Pictured above is my street the morning after Tropical Storm Matthew hit Virginia Beach. Hurricanes and tropical storms had hit us in the 20 years before, but none flooded our street and made it unpassable. One of my neighbors lost his car because the flood waters ruined his engine. His car was parked in his driveway.
This past Virginia General Assembly session the city of Virginia Beach asked its state legislators to include money for flood mitigation efforts. Being a legislative assistant to my delegate gave me a front row seat to all of the hearings and sessions. I watched in horror as the four Republican delegates from the city voted to remove that money from the state budget. My Democratic delegate made an passioned plea, on the floor of the House of Delegates, to keep the money in the budget because so many residents have lost their homes and possessions to flood waters. The measure was defeated and Virginia Beach went without $50 million dollars for flood mitigation.
As always, this is an election year in Virginia. All 140 seats in the legislature are on the ballot, 40 Senate seats and 100 House of Delegate seats. I cannot let another election go by without action.
I am running for Virginia’s 7th Senate District to take the voice of the flood victims to Richmond. I am running to bring funding to Virginia Beach so that no more of my neighbors lose their cars to flood waters. My concern is not just for those in my neighborhood, but also for those in the Windsor Oaks, Windsor Woods, and Princess Anne Plaza neighborhoods. The time for talk is over. I am running to legislate for the people’s needs.
Hippen for Virginia Senate 7
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