What a crappy year 2016 ended up being. The death of childhood icons like Prince, David Bowie, and Carrie Fisher (just to name a few). We’ve had to put up with the inane ramblings of the Pompous Orange One (POO). Grab them by the pussy became a household catchphrase. I got nailed in the eye by a 10-year-old armed with a high-powered nerf gun. I AM WRITING THIS ARTICLE WITH ONE FREAKIN EYE — BUT I AM NOT QUITTING AND NEITHER CAN YOU.
It’s true. POO may have won the electoral college to ascend to the highest position in the world in just 22 days, but the fight is only just beginning. Now is the time to put on your big girl panties, your pirate eye-patch, or whatever else it takes for each of us to stand up and keep fighting — because OUR rights are going to live or die at the state level the next four years.
One big chance for Virginia to come out swinging is coming up in just a few days. On January 10th Ryant Washington will be up for the State Senate seat for District 22. Long-time sheriff of Fluvanna County and current law enforcement advisor to the Virginia ABC Board, he is known for his kindness, smarts, and willingness to work hard for the people he serves — Ryant Washington would make an excellent addition to the State Senate. If we can change this red seat to blue it will be a critical step in protecting our rights in Virginia and Ryant Washington is the perfect man for the job.
Recently, I asked Mr. Washington several questions:
KDW: How would your experience of 26 years in law enforcement help you as a state senate representative of district 22?
RW: I see two major takeaways here:
First and foremost, my 26 years in law enforcement have given me the ability to truly understand law and order – how it is applied based on laws that are driven down from the state level having been passed by our policy makers – and how law enforcement agencies are affected when we pass laws that come with a financial impact or mandates and no funding.
Secondly, and possibly more importantly, this experience has given me the ability to see folks at their best and folks at their worst, and how policies can affect people in different ways based on factors such as socioeconomic makeup, education, and so forth. In this sense, working in law enforcement has allowed me to develop an appreciation for how there is never going to be one straightforward policy proposal that will benefit or impact everyone equally, and this is something that our representatives need to acknowledge if they are going to be effective voices and advocates for their communities.
KDW: What challenges have you faced, if any, when you were appointed by the governor as special policy advisor for law enforcement on the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board?
RW: Our greatest challenge – and by extension our greatest success – has been to pave the way to ultimately get the ABC to a point of becoming a state accredited law enforcement agency, which we accomplished last year in December 2015.
KDW: Several of your previous co-workers have said you're a great man to work with. What do you enjoy most about working with people or within groups to get things done?
RW: I enjoy the opportunity at all stages to work with people. It’s part of the importance of how to be an effective State Senator you need to be able to build relationships and have conversations with people from different backgrounds and who have different thoughts about how things should be done.
KDW: What are your top goals you hope to achieve in the state senate?
RW: My number one priority in the Virginia Senate is to ensure that education is fully funded. I fundamentally believe that education is the biggest driver of economic growth and I think that our ability to attract good paying jobs to our localities is directly proportional to the strength of our schools. If we want to bring those jobs here, we have to make sure that education is fully funded – and that means everything from pre-K all the way to academia. The 22nd district has really suffered from the recession, and I think that the quickest, best, and most sustainable way for us to bounce back is to double down on education.
KDW: How have you seen your district improve in the last two decades?
RW: There has been some great economic development in the district over the last 20 years or so – especially along the I-64 corridor – but that progress has not permeated the district as much as I would like to see. Similarly, educational attainment has improved in some ways but not in others. The area where we have seen the most improvement I feel is in law enforcement. Crime rates have largely been on the decline across the district. Ultimately, though, all of this is part and parcel of why I believe it is so important for us to prioritize education.
VA State Senate District 22
KDW: What direction would you like to see your district and the state of Virginia head in the next few years?
RW: I’d like to continue our efforts to make sure that Virginia is one of if not the best state in the nation to do business. This means lessening burdens on localities, especially when it comes to unfunded mandates that get passed down from Richmond and from Washington. And we need to work together to get these things done. We need to compromise, we need to negotiate, we need to get to a point where we can accomplish these common goals.
KDW: Do you have hope to be able to work with the senate Republicans to achieve these goals?
RW: Certainly, and that’s something I’ve had to do – and have done successfully – before. As a Democratic Sheriff in a Republican county, I worked with all people to come to common ground in any situation, to find solutions and to keep moving forward. In the Senate, I will do just that.
THE FIGHT IS ONLY NOW BEGINNING — HELP BRING RYANT WASHINGTON TO THE VIRGINIA STATE SENATE TO ENSURE OUR RIGHTS ARE PROTECTED
