Candidates for contested Albemarle County Board of Supervisors and School Board seats shared their views and responded to questions from the audience at this Senior Statesmen of Virginia sponsored forum.

First SSV Board Member Terry Cooper moderated the Board of Supervisors forum. Then SSV Vice President Rich DeMong moderated the School Board forum (shown above).  Listen to the event via podcast.

The following candidate information is excerpted from the candidates’ campaign websites.

Candidates For Albemarle County Board Of Supervisors Samuel Miller District

John Lowry (R) lives in North Garden. His background is in financial management. He is also a former chair of the Albemarle County Economic Development Authority. John is a runner and a member of the Albemarle Pipes and Drums Corps.

Liz Palmer (D), the incumbent supervisor seeking a second term, lives in Ivy. She is a graduate of Virginia Tech and the Auburn University Veterinary School. She served as chair of the Board in 2016. She operates a veterinary hospice for companion animals.

Candidates For Albemarle County School Board Rio District

Katrina Callsen is a graduate of Yale, the Boston University School of Education and U.Va. Law. She is a former teacher with Teach for America. She volunteers with Kids Give Back.

Mary McIntyre is an alumna of UNC — Greensboro who holds master’s degrees from the University of Michigan and the University of Hawaii — Manoa. She has taught in North Carolina, Virginia and Hawaii and volunteered at a school in Tanzania.

Candidates For Albemarle County School Board Samuel Miller District

Graham Paige, the incumbent seeking his first full term, resides in Esmont. He is a graduate of Hampton University with a master’s degree from the University of Virginia. He is a retired Albemarle County teacher. He is a trustee, adult Sunday-School teacher and organist at New Green Mountain Baptist Church.

Julian Waters is a 2017 graduate of Western Albemarle making his first run for elective office. He is active in education-policy issues and a regular blood donor who founded the Model Aviations and Drone Club at Western Albemarle.

The event took place on Wednesday October 11, 2017 meeting of the Senior Statesmen of Virginia. The meeting was held at the Senior Center in Charlottesville.

Program Summary

This is the third time Board of Supervisors hopeful John Lowry, a Republican, and incumbent Democrat Liz Palmer have faced off at a campaign forum this election cycle. Lowry said that he “was chair of the airport board when the new airport was being built and was chair of the economic development authority for 12 years.” “I am running for office because I believe I can better represent the constituents’ interests in the Samuel Miller District.”

“I’m having such a good time and feel we’ve done a good job and I want to continue,” Palmer said. “When I moved here I was struck by the condition of our water infrastructure, which is where our built environment meets the natural environment.”

After about 45 minutes, the event shifted over to the two contested School Board races.

Katrina Callsen and Mary McIntyre met for the first time in a campaign forum in their race to succeed Pam Moynihan for the Rio District’s School Board seat.

Graham Paige, the incumbent School Board member for the Samuel Miller District, answered questions alongside challenger Julian Waters, a 2017 graduate of Western Albemarle High School.

Candidates for the contested House of Delegates seats representing Albemarle and Charlottesville shared their positions and responded to questions from the audience.  The program was moderated by SSV board member Terry Cooper. A podcast of the presentations can be heard by clicking below.

Steve Landes and Angela Lynn with Terry Cooper moderating

The following candidate information is excerpted from the candidates’ campaign websites.

Steve Landes (R): Serving his eleventh term, Steve has been an able steward of taxpayer resources in the House of Delegates. During his tenure, he has focused on promoting economic development, fostering education innovations, and increasing healthcare choice, access and affordability. He has been a steady voice of reason heard above the noise that all too often clouds our political discourse. Steve serves as a House Budget Conferee. He is a Member of the Governor’s Advisory Council on Revenue Estimates, representing the House of Delegates, serves on the Education Commission of the States; and serves on the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission. He is also Chairman of the Joint Committee on the Future of Public Elementary and Secondary Education; and on the Virginia Growth and Opportunity Board. He serves on the Board of Trustees of the Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia.

Angela Lynn (D): This is a decisive moment in our Commonwealth. We need assertive leadership with the courage to stand up to entrenched interests in Richmond and do what is right for Virginia. I’m running for the General Assembly because I believe I can provide that leadership. As our government today gerrymanders the state to ensure their own power, and education and health care are at risk for our most vulnerable, we need representatives in government who understand our needs and will fight for the interests of the community. My family have been proud Virginians since the 1700s. After my husband’s career in the military, he and I moved here 25 years ago to raise our five children. I’ve worked as a higher education administrator and led efforts to improve our community. I’m running for the General Assembly to support and protect my home state.

