School students and a community activist running to represent the Aquia District on the school board. Guy is heavily involved in the schools as a volunteer, serving on school advisory committees, and the Parent Teacher Associations at three local schools. She is also the education chairperson for Stafford County’s branch of the NAACP. Additionally, she has served on the superintendent’s Equity Diversity Opportunity Advisory Committee.

Guy is a strong advocate for racial equity in local schools and beyond. As a member of the Stafford branch of the NAACP, she participated in Black Lives Matter protests in 2020. She also supported the effort to remove a large confederate flag that was visible from I-95. She sees redistricting as an area where Stafford County can improve equity. In 2019, she spoke out at school board meetings on the issue after the district’s elementary schools were redistricted to be more racially segregated. If elected, Guy will work to ensure students attend diverse schools with equal access to resources.

Additionally, Guy has served on a committee that advises the school board on equity and the opportunity gap. Her work with the committee has focused on district procedures, practices, and professional development. The committee has worked to implement policy changes, including hiring more diverse teachers and staff, changing entrance requirements for special programs like the gifted program to be more equitable, and implementing professional development for staff on equity-related issues.

One of Guy’s top priorities is addressing the issue of teacher retention. She believes the district needs to address how individuals who are not trained to be teachers are serving as substitute teachers. She wants to address the district’s vacancies and hire more teachers to reduce class sizes overall. She understands that student success increases when the district hires enough high-quality teachers. She supports increased funding for staff, particularly the district’s school bus drivers and other transportation staff.

Guy also prioritizes transparency in budgeting so that parents and staff are able to know exactly where their tax dollars are going. She would like to improve the school board’s relationship with the board of supervisors so that the revenue process would go more smoothly. She would like the school board to have increased autonomy over its budget. She would like to model the process off of neighboring counties, such as Prince William County, where the board of supervisors automatically transfers revenue to the school board, no questions asked.

Guy is running against David Fauth, an engineer for a data analytics firm and a long-time Stafford County resident. His priorities include building a new school to address overcrowding, reducing staff turnover, and building community at schools. He would also like to address the transportation problems facing the district. He opposes the use of the Virginia Mathematics Pathways Initiative.

Due to her support for equity, teacher retention, and transparency, Guy is the most progressive choice in this race.

Sandy Cole is running to represent the Falmouth District on the Stafford County Board of Supervisors. Cole’s family has lived in the Stafford area for over 100 years, with Cole herself graduating from Stafford Senior High School. She earned a master’s degree in operations management and works as a manager in the hospitality industry. She also serves as a caregiver for her mother and brother. She is the mother of Delegate Joshua Cole, who represents the area in the House of Delegates.

One of Cole’s top priorities is education. She would like to see an increase in teacher salaries in order to improve teachers’ quality of life and reduce rates of turnover in staff. Additionally, she would like to invest in new school infrastructure and improve existing buildings, so that all Stafford County students have a safe and supportive learning environment. Cole would also prioritize lowering the student to teacher ratio so that it meets the state average.

As Stafford grows, Cole hopes to ensure funding for public safety grows with it to address problems with chronic turnover and low pay. She recognizes the award-winning efforts of Stafford’s Emergency Management Services, which was honored by Governor Ralph Northam for its efforts to assist county residents during the pandemic. She supports competitive pay for first responders so that the area’s police, fire, and EMS departments are able to be fully-staffed and retain high-quality employees.

In order to address the area’s transportation issues, Cole supports the creation of a regional transportation authority. This authority would help fund improvements to transportation infrastructure in order to address problems like flooding, traffic, decaying roads. A regional transportation authority will also help assure proper management of public transportation and better distribution of state and federal operating assistance while having the power to raise revenues for investing in transportation infrastructure.

Cole is running against an incumbent member of the board of supervisors, Meg Bohmke, who has served on the board since 2013 and previously served on the Stafford County School Board. Bohmke does not support keeping our communities safe by enacting common sense measures aimed at preventing gun violence. She believes businesses should not pay their fair share of taxes and supports the reduction of regulations on businesses.

Due to her support for public education, funding for transportation, and public safety, Cole is the most progressive choice for this seat.

