Candidates For 91st Emphasize Conservative Values At Debate

By Amber Lester Kennedy Friday, January 14, 2011

A debate between Republican candidates for the 91st district seat in the Virginia House of Delegates was mostly civil except for pointed remarks aimed at candidate Chris Stuart, the most pointed of which came from the man vacating the seat: Del. Tom Gear.

Gear was in the audience of a debate held Thursday in the cafeteria of Tabb High School. While receiving a standing ovation for his service at the end of the evening, Gear told the audience that all people running for office are not honest. “Early in the campaign, robo calls were made in which Chris Stuart said ‘my dear friend Tom Gear.’ I’ve talked to you maybe twice and I don’t appreciate you saying that,” he said to Stuart. “I’m not your dear friend.”

Stuart, when prompted, said he had no response to that. Stuart, a member of the Hampton City Council since July, also faced tough questions from the audience. One audience member asked how he could serve the 91st district when he just moved to the district; another audience member asked if he was living in a residence on Riding Path (in the 91st district) or a home listed under his name on Chesapeake Avenue. He told the audience he was living at the Riding Path residence, which is listed as being owned by relatives of his wife, Nicole Maust Stuart.

Gear resigned his seat Dec. 31, citing personal illness and family health problems. The Republican committee of the 91st district announced Jan. 8 it would hold a “firehouse primary” on Jan. 18, giving candidates 10 days to gather votes. The primary will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. at three locations in the district (see here for locations). All registered voters will be permitted to vote in the primary. A special election will take place March 8.

Four candidates will be on the ballot on Jan. 18, in the following order: Gordon Helsel, Chad Green, Chris Stuart and Teresa Vanasse Schmidt. All four answered questions from the audience at the Thursday debate, which was sponsored by the informal Tuscany’s forum group that meets that the York County coffee shop of the same name.

Helsel, mayor of Poquoson, has served 27 years on its City Council. He’s a Vietnam veteran, a former fire chief and the retired owner of a manufacturing company.

Green, a Seaford resident, is a corporate attorney with certification as a commercial fisherman. He is president-elect of the Grafton Kiwanis Club.

Stuart is vice president of business development for Top Guard Security; his wife is president of the business. In addition to his service on Hampton’s council, he is on the Board of Trustees for Thomas Nelson Community College and on the board of the Old Dominion University Alumni Association.

Schmidt, a Fox Hill resident, serves as an early childhood educator for Community Presbyterian Church in Hampton, and was a stay-at-home mom to her three sons, now grown. Her father, Alan Vanasse, was a councilman in Hampton. She’s received Gear’s endorsement.

All four candidates emphasized their conservative values at the debate, talking about how they would work to make sure the Constitution is upheld, government is limited and no new taxes are approved. They all pledged to support Attorney General Ken Cucinelli in his efforts to defeat “Obamacare” and talked about the importance of cleaning the Chesapeake Bay.

Many of the audience-submitted questions asked the candidates to identify specific legislation they would support. Green said that as delegate, he would champion eminent domain reform and cleaning the Bay, along with supporting Cucinelli; he also said that as of Thursday, he was endorsed by the local Tea Party and will advocate for their interests. Schmidt said she’d advocate to boost Fort Monroe after the Army leaves, overhaul the education system and protect the waterways. Helsel repeatedly emphasized his devotion to solving the Peninsula’s transportation issues, and also supports education and eminent domain reform. Stuart said he’d support more family choice for schools, fixing waterways by filling vacant oversight positions and ensuring vacant judgeships are filled.

When asked how they’d cut the budget, Schmidt said she’d cut office supply spending in state government; Helsel said he’d trim the budget for the Virginia Department of Transportation; Stuart said he’d review inefficiencies in state regulations; and Green produced a list of just a few items he’s noticed while reviewing the budget over the past 10 days. His “cut” list included abolishing the milk commission, consolidating the payroll of state agencies and providing e-training to state employees, rather than pay for travel. He said those cuts would trim $12 million.

In their closing statements, the candidates said why they’re the best choice. Schmidt said she feels called to service and now that her sons are grown, she has the time to devote to serving the citizens. “I don’t have all the answers,” she said. “But that’s the beauty of this.”

Helsel emphasized his lifetime of service, first as a veteran and now as a mayor. He said as a delegate, he would like to be close to the voters. “Sometimes my head is a little bit hard, but I listen. I want to hit the ground running,” he said. Of the Constitution, he added, “I crawled across the Republic of Vietnam to protect it and I’ll do that for the 91st.”

Stuart cited his experience as a businessman with 550 employees, saying his business has created jobs when others have had layoffs. “I firmly believe, given the economic challenges, that judgment and good decisions are what citizens need,” he said.

Green reminded the audience of his two years of involvement with the Tuscany’s forum, saying he never expected he’d stand before them as a candidate. “I’m a real Republican. I’m a real conservative,” he said. “I’ll be partying like it’s 1773 when I get to Richmond.”