Rob Bell (R): grew up in a Navy family.  He attended the University of Virginia on scholarship, and graduated with honors from both the college and law school.  Rob served as a state prosecutor in Orange County for five years, where he prosecuted over 2,400 cases, working with the police and crime victims to bring criminals to justice. Since his election as a Republican to the Virginia General Assembly, Rob has written laws that crack down on repeat-offense drunk driving and keep sex offenders off school property. He has also worked to close loopholes in Virginia’s mental health laws after the shooting at Virginia Tech.  More recently, he wrote laws to expand Virginia’s protective orders and to require life in prison for those convicted of raping children. In 2015 he wrote the law to address sexual assaults on on college campuses, and in 2016 expanded Virginia’s stalking laws.

Kellen Squire (D): I’m a husband and a father to three beautiful children.  I’m an emergency room nurse and a proud graduate of the University of Virginia.  I’m a Christian, an avid outdoorsman, and a hard-working, middle-class American who’s fed up with the political system today. We’ve almost killed the working class in this country.  Wages have been stagnant for more than three decades.  Our government seems to work more for lobbyists and special interests than for ordinary people.  The worst kind of toxicity in our politics, pitting some groups of Americans against others, is a disease that threatens the future of our country. That disease is spread by political operatives and career politicians, some of whom have spent decades in office by gerrymandering themselves into comfortable little districts so that they never have to run against a serious opponent.

Program Summary

The following is excerpted from an article written by Michael Bragg which appeared in the September 14, 2017, edition of The Daily Progress. The entire article can be accessed on the Internet at:
http://www.dailyprogress.com/news/local/revenue-sharing-pact-among-topics-athouse-candidate-forum/article_851ea5b8-98ef-11e7-9c3c-a79ab498da82.html

With Election Day less than two months away, candidates for the 25th and 58th districts in the Virginia House of Delegates made their case to voters at a Wednesday forum. Del. Steven Landes, R-Weyers Cave, and Democrat Angela Lynn, candidates for the 25th District, went first at the forum, which was hosted by the Senior Statesmen of Virginia. Del. Rob Bell, R-Albemarle, and Democrat Kellen Squire, both running for the 58th District, spoke next.

The candidates had a chance to weigh in on subjects such as the Charlottesville-Albemarle County revenue-sharing agreement and voter ID laws. “The whole purpose of the revenue-sharing agreement was so the county would not have more territory annexed by the city,” Landes said. “So, really, it makes no sense. It’s not a logical solution to a problem that was there originally.” But Lynn argued that state politicians getting involved in the agreement is government overreach, saying it’s a local matter. Bell called the agreement a bad deal. Squire said it’s hurting the funding for Albemarle schools, and that the agreement needs to be addressed.

On voter ID laws, both Landes and Bell argued that requiring voters to show photo ID at the polls is a great way of preventing voter fraud. But Lynn and Squire both expressed skepticism. Squire said he thinks these types of laws can discourage people from getting out to vote, while Lynn argued that the issue today is not voter fraud but getting people out to vote. “A vote is the one thing that makes us equal,” she said. “It crosses over socio-economic lines, it knows no boundaries with race or gender or any of those things that make us feel that we aren’t as powerful as another person. But if we’re not all capable of being able to do it, then that would be stripping us of a fundamental right and a pillar of our democracy.”

Candidates for Virginia Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax (D) and Jill Vogel (R) discuss issues facing Virginians in the 2017 election.

Jill Vogel and Justin Fairfax at The V. Earl Dickinson Building at Piedmont Virginia Community College

A 1-hour and 25-minute podcast can be heard here.

	Justin Fairfax (D) was raised by a single mother and her parents. He is a graduate of DeMatha Catholic High School, Duke University and Columbia Law School, where he was a member of the Columbia Law Review. He later served as a federal prosecutor in Virginia. He currently practices with the Tysons Corner office of the law firm Venable LLP where he focuses on white-collar criminal-defense matters and complex civil litigation.
	Senator Jill Holtzman Vogel (R) is serving her third term in the Virginia Senate. She is a graduate of the College of William & Mary and DePaul University School of Law. She is a senior partner in Holtzman Vogel Josefiak Torchinsky PLLC, a firm that specializes in election and ethics laws. In the Virginia Senate she chairs the Privileges & Elections Committee and is a member of numerous other committees and subcommittees, including the Senate’s “money” (taxation and spending) committee, Senate Finance.
	The forum was moderated by Bob Gibson. Mr. Gibson is a long-time political writer, columnist and editor at The Charlottesville Daily Progress. He is now with the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service.