Incumbent School Board Member Sarah Breedin Chase is running for reelection to her seat representing the Falmouth District on the Stafford County School Board. Chase has served on the school board since 2018. After earning her doctorate, she was a professor at University of Mary Washington and later at St. Mary's College. Her three children all attended Stafford County Public Schools. Her two oldest daughters graduated from Stafford High School and her son is a current student there.

Chase prioritizes ensuring the district retains high quality teachers. This includes raising teacher pay and ensuring competitive benefits. She understands that teachers are the basis of the district’s educational quality and are critical to student achievement. As a university professor, she understands how teachers play a critical role in instilling not only skills for learning, but also a love of learning in students. Additionally, this year, she supported the budget that gives all school district employees a minimum 5% raise, with some teachers receiving up to 9% raises.

Chase advocates for transparency and smart spending by the school board. She understands how frustrating it was to witness the board’s previous financial mismanagement and will work to increase transparency and ensure tax dollars are being used for their intended purpose. She was the only board member to vote against an investment in school infrastructure, arguing it did not put enough money into neglected southern Stafford schools. Additionally, as the only incumbent board member running for reelection, Chase believes her experience will be helpful as the board brings on three new members and hires a new superintendent.

Ensuring every student is equipped with the skills they need for their next step after graduation is Chase’s top priority. She hopes to expand accessible options for both special education and gifted education, reducing the current levels of red tape, so that every student has access to an educational path that fits their needs. With the passage of this year's budget, she advocated for further funding for the district’s social workers, as she is concerned about being able to maintain their salaries when the district runs out of federal COVID-19 relief funding.

Chase has also supported diversity and inclusion on the school board. Chase called for the board to reevaluate schools’ relationships with Student Resource Officers. She particularly emphasized the need to be able to reassign officers if there are concerns about their conduct. Chase also supported expanding protections for discrimination. She voted in favor of including sexual orientation and gender identity in protected categories, giving students more options for legal protection.

Chase is running unopposed, however, her support for student achievement, transparency, and diversity make her a progressive choice for this race.

Pamela Yeung, the current representative of the Garrisonville District on the Stafford County School Board, is running to represent the district on the board of supervisors. She attended Johns Hopkins University for graduate school and is currently enrolled in a doctoral program for leadership and organizational change at Baylor University. She works as a technology and healthcare consultant and has served on the school board since 2017. She raised four children, all of whom attended Stafford County public schools.

One of Yeung’s top priorities is improving the county’s infrastructure. She is a strong advocate for accessible transportation, making Stafford County’s transportation system more efficient, and ensuring all growth is eco-friendly and sustainable. As a school board member, Yeung initiated a study to improve the efficiency of school buses to decrease the time students spent in traffic and money spent on transportation costs. She also served on the Stafford County Board of Supervisors' Telecommunications Advisory Committee, which worked to increase broadband Internet in Stafford County, a critical step to ensuring all citizens have access to jobs and educational opportunities.

Yeung is passionate about government transparency and civic involvement. She wants to ensure citizens have access to board meetings and understand the decisions the board is making, including how tax dollars are spent and budgets decided. While on the school board, she ensured teachers and school support staff received raises every single year. Yeung ran for school board because of her enthusiasm for participating in local politics and hopes it inspires others to do the same.

As a school board member, Yeung worked to help the board reflect the diversity of the Stafford community. She worked to have the board implement new policies to increase the number of diverse teachers, social workers, and counselors in public schools. Additionally, she helped reintroduce foreign language classes in schools. In 2020 and 2021, she helped plan and run a Juneteenth event in Stafford in order to help educate the Stafford community about the holiday. If elected to the Board of Supervisors, she would like to see increased investment into recreational and cultural opportunities.

Yeung also upheld and introduced equitable policies in Stafford Public Schools. She successfully advocated for the school board to readdress its relationship with student resource officers (SROs). She worked to build trust between students and SROs as well as implement new policies to allow school resource officers to be reassigned if there are concerns about their behavior. Yeung also supported policies to protect transgender students in Stafford County schools by voting in favor of a school board policy to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of categories protected from discrimination.

Yeung is running against independent candidate Barton “Bart” Randall, a​​ Navy veteran who represents the Garrisonville District on the Stafford County Planning Commission. Randall opposes government efforts to safely reopen our public schools such as mask requirements. He supports policies to make Stafford an attractive destination by introducing new retail and commercial opportunities.

