1. Considering data center ordinance changes under consideration in Chesapeake, what policies would you support regarding the siting of data centers and the management of associated impacts, such as setbacks, noise, pollution, water use, energy demand, backup generators, environmental impacts, and infrastructure costs?
Answer: I support economic development, but I do not believe every development is right for every location. When we are talking about data centers, we have to look beyond the revenue and ask what the project will mean for the people who already live in that area. I support requiring data centers to go through a conditional use process so that each project can be reviewed on its own merits. I want us to look closely at setbacks, noise, water use, power demand, backup generators, emissions, traffic, wetlands, wildlife, and the infrastructure needed to support the facility. I also believe the developer should pay its fair share of the infrastructure costs the project creates. Existing residents should not be left paying for road, drainage, utility, or public safety improvements made necessary by a private development. I would be very cautious about placing large data centers near established neighborhoods, schools, senior communities, farmland, wetlands, or other environmentally sensitive areas. Most importantly, residents need to be involved early. I have said before that you cannot make a plan for the people without the people. Public engagement should happen before residents feel like a decision has already been made.
2. How would you promote making more clean energy available to residents, businesses, and institutions in Chesapeake? What is your position on siting of battery energy storage systems (BESS) and utility scale solar? What do you believe the City can do to promote rooftop, balcony, and parking lot solar?
Answer: I believe Chesapeake can expand access to clean energy while protecting our neighborhoods, preserving our land, and keeping energy affordable for residents and businesses. The city can work with utilities, state agencies, developers, and community partners to identify incentives, streamline appropriate permitting, and connect residents with available federal, state, and utility programs that can reduce the upfront cost of energy improvements. When it comes to battery energy storage systems, or BESS, and utility-scale solar, I believe in responsible development not a blanket yes or no. These projects can provide important benefits, including greater energy resilience and diversification of our energy supply, but they must be properly sited. The City should carefully consider proximity to homes, schools, environmentally sensitive areas, emergency access, fire safety, noise, stormwater, visual impacts, and the long-term use of the land. Residents should have meaningful opportunities to understand and participate in decisions before projects are approved. I also believe Chesapeake should make better use of spaces we already have before placing additional pressure on undeveloped land. The City can lead by example by evaluating solar opportunities on municipal buildings and parking facilities and by making the permitting process for appropriate solar projects more predictable and efficient. Ultimately, my goal is to support clean energy in a way that is practical, equitable, and responsible. Chesapeake should embrace innovation while protecting the character of our communities, preserving our natural resources, and ensuring that residents and local businesses can benefit from the clean energy economy.
3. Between 2014 and 2021, the City had a net loss of over 800 acres of trees, largely to development. What polices will you support to protect tree canopy during development? Would you support increasing the tree canopy requirement on site plans for low-density single-family home development?
Answer: Yes, I would support looking at stronger tree canopy requirements, especially in low density developments where there is more opportunity to preserve existing trees. Trees are more than landscaping. They provide shade, help with stormwater, reduce heat, improve air quality, provide wildlife habitat, and make neighborhoods more attractive. What concerns me most is seeing mature trees cleared and then replaced with a few small trees that may take decades to provide the same benefit. I would rather see us preserve healthy mature trees whenever possible. I support stronger tree preservation plans, incentives for developers who preserve mature trees, reasonable replacement requirements, protection of trees during construction, and follow-up inspections to make sure what was promised is actually delivered. I also think Chesapeake should establish a measurable canopy goal. We should know whether we are gaining or losing tree cover over time, not just how many trees were planted in a particular year.
4. Our region faces a significant shortage of housing that is affordable to people earning the area median income or less. How would you promote building more housing in communities that maintains a high quality of life and a healthy and livable environment?
Answer: I would support a balanced approach that encourages a variety of housing options, including workforce housing, apartments, townhomes, smaller homes, and mixed-income communities. At the same time, affordability should not come at the expense of quality of life. New development should be accompanied by adequate roads, drainage, parks, schools, public safety, and other infrastructure. I also believe we should encourage energy efficient and environmentally responsible construction that helps reduce long-term utility costs for residents. For me, this is about responsible growth. We can build the housing our families, seniors, veterans, young professionals, and workforce need while preserving the character, natural resources, and quality of life that make Chesapeake a great place to live. We don't have to choose between affordability and a healthy environment.