Program Summary

The candidates spoke at the Wednesday August 9, 2017 meeting of the Senior Statesmen of Virginia. The meeting was held at the V. Earl Dickinson Building and in conjunction with  Piedmont Virginia Community College. The candidates responded to questions from the audience written on 3 x 5 cards and posed to the candidates by forum moderator, Bob Gibson. The quality and relevance of the questions submitted by audience members were outstanding, and it was very heartening to witness the thoughtfulness, respect and civility exhibited by both candidates as they responded to the questions and offered forth their positions on the issues.

The forum received extensive coverage from radio, television, Internet and the print media. The following links are provided to see the newspaper coverage in their entirety.

The Daily Progress: http://www.dailyprogress.com/news/local/lt-gov-candidates-find-common-ground-on-climate-change-differ/article_8ba00e48-7d6c-11e7-bdb0-0316eac2466f.html

The Richmond Times-Dispatch: http://www.richmond.com/news/virginia/government-politics/justin-fairfaxand-jill-vogel-spar-in-first-debate-for/article_0d651b56-f8d9-51d2-a14e-d1bb04ac6abb.html

The Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/much-lampooned-ultrasoundbill-revived-in-race-for-va-lieutenant-governor/2017/08/09/dceca174-7cab-11e7-83c7-5bd5460f0d7e_story.html?utm_term=.cd6267ae78cc

Albemarle County is actively working to transform the Route 29/Rio Road area, work that started with the new grade separated interchange project and is continuing with a small area plan that will re-imagine how people live, work, shop and play in this critical area of the County. In this podcast, the County solicits the thoughts and ideas of seniors as it begins to finalize the plans for this vital area of the county. Topics include: Current Rio+29 Small Area Plan, the Economic Development in the Rio+29 area and the development of transportation facilities for bicycles, pedestrians, transit, and cars.  Listen to the speakers via the podcast and watch the slides shown.

Presentations were made by Rachel Falkenstein (left), Albemarle County Senior Planner, Lee Catlin, Assistant County Executive, and Kevin McDermott, Principal Planner for Transportation. Lee Catlin spoke first on economic development in the county, how new businesses are attracted, and facilitating the growth of current businesses. There was a discussion of improving the corridors for cars, bikes, pedestrians and transits lead by Kevin McDermott. Rachel Falkenstein discussed amenities, land uses, urban forms and features of the area.

In addition to leading the discussion, Supervisors Diantha McKeel, Chair of the Board and Supervisor for the Jack Jouett District, and Brad Sheffield, Supervisor for the Rio District, also answered questions from the audience.  The program was moderated by SSV Vice President Rich DeMong.

Area legislators reported on the 2017 Session of the Virginia General Assembly. This was the biennial “short” session when the focus is normally on amending Virginia’s two-year budget. Because revenues were greater than expected, the budget amendments were adopted with little strife. The record on other issues was mixed. For example, bills to reform the redistricting process and end gerrymandering, which passed the Senate overwhelmingly, were killed in an early-morning House subcommittee meeting.

The three below spoke at our Wednesday May 10, 2017 meeting that was moderated by SSV board member Terry Cooper. Download a PDF of the PowerPoint presentation and listen to the podcast for details.

	Senator Creigh Deeds (D) represents the 25th Senate District which includes the cities of Buena Vista, Charlottesville, Covington and Lexington, and the counties of Albemarle (part), Alleghany, Bath, Highland, Nelson and Rockbridge.
	Delegate Steve Landes (R) represents the 25th House of Delegates District which includes portions of Albemarle, Augusta and Rockingham Counties.
	Delegate David Toscano (D) represents the 57th House of Delegates District which includes Charlottesville and part of Albemarle County.

Program Summary

Senator Creigh Deeds and Delegates Steve Landes and David Toscano presented a report on the 2017 General Assembly session.

Delegate Toscano utilized a PowerPoint presentation (click here to download a PDF) to highlight the actions taken during the session. The state of play in Richmond is conducted in the context of a divided government with the legislature controlled by Republicans and the Executive controlled by Democrats.

Virginia has enjoyed an improving economy with the unemployment down to 3.9% from 5.4%, second-lowest unemployment rate among major U.S. states; and investment in ports and Dulles. Yet the income inequality gap continues to grow.

