Hampton City Council Endorsements

Ever the political activists, the husband and I have been active supporting our preferred local candidates for Hampton City Council.  Local government elections have a huge impact on our daily lives and on our local taxes.  The following are the candidates that we will vote for tomorrow and we hope other Hampton residents will join us in supporting these candidates who have shown themselves to be gay accepting and supporting and who share our vision of what we want Hampton to be:

Mayor: George Wallace.  George has been a friend and ally and he signed the Mayor's for Marriage Equality after former Mayor Molly Ward resigned to take a position in the Obama administration before becoming Virginia's Secretary for Natural Resources under Terry McAuliffe.

Vice Mayor: Linda Curtis:  Linda Curtis is a friend and supporter and she shares the vision we have for Hampton.  Linda is a friend of HRBOr and we hosted an event for her at our home on April 13, 2014.

City Council:

Gay Larue:  Gay is another personal friend who wants to see hampton realize its potential.  She is a strong LGBT ally and with a business background, she understands that government needs to help set the parameters for positive change while helping responsible businesses succeed.  We hosted an event at our home for Gay as well. 

Will Moffitt:  Will Moffitt is another individual who "gets it" and understands that Hampton is a stronger city with a more dynamic future when it puts out the welcome mat for all.  The husband and I have supported Will and hope friends will make sure to vote for Will.

Teresa Schmidt: My last endorsement is for a woman that we got to meet and like on the campaign circuit.  We need leadership that we think out of the box and not simply recycle the same old "good old boy" formula that ceased working years ago.  Teresa strikes us as fitting this bill.

Please make sure to vote tomorrow!  The polls open at 6:00AM and close at 7:00 PM.

Gaynette LaRue for Hampton City Council

In Virginia, elections seem to be non-stop what with alternating years on state and federal elections and city and county elections thrown in for good measure.  For those politically involved, it is sometimes exhausting and expensive if one puts their money where there mouth is.  Yet political involvement is crucial if we are to see the right people elected to office.  As LGBT voters are seeing at the state level, having Terry McAuliffe holding the governorship and Mark Herring serving as Attorney General makes for a sea change here in Virginia and I shudder to think what things would be like if instead we had Ken Cuccinelli as governor and the equally extreme Mark Obenshain as attorney general.  But politics doesn't stop at the state level.  Local elections are crucial as well.  Hence why the boyfriend - now fiance - are involved in city counsel level elections.  And that is why we will be supporting Gaynette "Gay" LaRue for Hampton City Council.  She is a strong LGBT ally and HRBOR member and, like us, wants to see Hampton move to the next level.  Here are highlights from the Daily Press on her announcement that she is running for office:

Hampton Planning Chairwoman Gaynette LaRue has announced that she will run for City Council this spring.  LaRue said she will focus on schools, job creation and neighborhoods.

LaRue, a Linden Avenue resident, is also leaning on her career as a Wells Fargo financial adviser and an accredited asset management specialist. She says her career – she's worked in the financial field for 25 years – helps her understand budgets and the "complexities of municipal finance."

LaRue is running for one of three full-term City Council seats on the ballot in the May 6 election. A fourth, two-year City Council term and mayor's seat will also be on the ballot.

LaRue was named chairwoman of the Planning Commission in October, a month after being appointed to a second four-year term on the commission. The Planning Commission makes recommendations to the City Council concerning the city's community plan, zoning ordinance and land use requests.

LaRue has said she has a significant interest in downtown redevelopment and thinks the historic courthouse on Kings Way should become a haven for artists after the new downtown courthouse is built. She hopes to see the city make its waterfront more of a destination for visitors.  She is the founding president of the Downtown Hampton Development Partnership.

I hope Hampton readers will join us in backing her candidacy and will turn out to vote on May 6, 2014.