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Wendy W. Gooditis
DTo be claimed
Former Member, Science and Technology Committee, Commonwealth of Virginia House of Delegates
Former Member, Subcommittee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources #3, Commonwealth of Virginia House of Delegates
Vice Chair, Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee
Member, Counties Cities and Towns Committee
Member, Labor and Commerce Committee
Chair, Subcommittee on Agriculture
Member, Subcommittee on Charters
Member, Subcommittee on Labor and Commerce #2
— Mother's Occupation:
Wendy's campaign website highlights the following issues:
As a career educator and mom of two, Wendy understands that our communities are only as strong as our schools are. She will fight to fully fund our public schools so that each child in Virginia can learn and succeed.
The wage for Virginia public school teachers is about $7,000 under the national average. As both Wendy’s mom and grandmother were public school teachers, she understands firsthand the impact of underpaid educators. She knows that investing in Virginia's families means investing in Virginia's teachers. So she will support a living wage and benefits for public educators, so that Virginia can recruit and retain the nation’s top talent.
Wendy believes that quality healthcare should be accessible and affordable for everyone. She knows how critical state support can be – Wendy and her family have healthcare due to the Affordable Care Act.
Wendy will support the expansion of Medicaid, so that an estimated 400,000 Virginians don’t have to keep making the impossible choices between paying healthcare bills and other necessities. Wendy understands that universal healthcare is good for Virginia’s economy – through a healthy workforce and the creation of new jobs.
About a week into her candidacy, Wendy lost her younger brother to mental illness. She's running so that Virginia families don't have to experience what hers did -- so that those who need mental health help are able to get it.
Wendy believes that our economy should work for everyone, and give each Virginian a fair shot. That means competitive public and technical education systems, a living minimum wage, and jobs for our veterans. It also means the protection of worker's rights, labor unions, and equal economic opportunity for all Virginians. It means our government's investment in public infrastructure so that we can build better roads, bike lanes, and transit systems. Virginia's economy is developing quickly, and our government must take steps to ensure that our workforce is well trained and paid so that we can grow and compete.
Gerrymandering is the issue that first got Wendy out of her chair at a town hall back in February 2017. As a 19-year resident of the district, she has watched its lines be contorted and redrawn.
Wendy believes that free and fair elections are tenets of our democracy, so she stands firmly against gerrymandering. She has pledged to support a constitutional amendment in Virginia to ensure that district lines are not drawn to favor any individual or political party. Further, she firmly opposes any effort to make voting harder -- and is appalled by Virginia House Republican efforts to require photo identification for absentee ballots and multiple forms of state identifications at the voting booth.
Wendy believes that strong communities start with a healthy planet. Raising her children on the banks of the Shenandoah River, Wendy chose to live in District 10 because of its ample green spaces, clean water, and clear air. This year, she's running to protect them.
She will defend and expand existing environmental regulations. To ensure that she can legislate without bias, Wendy has also pledged not to take campaign contributions from Dominion Power or Appalachian Power.
Wendy will support Virginia's investment in renewable energy, making alternative energy options like solar panels and wind energy more accessible and affordable. Finally, she will push for cleanup efforts and the preservation of District 10's best green spaces. She believes that development must be responsible, and cannot come at the cost of our land, water, and air.
1. How does Virginia’s transportation funding formula benefit Loudoun County and what, if anything, should be done to improve the current process?
One of the defining factors for Loudoun’s transportation needs is our continuous growth. While other areas of the Commonwealth shrink, we remain one of the fastest growing regions and, as such, need the proper funding to compensate our roads, schools, and other infrastructure projects. Unfortunately at the moment more tax dollars are leaving Loudoun for transportation projects elsewhere than are coming in. What we need are equitable solutions that prioritize our region’s needs.
I believe that we can continue to fight for better transportation fund assignment and also for potential carve-outs from other funds so that we can redirect our tax dollars back to our region where they are needed most.
While the Northern Virginia Transportation District was created to raise funds locally through regional gas taxes, our area has seen an explosion in use and ownership of electric cars, which are able to avoid those regional taxes. While I support the continued use of electric vehicles (and own a hybrid myself), we do need effective ways to maintain a local revenue stream for infrastructure projects.
2. How would you more effectively align the Commonwealth’s and the County’s sources of revenue with their respective service responsibilities?
Similar to my last answer, it’s imperative that Loudoun institute smart investments to compensate for our growing communities. I worked hard in the legislature to find more funding for school safety and for teacher pay raises and for transportation improvements to I81, 95, and 66. I believe that a community and a Commonwealth that invests in education and transportation is one that will continue to grow and thrive.
3. With Virginia facing a teacher shortage crisis, what current or future measures will you support that will have an impact on this challenge?
I’ve spoken with many teachers from Loudoun county, both before and as a legislator and the answer is always the same: they’re leaving Loudoun not because they want to, but because they have to. For most teachers, Loudoun is a wonderful place to live, the only problem is that oftentimes it can be too expensive.
To hire and retain the best teacher for our children, it’s important that we have the right incentives. This year in the General Assembly I worked hard for and voted for a 5% raise for teachers in the Commonwealth. That raise matters, and will go a long way in keeping our educators rooted in the communities in which they grew up. We need to continue to make Loudoun an economically feasible option for our educators.
4. How can the Commonwealth become a more effective partner in addressing Loudoun’s housing affordability challenge?
Similar to my last answer, Loudoun County can be an incredibly expensive place for folks to live, especially those vital community members who often times operate on limited budgets. Whether it be educators or first-responders, we don’t want them to have to commute in from West Virginia, we want them here in our communities. Loudoun needs to be open to the opportunity of affordable and workforce housing. (Disclosure: In my real-estate business, I have been working on workforce housing issues)
5. Do you support Virginia’s Right To Work laws? Why or why not? If not, what superior solution would you propose?
I don’t support Virginia’s right to work laws. I believe that first and foremost, we need to have collective bargaining for public entities and require that our Commonwealth be accountable on that level before asking that private businesses do the same. (continued on the next page)
I don’t support Virginia’s right to work laws. I believe that first and foremost, we need to have collective bargaining for public entities and require that our Commonwealth be accountable on that level before asking that private businesses do the same. (continued on the next page)
While it’s an issue of labor and equity, it’s also one of common-sense investment. After the Metro contact was changed to no longer require Union workmen, the quality rapidly declined to the point where building momentarily came to a halt.
If we invest in our best workers for public infrastructure projects the first time around, it means that our upkeep costs will be lower over time, saving us money.
6. Please describe what best qualifies you to hold the office you’re seeking.
Being a legislator means that you have to be a tireless advocate for your community, have the ability to find common-ground when needed but also stick up for values when the time calls, and have the capacity to work within your district to find solutions.
I’ve worked as an IT researcher, educator, a real-estate agent, and as a mom. In a county where technology, schools, housing, and children are at the top of peoples’ minds, those experiences matter. I won this seat in 2017 when no one thought I had a shot with grit and tenacity. I took those same qualities down to Richmond and fought for better teacher pay, better healthcare, better schools and school safety, and better infrastructure. I believe that when we invest in our schools, our roads and our workforce, we can achieve equitable and lasting prosperity. I’ve done that in both my private life and as an educator, and I’m only getting started.
Source: BizVotes Candidates Questionnaire
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