On the Issues

Kimberly believes every Virginian deserves to live in a safe community. In the 82nd District, crime and violence have devastated families and neighborhoods. In order to address this crisis, communities must first know their leaders are equally invested in their safety.

As Delegate, Kimberly will work to achieve measurable results for the district such as:

• Engage stakeholders to promote a law enforcement workforce that reflects the community it serves
• Work with community leaders, individual citizens, and law enforcement to establish innovative crime prevention initiatives
• Ensure state funding exists to adequately staff Sheriff and Police departments

Kimberly believes every child has the right to a free, quality public school education. As the parent of a public school student, Kimberly understands the need to adequately fund K-12 schools — and adequately pay educators. She hears the frustration of teachers and administrators, and knows how necessary it is to have a public school advocate in Richmond.

As Delegate, Kimberly will bring the same willingness and dedication to our parents, children, and educators. Virginia has phenomenal teachers and administrators, but unfortunately:

• Per-pupil spending is below the statewide average in three localities of the 82nd District
• Many students attend school in buildings well over 50 years old
• School systems are forced to resort to fundraising to pay for basic student needs

Kimberly believes the government has no place in a woman’s healthcare decision – and all decisions should be made between the woman and her doctor.

As Delegate, Kimberly will fight tirelessly to protect continued access and ensure women keep the right to make their own reproductive decisions by:

• Opposing any attempt to ban abortions in Virginia
• Opposing any attempt to invoke obstacles to abortion (such as mandatory waiting periods)
• Opposing any attempt to limit or restrict women’s access to contraception

For nearly 20 years, Kimberly has worked as a public servant of the Commonwealth of Virginia. While employed as a government auditor, she has learned how to identify waste, abuse and misuse of taxpayer dollars. Virginians deserve to know how their government operates, and should be made aware of public information in a timely manner. As Delegate, Kimberly will work diligently in pursuit of transparency, accountability, collaboration and participation for all Virginians.

Food insecurity is an undeniable fact for many residents across the 82nd District. People in both urban and rural areas of our community lack access to affordable fresh food. Most tragic is that food deserts exist in communities where agriculture is a vital component of the local economy.

As Delegate, Kimberly will actively pursue solutions to this crisis such as:

• Incentivize local farmers to donate to community food banks
• Promote initiatives where local farmers sell their produce directly to public schools
• Encourage traditional grocery store retailers to invest in our community

Kimberly believes every working family deserves an opportunity to enjoy economic security and success. In order for families to thrive, certain protections, resources, and benefits are required such as:

• Workers should have the right to unionize and collectively bargain
• Employees should have paid sick leave to use for themselves or their children
• Employers should invest in specialized training, making education and workforce development available to the community

Kimberly believes broadband internet access is as necessary for Virginians as electricity and water. Educational opportunities, employment opportunities, and affordable healthcare are often dependent upon reliable internet access. In order to make counties more attractive to live, broadband access must be a unified priority for both State and local government.

As Delegate, Kimberly will advocate for increased funding to supplement existing local efforts by:

• Seeking grant and reasonable loan opportunities for localities
• Encouraging public-private partnerships to facilitate underserved and unserved areas
• Ensuring an equitable deployment of acquired resources

Kimberly believes taxpayers deserve a voice when deciding how their community thrives. Effective economic development improves wages, increases the tax base, and allows a locality to better predict their destiny. Simply put, economic development should benefit the citizens as well as the locality.

As Delegate, Kimberly will support the desires of the people and advocate for economic development expansion by:

• Advocating use of referendums to encourage widespread community input
• Working to ensure adequate funding for job training in industries new to the district
• Working to incentivize businesses to recruit from the community