Opinion

Recently, I had the honor of joining the Race Coalition of Fredericksburg at a beautiful commemoration of Juneteenth – a day of liberation. I reflect on how the day comes in a week that has been marked by a horrific event in Charleston – the ruthless murder of nine innocent people by a racist young man filled with hate and armed with a gun.

This tragedy shakes us to our core, but we have witnessed racially motivated violence before. That sense of fear and horror brings us back to the same question: When will this violence and terror finally end?

The Virginia’s State Corporation Commission latest annual report says that predatory car title lending is thriving in Virginia .  With nearly three dozen car title lenders between Alexandria and Quantico on U.S. 1, this is troubling news, except to the lenders out to make big profits.    You can read the full report on my online newsletter –The Dixie Pig – at scottsurovell.blogspot.com. 

Car title lending began in our state in 2010 after Virginia limited interest rates on payday loans and predatory lenders argued that a new option was needed.  Virginia law authorizes lenders to lend money at rates up to 30% per month which equates to around a 297% annual percentage rate (APR).  A consumer can  borrow up to 50% of their vehicle’s equity and the loan term is limited.   

As I’ve knocked on doors and talked on the phone with fellow residents this spring, I’ve learned just how much the people of Prince William County truly care about our community. They recognize our strengths and our weaknesses. They celebrate our successes, but they also clearly feel the impacts of the challenges we face together.

Whether it’s over-crowded classrooms in our schools, stifling traffic on our roads or slow economic development and job growth in our County, these are the issues that hit closest to home for Prince William families. They are also the issues that we have the greatest opportunity to address right here at the local level.

Winning the Republican nomination was a team effort and I am extremely humbled and appreciative of our dedicated supporters. In just a few months, our campaign knocked on over 3,500 doors and made over 4,000 phone calls. We had an aggressive outreach plan in both counties and it was clear that our hard work paid off as the returns came in. Winning Stafford County by 19 points and Prince William County by 13 points showed broad support for my message of improving our infrastructure, leaner, more efficient government, and improving education opportunities for our youth.

Thanks goes to Tim Ciampaglio for stepping into the public square. I know first hand how tough it can be on one’s family to be thrust into the public eye.  Moving forward, I wish Tim and his family the best. He has reached out to me with offers of support in the general election. I will need him and his supporters to win back the House District 2 Delegate seat.

Each year in Virginia, we are tasked as citizens of our Commonwealth to exercise a tremendously important obligation: voting for leaders who will help shape our future. We’re inundated with issues, slammed with slogans. Our mailboxes fill up with glossy campaign literature, and television and radio ads fill the airwaves, all in an effort to convince us what matters in elections. Putting aside the rhetoric, I believe that one consideration rises above all others in determining who to support in any election: Commitment.

Issues come and go. Today’s challenges become tomorrow’s opportunities. And with the speed of change in almost every facet of our lives in the 21st century, we owe it to ourselves, as well as our families and friends, to elect leaders at all levels who are driven to serve for the right reasons and are firmly committed to placing the needs of our community above all else.

It’s a leader’s job to lead. I decided to run for supervisor primarily because my hometown of Woodbridge lacked leadership and direction. A supervisor’s job is not in a bubble, in order to move Woodbridge forward with real results our supervisor must be able to think outside the box and work with all our representatives in all parties local, state and federal.

Being a local small business owner for over 20 years, I’ve interviewed hundreds of people. The most successful hires have been people who brought passion, a track record of struggle and success and dedicated hard work. Next Tuesday, June 9, Woodbridge (waterside of Route 1) has an opportunity to hire a new delegate to represent our best interests in Richmond. We have only one great choice for Woodbridge and that is Tim Ciampaglio.

Andrea’s expertise dealing with local Businesses and taxpayer funds, to gaining the trust of Prince William County schools and residents, there is no doubt that the responsibility of District Supervisor requires a great deal of time and responsibility. Fortunately, Democratic candidate for Potomac District Supervisor- Andrea Bailey- has the qualifications and skills necessary to meet that challenge.

Andrea Bailey fulfills each and every characteristic of a productive, innovative citizen. She is a genuine caring leader who has a proven record in the community.  With twenty years of veteran experience in business development, operational management, customer service, and human resource management, Andrea Bailey has the necessary communication and leadership skills it takes to successfully be the District Supervisor.

I decided to serve the people of Prince William and Stafford counties in the Virginia House of Delegates because I wanted to be proactive instead of reactive. I watched time and time again as we attempted to “fix” things by enacting policies that spoke to the symptom of the problem as opposed to the problem itself.  Now, I am running to serve in the Virginia State Senate because there is too much at stake. The quality of education, the future of small business, equitable policies and practices for women, real solutions to transportation issues and the possibility of Medicaid expansion are all on the line.

We can no longer afford to sit back and wait. We can no longer afford a delay in progress. We can no longer afford to send elected officials to Richmond who are more interested in playing partisan politics than identifying practical solutions because that is not what Virginia needs.  Virginia needs elected officials like me who are willing to have the hard conversations and go to bat for issues that matter – like Medicaid expansion.

State Senator Colgan’s record of selfless leadership on behalf of the people of our district is impressive and should be considered a great display of public service. Now, for the first time in over 30 years, we have a decision to make: who will the Democrats nominate to attempt to fill the impressive shoes of Chuck Colgan in our district?

I’ve heard all the arguments such as: “We need someone to take on a deep pocketed Republican in the fall,” and “we need someone who is the ‘most electable,’” and, “We need someone to win this seat so we have a Democratic majority in the Senate.”

Passion and Commitment. These were the two words that helped shape my military career. After retiring from serving 23 years in the United States Army and serving as the first African American Command Sergeant Major for the Army National Guard, it had always been a childhood dream of mine to become a fireman. 

I joined the Dale City Volunteer Fire Department in December 2011. Once I completed the fire academy, I was assigned to Station 10, Battalion 2 and my Officer in Charge was Jeremy McPike, who is now running for the Democratic nomination in the 29^th Virginia Senate district.