Voters know that the Nov. 8 ballot will contain the names of candidate for president, vice president and member of commerce, but the two proposed amendments to the Virginia Constitution are less well understood.
The “Right to Work Ballot Amendment” would mean that an employee in Virginia would have a constitutional right to work for an employer without being a member of a union.
The “Tax Relief Ballot Amendment” would give local jurisdictions the power to exempt the surviving spouse of any law-enforcement officer, firefighter, search and rescue personnel or emergency medical services personnel who is killed in the line of duty.
Complete explanation of the proposals and the pros and cons of each is available from the League of Women voters by following this link.
Eileen Bedell, candidate for Congress from Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, is coming to Lake of the Woods Sept. 15 to meet with voters at a reception sponsored by the LOW Democratic Club.
Bedell is an attorney and mother of two who lives in Bon Air in Chesterfield County.
The event will take place at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 15, in the LOW Community Center. Fancy pastries and beverages will be served.
The candidate will make brief remarks and will be available for questions. As at all club events, visitors are welcome without regard to political affiliation.
Bedell earned a communications degree from Virginia Tech before getting her law degree from the College of William & Mary. She has been a general practice attorney for nearly two decades and is solo practitioner at the McNeil Law Group in Richmond’s Church Hill.
“I do everything but criminal defense — custody cases, contract dispute, estate litigation, wills,” she said. “It transfers well to having that broad spectrum of expertise you would need sitting on different committees of Congress. On some level, I have been representing people and small businesses in the 7th in another branch of government for almost 20 years.”
At the time Rep. David Brat, a former college professor, was elected to represent the 7th District in 2014, it included all of Orange, Culpeper, Goochland, Hanover, Louisa and New Kent counties and portions of Chesterfield, Henrico and Spotsylvania counties, as well as portions of the city of Richmond. But legal challenges to congressional district lines in Virginia based on representative inequality resulted in a court-ordered redrawing of some district lines, eliminating Hanover and New Kent County from the 7th District. Brat and two other Congressmen appealed the decision to the Supreme Court and lost, leaving the reconstituted district in place for the Nov. 8 election.
Sara Jezior, who represents the Democratic co-ordinated campaigns for our area, will be guest speaker at the club’s August 18 meeting.
This is your chance to be informed about what is being done locally to maximize the votes for Hillary Clinton for president and Eileen Bedell for Congress. It’s also an opportunity to find out what you can do to support our candidates with canvassing, phone banking and voter registration.
The meeting will begin at 1:30 p.m. in the meeting room at the LOW Community Center.
Eileen Bedell, candidate for the U.S. Congress from Virginia’s 7th District, spoke at the club’s annual Flag Day Picnic June 15 at the LOW Clubhouse. The event was well attended and resulted in a robust discussion of the important issues facing our area and our nation.
The club’s own Lalli Omar gave a presentation and led a discussion at our May 19 meeting about Islam, which means “surrender to the will of God.” The fastest-growing religion in the world is not as it is often depicted in today’s society.
Sara Jezior, who represents the Democratic co-ordinated campaigns for our area, will be guest speaker at the club’s August 18 meeting.