Due to her support for infrastructure, transparency and accountability, public education, and inclusive policies, Pamela Yeung is the most progressive choice in this election.

Wanda Blackwell is an Army veteran and educator running to represent the Garrisonville District on the Stafford County School Board. While in the military, Blackwell attended Troy State University, where she received a Master of Public Administration, with a concentration in criminal justice. Following her retirement from the armed forces, she served as an adjunct faculty member at Central Texas College and as a life-skills facilitator at Rappahannock Regional Jail. Her daughter is a graduate of Stafford County schools.

One of Blackwell’s top priorities is ensuring student achievement. She would like to determine the levels of educational deficit caused by the pandemic and work to properly allocate resources to address them. Additionally, Blackwell supports limiting the number of standardized tests taken by Stafford County students. She believes shifting away from standardized tests will allow teachers to better prepare students for the modern workforce or any path they may choose. She believes more critical life skills, such as personal finance, should be taught in schools.

Blackwell is concerned with overcrowding and understaffing, noting several schools in the district are already considered over capacity. She believes the rate of growth in the district will lead to further overcrowding causing staff departures and redistricting. To increase quality teacher retention, Blackwell advocates for better investment into teacher pay and benefits. She also supports increasing the teacher-to-student ratio to reduce the number of children being redistricted.

Blackwell has made the district’s transportation problems a top priority for her campaign because parents and students alike are concerned about how much time students spend on school buses during the day. She understands that having reliable, efficient transportation to and from school reduces the burden on parents and reduces worries overall. She would like to invest in research about how to decrease time spent on buses and reduce overcrowding on buses.

Additionally, Blackwell would like to improve the Stafford school community by boosting opportunities for parent involvement. She believes that education starts at home and would like to increase communication with parents and provide opportunities for them to share their opinions when decisions are made. Blackwell would also work to repair the school board’s relationship with the county board of supervisors to ensure schools are receiving proper funding and the organizations are aligned in their missions and execution.

Blackwell is running against Maureen L. Siegmund, who works as the director of external relations for a government affairs firm and has three children attending Stafford County schools. Siegmund is a supporter of Glenn Youngkin’s campaign for Governor and does not support government efforts to safely reopen schools during the pandemic.

Due to her support for addressing overcrowding, improved transportation, and raising teacher pay, Blackwell is the most progressive choice for this seat.

Keith Jones is a Democrat running to represent the Hartwood District on the Stafford County Board of Supervisors. A native of Detroit, he worked as a probation officer and customs inspector before joining the U.S. Secret Service, serving across the country, overseas, and on the presidential and vice-presidential details. Since retiring from the Secret Service, he works as an investigator on money laundering issues. He lives with his wife in Stafford and has two adult children.

Jones plans to prioritize educational funding to ensure Stafford County is supporting every student’s education. He would like to increase school budgets, particularly to raise teacher salaries. Additionally, he would prioritize school safety and infrastructure. He would like to ensure Stafford County students are receiving the highest quality of educational resources so that they are better prepared to participate in the workforce. He would also like to expand access to the Internet and broadband so that all students have equal access to educational opportunities.

Jones hopes to boost the county’s economy by strengthening the relationship between public and private institutions. He prioritizes citizen involvement in government and would like to ensure that citizens and small business owners have plenty of opportunities to engage in government activities. He particularly emphasizes open board meetings and utilizing Zoom and phone conferencing until safe public meetings can be held. Jones also understands that farming is a critical aspect of business in Stafford and wants to focus on supporting farms and protecting land and natural water resources.

Jones hopes to redirect funding in the district to ease transportation issues. He would like to further the work the board of supervisors has been doing to eliminate road congestion and decrease the overall number of traffic-related accidents, injuries, and death. Additionally, he would work with the Virginia Department of Transportation and Youth Driver Task Force to ensure the area receives proper funding for road maintenance. He would also like to ensure public transportation options are available and safe for all who need them.

Jones also understands the board can play a critical role in promoting equality in Stafford County. He would like to increase government collaboration with organizations that support the elderly and individuals with disabilities. He wants to boost funding to county services like affordable housing and support for mental health issues. Additionally, he would like to see criminal justice reforms that ensure the district's residents are treated fairly and equally at all levels of the criminal justice system.