5. Chesapeake continues to experience flooding, sea level rise, and increasingly intense rainfall. What are your priorities for improving flood resilience to protect neighborhoods, businesses, and natural resources?
Answer: My first priority is protecting the neighborhoods and businesses that are already here and making sure new development does not make an existing flooding problem worse. That means maintaining our ditches and drainage systems, upgrading aging infrastructure, protecting wetlands and natural drainage areas, improving stormwater capacity, and using current flood and rainfall information when we make development decisions. I also support using natural solutions where they make sense, trees, wetlands, rain gardens, living shorelines, floodplains, and other green infrastructure. Sometimes the answer is a larger pipe or drainage project, but sometimes nature can help us manage water more effectively and at the same time improve the environment. For new development, simply meeting today's minimum standard should not always be the end of the conversation. We should be asking what happens during the next major storm and what happens to the neighborhoods upstream and downstream. Whenever possible, Chesapeake should aggressively pursue state and federal resilience dollars so local taxpayers are not carrying the entire burden
6. One of the top resident priorities is "Preservation of large areas of open space and forest.*" How should Chesapeake balance continued economic growth with the preservation of open space, forests, wetlands, farms and rural character? How would you expand the City's urban forestry and natural lands management, such planting and maintaining trees, managing invasive plants, maintaining natural trails, and training staff on best practices? * As reported in the Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Master Plan study.
Answer: I believe Chesapeake does not have to choose between economic growth and environmental stewardship. We can grow responsibly while protecting the forests, farms, wetlands, waterways, and open spaces that define the character of our city. As Chesapeake continues to grow, I would support a balanced growth strategy that prioritizes redevelopment and appropriate infill where infrastructure already exists, while being more intentional about protecting large areas of rural and environmentally sensitive land. We should work with landowners, farmers, developers, conservation organizations, and regional partners to identify opportunities for conservation easements, land preservation, and incentives that keep valuable properties from being unnecessarily developed. We should also invest in training City staff on current forestry, habitat management, stormwater, and conservation best practices so that our decisions are based on sound science and long-term stewardship. My approach would be simple: grow where growth makes sense, preserve what makes Chesapeake special, and be responsible stewards of the land we leave for the next generation.
7. Considering that many daily trips that people make are over short distances, often less than 1 or 2 miles, how would you work to make our streets safer and more connected for people walking, biking, and using mobility devices?
Answer: A person should not have to get in a car just to safely travel a mile down the road. I support building a better connected network of sidewalks, crosswalks, trails, bicycle facilities, and safe pedestrian routes, especially around schools, parks, libraries, shopping areas, employment centers, neighborhoods, and transit stops. Sometimes the solution is not a huge project. There are places in Chesapeake where a sidewalk simply ends and leaves someone a few hundred feet away from the place they are trying to reach. Closing those small gaps can make a big difference. We should improve lighting, crosswalk visibility, ADA accessible curb ramps, pedestrian crossings, and traffic calming where it is appropriate. Accessibility has to be part of the conversation from the beginning. If someone using a wheelchair, walker, or mobility device cannot safely use a sidewalk, then we have not really built an accessible sidewalk. Walking and biking infrastructure is not just recreation. It is transportation, independence, health, and quality of life.
8. How would you improve access to public transportation in our City?
Answer: I believe public transportation is about more than getting from one place to another but more importantly it is about access to opportunity. Residents should be able to get to work, school, healthcare, grocery stores, and essential services without transportation being a barrier. I would work with Hampton Roads Transit and regional partners to identify gaps in service and pursue state and federal funding for expanded routes, bus stops, and shelters. We should also make sure transit stops are safe, accessible, well lit, and connected to sidewalks and bike infrastructure. Because Chesapeake is geographically large and includes rural communities, we also need to think beyond traditional fixed bus routes. Ultimately, improving public transportation strengthens our economy, supports our workforce, helps seniors and people with disabilities remain independent, and gives residents more choices in how they move around our city.