Keith Jones is running against Darrell English, a Republican and veteran of the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office. He currently serves on the Stafford County Planning Commission. His platform includes protecting public safety through increased staffing and resources for the county’s law enforcement. English is also a supporter of Glenn Youngkin’s campaign for Governor.

Due to his support for funding education, government transparency, and equity, Jones is the most progressive choice in this race.

Marc Broklawski is a father and computer scientist running to represent the Hartwood District on the Stafford County School Board. Born and raised in New York, Broklawski received his master’s degree in computer science and engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo. After graduate school, he moved to Virginia to begin his career as a civilian computer scientist for the United States Navy. He lives with his wife, a public school teacher, and children in Stafford.

One of Broklawski’s top priorities is ensuring proper funding for schools and raising the per-pupil funding level. He points to underfunding as a cause for the district's high student-to-teacher ratio and would like to raise the budget contributions from the board of supervisors up to the local average, or higher. This would allow increased salaries across the board for teachers, administrators, and other staff. He emphasizes how increasing pay will greatly help address the district’s teacher shortage, allowing for reduced class sizes. He would also like to invest in more counselors and social workers to support students’ mental health needs.

Broklawski also prioritizes investment into school resources and infrastructure. He will work to ensure every teacher has access to the resources necessary to make their classroom conducive to learning. On infrastructure, he is particularly concerned with repairs to school buildings. He prioritizes repairs to ventilation systems in order to improve air quality, which is critical to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 and to keep children with asthma and allergies safe from mold.

Broklawski does not support excessive standardized testing, taking issue with “teaching to the test.” He believes teachers are often limited by testing requirements. Broklawski also believes that recess is critical to childhood development and encourages access to unstructured recess time. Broklawski would also like to ensure the course offerings at each school are equitable and students at every school have access to accelerated learning and diverse course options. This includes ensuring that special education students have access to the support they need.

Broklawski also hopes to ensure Stafford County students are all properly prepared for working in the 21st century. He values Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs and college programs equally and will work to ensure Stafford County graduates are prepared for every path following graduation. He hopes to build community partnerships to expand access to apprenticeship programs and trades for students. Broklawski also advocates for expanded access to broadband, emphasizing the technological inequities in rural areas.

Broklawski is running against Alyssa D. Halstead. Halstead has posted on social media that she does not support COVID-19 vaccinations. She also opposes government efforts to safely reopen schools during the pandemic. Halstead opposes teacher unions and believes that people migrate to the U.S. to take advantage of public assistance programs.

Due to his support for investment into school infrastructure and teachers, decreasing standardized testing, and increasing opportunities for higher education, Broklawski is the most progressive choice in this race.

Libby Humphries was selected to serve as the interim Commonwealth’s Attorney starting on August 1, 2021, when former Commonwealth’s Attorney LaBravia Jenkins’ retirement went into effect. Humphries was selected as the highest ranking full-time assistant attorney in the office. She has worked at the Fredericksburg Commonwealth’s Attorney office since 2018, and previously served as a senior prosecutor in the Charlottesville Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office. Humphries attended Dartmouth College for her undergraduate degree and University of Virginia for her law degree.

Humphries is a supporter of a “community-facing” approach to prosecution, which seeks ways to prevent and reduce crime through different initiatives. This includes increasing opportunities for diversion and alternatives to incarceration, detention, fines, and fees. It prioritizes community safety and health over punishment. It works to improve public safety, decrease the number of incarcerated individuals, and reduce the disproportionate harm caused to Black and brown people by the criminal justice system.

Humphries opposes cash bail, which keeps people in jail simply because they can’t afford bail. She supports Fair and Just Prosecution, an organization that advocates for progressive reforms to the criminal justice system. These include increased police accountability, drug policy reform, and alternatives to traditional incarceration. Humphries also supports increasing funding for the Virginia Witness Protection Program, which ensures that crime victims have increased protections and support. This will lead to more just criminal outcomes, as it will decrease the impact of witness intimidation tactics.

Humphries supports the decision of the Fredericksburg Police Department to adopt the “8 Can’t Wait” initiative, a national reform program aimed at use-of-force policies. This includes requiring a verbal warning before shooting, a ban on chokeholds and strangleholds, de-escalation tactics, and duty to intervene, “8 Can’t Wait” also involves extensive data reporting, bans shooting at moving vehicles and requires officers to intervene and stop excessive use of force by other officers.

Humphries attended Black Lives Matter protests in response to the police murder of George Floyd and believes law enforcement and the court system must be reformed to prevent the killing of more Black people. Humphries also advocated for changing the name of Jefferson Davis highway, the removal of Confederate monuments from public spaces, and the removal of a slave auction block from downtown Fredericksburg. She also supports government efforts to keep our communities safe from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Humphries is running unopposed. Due to her support of criminal justice reform and racial justice, Humphries is the progressive choice in this election.

Incumbent Jason Graham is running for re-election to city council for the Ward 1 seat. Graham has served on the Fredericksburg City Council since 2018. He was raised in Alabama before attending the University of Missouri for his undergraduate degree and the University of Rochester for his master’s degree. He currently works for Booz Allen Hamilton, a large management consulting firm. He’s involved with the Fredericksburg Area Food Bank, Friends of the Rappahannock, and Tree Fredericksburg. He and his wife have two daughters.

One of Graham’s top priorities is increasing access to quality education in Fredericksburg, including internet access. He voted to accelerate the construction of a new school in order to address overcrowding in the area. Especially with a growing population, Graham’s work on an education task force has helped ensure every child will have access to a well-funded, properly resourced and staffed school. Additionally, he understands that Internet access is a necessity to participate in the workforce and educational systems in the 21st century. He’s worked to expand broadband in the area.

Graham has also worked to ensure growth in the city is sustainable and prioritizes affordable housing whenever possible. He voted in favor of expanding the number of residential units in the Historic District, as the housing shortage downtown has led housing prices to drastically increase. He also worked to ensure the Architectural Review Board was included in growth to preserve the character of downtown. Additionally, Graham raised a discussion on the Council of allowing the creation of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in Fredericksburg, which would increase the number of affordable housing options.

Graham has worked to ensure all development is sustainable. He and the council successfully rejected an application from Royal Farms to build a convenience store and gas station in Fredericksburg, citing environmental concerns about both a fossil-fuel-based business and the harm from creating unnecessary parking lots. Additionally, Graham voted to move the city to 100% renewable energy by 2050. Graham also helped create a tax incentive for a local co-op grocery store and encouraged the creation of public transportation to the store so that Fredericksburg residents have access to affordable, fresh food.

Graham has also prioritized transparency and citizen involvement in government. He is proud to have an open dialogue with his constituents and has held town hall meetings both virtually and in-person to allow citizen input. On his social media, he prioritizes transparency, taking time to explain how and why the council reached its decisions. He’s also encouraged citizen participation in government, including through participation in local boards and commissions.

Graham is running unopposed, however, his support for the environment, quality education, affordable and sustainable development, and government transparency make him a progressive choice.

Jon Gerlach is a retired archaeologist and lawyer running to represent Ward 2 on the city council in Fredericksburg. Gerlach received his undergraduate degree at the University of Pittsburgh and his law degree from the University of Richmond School of Law. He owns a law firm based in Fredericksburg. He is a chair of the City's Architectural Review Board and a member of the city’s Historic Preservation Working Group. He and his wife have two children and eight grandchildren.

Gerlach supports strong environmental regulations and protections. He is an avid member of Fossil Free Fredericksburg, which in 2019 successfully lobbied city council to commit to relying on 100% renewable energy community-wide by 2050. The group also encouraged the council to hire a full-time sustainability coordinator. Gerlach is a strong supporter of conservation efforts for the Rappahannock River and supports increasing tree coverage and reducing paved surfaces to help keep the river clean and healthy. He would like to see the city implement more environmentally friendly construction, including using solar panels and emphasizing walkability and other sustainable transportation options.

Gerlach supports equity in Fredericksburg and understands that the strength of Fredericksburg communities comes from their diversity. He is a supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement and the LGBTQ+ community. He supports the implementation of the Marcus Alert System, which is working to ensure that individuals undergoing behavioral health crises or experiencing substance abuse are supported through the proper channels, rather than being diverted to the criminal justice system. In running for office, he has pledged to “reject all bigotry, discrimination, or prejudice” and to “treat everyone as I want to be treated – with respect and courtesy.”