9. Considering the new 25-year contract the City signed with SPSA for combined single-bin trash and recycling collection, and considering the steadily increasing tipping fees (cost per ton collected) associated with the new contract, what steps should the City take to encourage residents, businesses, schools, and institutions to REDUCE the amount of solid waste put out for collection?
Answer: I believe Chesapeake should focus on reducing waste at the source and not simply managing more waste after it has been created. With a 25-year contract and increasing tipping fees, every additional ton of waste has a long-term financial impact on our residents and our City. The City should take a comprehensive approach that makes waste reduction convenient, practical, and measurable. First, we should expand public education so residents understand what can be recycled, what should be kept out of the waste stream can make a meaningful difference. I would also support making recycling and waste diversion more accessible. That could include community collection events, partnerships with nonprofits and businesses, and exploring incentives for organizations that demonstrate measurable reductions in the amount of waste they send to the landfill. Finally, I believe the City should track and publicly report progress. We need to know how much waste we are generating, how much we are diverting, and where additional improvements are needed.
10. Would you support implementing a 5¢ fee on plastic bags to encourage the use of reusable shopping bags and to fund local environmental cleanup, litter and pollution mitigation, or environmental education efforts, and/or to provide reusable bags to recipients of SNAP or WIC benefits? Why or why not?
Answer: I would be willing to support a five cent plastic bag fee, but I would want it implemented in a way that does not unfairly burden families who are already watching every dollar. The goal should be reducing plastic waste and litter, not raising money from residents. If Chesapeake moves forward with a fee, I would want reusable bags made readily available, especially to SNAP and WIC recipients and other families who may be financially affected. Libraries, community centers, schools, churches, and community organizations could help with distribution. I would also want the City to publicly report where the money goes and whether the program is actually reducing plastic bag use and litter. Five cents may not sound like much, but small costs add up for families. We can protect the environment while still being thoughtful about affordability.
11. What steps would you take to improve transparency and public engagement in land use and development decisions?
Answer: I believe residents should not feel like development decisions are being made around them instead of with them. Transparency and meaningful public engagement are essential to building trust in local government. I would work to make land use and development information easier for residents to understand and access. That means providing clear, plain language explanations of proposed rezonings, comprehensive plan amendments, major developments, traffic and infrastructure impacts, and environmental considerations well before a public hearing. I would also support earlier community engagement and not simply ask residents for input after a project has already been designed. The City should provide multiple opportunities for residents to participate through neighborhood meetings, online engagement, public workshops, and accessible public hearings. Meetings should be communicated widely and scheduled in ways that allow working families to participate. I also believe residents deserve to know what was heard and how their input influenced the decision. When significant public concerns are raised, the City should clearly explain how those concerns were addressed or why a different decision was made. Good development should not be adversarial. When people have accurate information, a meaningful seat at the table, and confidence that their voices are being heard, we can make better decisions.
12. What other sustainability, environmental, or quality-of-life issue do you believe deserves greater attention? Please elaborate.
Answer: Sometimes when we say “sustainability,” people think about something big or abstract. But for most residents, sustainability is much more personal. It is whether your street floods when it rains. Whether your child can safely walk to school. Whether there is shade at the playground. Whether your neighborhood has trees. Whether a senior can get to the grocery store. Whether families have clean air and clean water. Whether industrial development is being concentrated near the same communities over and over again. I would like Chesapeake to look at those things neighborhood by neighborhood, tree canopy, flooding, parks, pedestrian safety, transportation, environmental conditions, and infrastructure, and use that information when we decide where City investments are needed most. For me, sustainability is not about Chesapeake simply being called a “green city.” It is about leaving behind a Chesapeake where the next generation can afford to live here, raise their families here, enjoy the outdoors, and have the same or better quality of life than we have today. I want Chesapeake to remain a place where people can live, learn, work, farm, and play for generations to come.