Gerlach will work to ensure all members of the Fredericksburg community can afford to live in the area. He would like to see the city prioritize affordable housing in its planning, so that no one is priced out of their homes and communities maintain their socioeconomic diversity as the city grows. Additionally, as a member of the Historic Preservation Working Group, he understands the importance of maintaining the city’s character. However, he believes that intentional and carefully planned growth can allow for population growth while maintaining the city’s charm and community spaces.

One of Gerlach’s top priorities is ensuring all residents of Fredericksburg have access to high quality education. He supports funding universal pre-K classes. He would like to see the city address its overcrowded schools so that students are receiving sufficient teacher attention. Additionally, he supports the establishment of a workforce training institute, which would allow students to graduate with an associate’s degree, and be able to earn high wages. He also supports more investment into adult learning centers, so that adults can gain new skills and increase their economic mobility.

Gerlach is running against Navy veteran and physician William “Andrew” Reese. Reese plans to prioritize public safety in the city by ensuring EMS and Fire and Rescue services are not over-extended. He supports the historic preservation of Fredericksburg’s landmarks and believes supporting small businesses is critical to maintaining the city’s culture. He would like to increase affordable housing options in the city, as well.

Due to his support for environmental protection, equity, affordable housing, and public education, Jon Gerlach is the most progressive choice in this race.

Incumbent Katie Pomeroy is running for reelection to represent Ward Two on the Fredericksburg School Board. Pomeroy was first elected to the board in 2018. Born in Richmond, Pomeroy has lived in Fredericksburg since she attended Mary Washington College. She works as the membership coordinator at Friends of the Rappahannock, a group working to increase environmental protections and restoration at the Rappahannock River. She serves as a local Cub Scout Leader as well. She and her husband have three children.

Pomeroy is a member of the Enrollment, Capacity and Expansion Task Force, where she is working to address the overcrowding at all levels of Fredericksburg public schools. Pomeroy has been adamant about creating long-term, financially smart solutions to fight overcrowding. She voted against a controversial plan to expand Lafayette Upper Elementary School and move the district’s second graders there. She argued the plan would be a waste of money that would be better spent on long-term solutions.

With the task force, Pomeroy is responsible for the plan to build a new middle school, set to be open in August 2026. This would allow the current Walker–Grant Middle School to be converted into an elementary school and both the elementary and middle schools to have structural improvements. It will help greatly reduce overcrowding, in particular at Hugh Mercer Elementary, which is currently over capacity. Pomeroy’s work will ensure all students have enough space and are in positive learning environments.

Pomeroy has also worked to ensure students are supported and have sufficient resources to be successful to learn during the pandemic. She supported an effort to bring healthy lunch and dinner options to students who were cut off from school lunches during the pandemic. She also supported the expansion of broadband to all Fredericksburg students, ensuring that internet access would not be a barrier to participating in online classes. A new program will be more cost effective and allow for high-speed internet to be broadcasted directly to students’ homes through the Citizens Broadband Radio Service.

Pomeroy has also worked to ensure Fredericksburg public schools receive sufficient funding and the majority of funding is going directly into schools. She and the Board successfully implement a budget that included 5% raises for teachers and staff in 2021. These raises are critical to ensuring the district is able to recruit and retain teachers, and accordingly, maintain the quality of the district’s’ education. She also supports adjustments to the state’s funding formula so that there are less disparities in funding and educational quality between rich and poor communities.

Pomeroy is running unopposed. However, her work to address overcrowding in schools and ensure students are supported and schools are well-funded make her a progressive choice for this seat.

Incumbent Tim Duffy is running for re-election to city council in Fredericksburg. Duffy is currently the principal at James Monroe High School and has served on city council since 2014. He first came to Fredericksburg to attend Mary Washington College and earned his doctorate from University of Virginia before becoming a professor at Mary Washington College. He later worked at Fredericksburg Public Schools, holding multiple positions before becoming principal at James Monroe. He and his wife raised their two children in Fredericksburg.

Duffy has supported environmental protections in Fredericksburg. This year, he supported a 5-cent tax on plastic bags to help reduce plastic use in the city. He voted against an application from Royal Farms to build a convenience store and gas station in Fredericksburg, citing the environmental concerns surrounding the business being based on fossil fuel and the large parking lot. Duffy also voted in favor of a resolution committing the city to running city operations with 100 percent renewable energy by 2035 and powering the entire city with 100 percent renewable energy sources by 2050.

Duffy has supported efforts to improve racial equity in Fredericksburg. Speaking out after Black Lives Matter protestors were mistreated by city police, he emphasized his desire to see the complete elimination of white privilege. He and the council planned multiple community-wide discussions for strategic planning on improving racial equity in the city. Duffy also voted in favor of a resolution that urged the General Assembly to rename Jefferson Davis Highway, and the road has since been renamed “Emancipation Highway.” Additionally, he voted to fund a curator of African-American History and Special Projects at the Fredericksburg Area Museum.

Duffy has worked to ensure Fredericksburg is affordable to all residents. This year, he voted in favor of rezoning the historic district to increase residential density. This vote allows for more housing units downtown, hopefully decreasing housing prices. He also voted in favor of a tax incentive for a local co-op grocery store. The store, which would be based in Lee Plaza, would give Fredericksburg residents a more affordable and community-based option to buy their groceries.

As an educator and principal himself, Duffy is passionate about ensuring every student in Fredericksburg has access to high-quality education. To address the overcrowding in Fredericksburg public schools, Duffy supported fast-tracking the building of a new middle school. By speeding up the process, the board will not only ensure students have access to less crowded classrooms sooner, but also help prevent other maintenance issues and repairs from being put off at other district buildings.

Duffy is running against Rene Alfonzo Rodriguez, who currently serves as the chair of the Fredericksburg Planning Commission and the Fredericksburg Electoral Board. He opposes building a new school in the city at this time. He supports increased investment into infrastructure like roads and local amenities. He would like to improve communication between the city council, city staff, and the community.

Due to his support for the environment, equity, affordable housing, and education, Duffy is the most progressive choice in this race.

Incumbent Board Member Jennifer Boyd was first elected to represent Ward 3 on the Fredericksburg School Board in 2016 and is running for re-election to her seat. Boyd earned an undergraduate degree at Mary Washington College and a graduate degree at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Professionally, she works for the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division and previously worked as a secretary at Lafayette Upper Elementary School. Her three children all attended Fredericksburg Public Schools.

Boyd is a member of the district’s Enrollment, Capacity, and Expansion (ECE) Task Force, which is working to address the district’s overcapacity issues by opening a new middle school in August 2024. This will allow Walker-Grant Middle School to be updated and turned into a new elementary school. Boyd advocated for this plan as the most equitable option, as it allows all three elementary schools in the district to have newer infrastructure, rather than having one brand new school and two older ones. She also emphasized how the new building will allow for career and technical education courses.

Boyd supports equity on the school board. She led the school board in the selection of a new superintendent, Marceline “Marci” Catlett as the district’s first Black superintendent. Additionally, during her time on the board, the school board passed a five-year strategic plan that included an equity audit and the creation of an equity task force which meets monthly to discuss improving equity in Fredericksburg schools. She is also part of the task force in charge of recommending the safest and most effective way to educate students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ensuring teachers are supported and well paid is also a priority for Boyd. She voted for a budget which gave all teachers a 5% raise in 2019 and a 2% raise in 2018. She emphasizes how high wages lets the district recruit higher quality teachers and spend less on training. Boyd would also like to see increased funding for workforce development programs for teachers, including the Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow program, which supports college students hoping to pursue education.

Boyd also values improving communication on the board between all stakeholders in Fredericksburg Public Schools. She particularly emphasizes how the district can improve its virtual communication with parents and ensure websites are kept up to date. She would also like to see more options for parent input. She also serves on the School Board and City Council Working Group, which works to keep the missions of the two organizations aligned and ensure that proper funding and resources are available.

Boyd is running against Jesus A. Dominguez. Dominguez is a local parent and the husband of a Fredericksburg City Schools’ elementary teacher. Dominguez supports expanding Career and Technical Education and options for students to take community college courses. He opposes government efforts to keep children safe in school during the pandemic, like mask mandates.

Due to her support for investment in new schools, equity, educators, and communication, Boyd is the most progressive choice in this race.

Charles “Chuck” Frye, Jr., current Vice-Mayor of Fredericksburg, is running for re-election to his seat on the city council. Frye has served on the council since 2014. He’s been a resident of Fredericksburg since he was a child and graduated from James Monroe High School. He has worked many jobs in the area, including as a pipe-fitter, janitor, shipping clerk, and currently as a delivery driver for UPS. He and his wife have three children.

Frye is the only Black member of City Counciland has served as an advocate on the council for racial equity. He led the effort to remove the slave auction block, which stood on the corner of William and Charles streets since the 1840s. Despite two lawsuits and other opposition, Frye and the council successfully removed the block in 2020. Frye also voted in favor of a resolution that urged the General Assembly to rename Jefferson Davis Highway to “Emancipation Highway.”

After witnessing gun violence personally as a child, Vice Mayor Frye has been a strong advocate for gun violence prevention in Fredericksburg. Working alongside the Fredericksburg Police Department and Sheriff’s Office, he helped establish and host an annual gun giveback in 2015, which has happened every year since. The event allows Fredericksburg residents to voluntarily give unwanted weapons to the police, no questions asked. He also is a supporter of Fredericksburg’s Peace in Da Paint event, which is a community event that encourages Fredericksburg youth to settle differences on the basketball court rather than resorting to violence.

Vice Mayor Frye has voted for environmental protections in Fredericksburg. Frye voted in favor of a resolution committing the city to running city operations with 100 percent renewable energy by 2035 and powering the entire city with 100 percent renewable energy sources by 2050. This resolution also made the city hire an energy and sustainability specialist to help reach these targets. Frye also has supported the council’s efforts to negotiate with CSX and remove the tanker cars in the Mayfield area that release harmful fumes and can have hazardous leaks.

Frye has also worked to ensure Fredericksburg remains affordable for all residents. He voted in favor of a grant for a local co-op grocery store, which is working to ensure all Fredericksburg residents have access to affordable, healthy food options and reduce food insecurity. He’s supported revitalization efforts downtown to increase housing density and potentially decrease housing prices. In particular, he supported an effort to allow a duplex dwelling in Mayfield, so that it could be used by a non-profit that provides housing to veterans.

Vice Mayor Frye is being challenged by Amber Peebles, is a Marine Corps Veteran and owner of a construction business. She is also a member of the Citizen Advisory Panel of the Fredericksburg Police Department. Peebles does not support unions and opposes efforts by the legislature to protect workers’ rights.

Due to his support for racial equity, gun safety, environmental protections, and affordability, Frye is the most progressive choice in this race.

Incumbent Malvina Kay is running for re-election to her seat on the Fredericksburg School Board. Kay has been on the school board since 1991, and has served as chair and vice chair multiple times. Kay is a longtime resident of Fredericksburg and attended Virginia State University for her bachelor’s degree in business administration and accounting. She also served as chair of the Virginia School Board Association, Northeast Region. Professionally, she is the vice president and Chief Financial Officer at a financial organization that brings together non-profit organizations and corporations.

Kay plans to prioritize pay raises for teachers and staff, student achievement, staff retention, and building a relationship between the school board and the city council. She voted for a budget which gave all teachers a 5% raise in 2019 and a 2% raise in 2018. She supported a city council resolution to raise revenue in order to fund pay raises for teachers. She also approved capital improvements for school buses, a new bus lot lease, computer technology and roof repairs.

She voted to turn Hugh Mercer and Lafayette into elementary schools K-5 in order to ease overcrowding. Kay also supported bringing preschool and high-needs students back to school for shortened weeks in 2020 during the pandemic. She questioned the need for additional funding for school resource officers, stating that the presence of officers in buildings may prevent people from visiting. She supported an effort to bring healthy lunch and dinner options to students who were cut off from school lunches during the pandemic.

Kay also serves on the School Board and City Council Working Group, which works to keep the missions of the two organizations aligned and ensure that proper funding and resources are available. The working group was in charge of putting forth recommendations for the city’s enrollment and capacity expansion initiatives and Kay advocated for the construction of a new school. The working group also approved additional funding to add personnel to keep class sizes manageable.

As a person who was enrolled in Fredericksburg public schools before they were integrated, Kay understands the need to bring equity to the city’s education system. She advocated for funding to make early childhood education more accessible at the Walker-Grant Center. Long term, she wants to focus on improving graduation rates, boosting achievement scores, and beginning in workforce development at the schools. She also supported the expansion of broadband to all Fredericksburg students, ensuring that internet access would not be a barrier to participating in online classes.

Kay is running unopposed. Due to her support of raising teacher pay, equity, reducing overcrowding, and increased funding for public education, Kay is a progressive choice in this election.