Of the 1,817 bills and resolutions introduced, 1,243 of these passed. Delegate Toscano identified 10 successes in areas such as combating opioids, encouraging solar power, increasing judicial discretion and addressing mental health issues. Areas of disappointment included the failure to achieve any improvements in health care and redistricting reform.

Delegate Landes distributed copies of “Sessions Highlights,” and then discussed the 107 billion dollar biennial budget which included a reduction of 61 million in debt and added 35 million in cash reserves. Although there were no tax increases, he enumerated a number of important programs which received increased support. Unlike the federal government, Virginia cannot print money but rather must have a balanced budget. The bond-rating agencies are looking at how Virginia is handling the rainy-day fund and so this will be a continuing concern moving ahead with future budgets.

Delegate Landes detailed several bills that he worked on in a bipartisan manner that were directed toward strengthening the economy and were signed into law.

Senator Deeds began his comments with the astonishing reminder that in 1940, Virginia’s two most populous counties were Pittsylvania and Wise, and the state’s economy was natural resources: coal, tobacco and textiles. Our economy since then has been driven by the military-industrial complex—federal spending—with growth in Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia.

Sequestration at the federal level over the past nine to 10 years requires us to look at new ways to promote economic growth and spur a creative environment conducive to economic growth. Senator Deeds also described his ongoing efforts to improve the system of care for persons with mental illness. Virginia continues to direct the major share of its resources to support the state institutions rather than community-based services. Sixteen percent of the persons in our prisons are seriously mentally ill and 24 percent in local jails.

Luke Juday is director of planning for the City of Waynesboro, VA.  He stated that after decades of attracting migrants from across the country, Virginia has suddenly experienced three consecutive years of net loss to other parts of the country. The effects of that change will start to ripple across the Commonwealth. With cities getting younger and rural areas getting older, population growth is becoming more and more polarized. The economic climate is becoming increasingly competitive for cities and towns, forcing local leaders to find new niches in a global economy. The program was moderated by SSV Vice President Rich DeMong.  Listen while watching his excellent  presentation as a PDF.

Luke Juday is director of planning for the City of Waynesboro, VA. Before coming to Waynesboro, he was a transportation planner at the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission and a demographer at the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center, where most of this presentation was prepared. He has a bachelor’s degree in political philosophy from Grove City College, a Master’s in Urban and Environmental Planning from the University of Virginia, and was a Fulbright Scholar in Botswana. He is originally from Chesapeake, VA, where he was home schooled through high school.

Program Summary

Components of Population Change are “natural increase” which is the number of births minus the number of deaths combined with “net migration” which is in-migration minus out-migration. Between 2010 and 2015, Virginia’s population increased by 381,969 which consisted of a natural increase of 220,026 and an increase of migration of 161,943.

With regard to natural increase, Mr. Juday explained the importance of the age distribution within the population. With more younger persons, the population will increase due to higher birthrates and lower death rates. Today in America there are more 60 year-olds than 6-year-olds. From 2005 to 2015, the population in Virginia of those under 18 years of age increased by only 2.9 percent while those over 65 increased 37.9 percent.

Mr. Juday employed a PowerPoint presentation that was packed with charts and graphs to help understand the intertwining of factors contributing to population change both in the nation and Virginia. He also detailed trends in population shifts in the urban core, inner ring, outer ring, satellite counties and outside of metro areas.

Carolyn Engelhard, who is the director of the Health Policy Program in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, spoke at our March 8, 2017 meeting.   She identified the promises and pitfalls of ObamaCare including the winners and losers over the last six years. The post 2016 election polls were discussed, and the “you break it you own it” politics of the current debate over repeal, replace, repair and delay.  The program was moderated by SSV Vice President Rich DeMong.  A podcast of the meeting is below along with a PDF of her excellent PowerPoint.

Professor Engelhard’s academic activities include analyzing and monitoring changes in health policy at the federal and state governmental levels and teaching in both the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Medicine. Ms. Engelhard received her B.A. in Sociology from the University of St. Thomas, Houston, TX, and her M.P.A., Public Administration, from the University of Virginia.

Ms. Engelhard co-authored a book looking at the myths surrounding the U.S. health care system, completed a national project in conjunction with the nonpartisan Urban Institute examining the use of public policies to reduce obesity, and contributed a textbook chapter examining the effect of the new law on health care organizations.

Professor Engelhard co-directs a national webinar featuring health policy experts and students across four universities each spring, and she is a contributing health policy expert for the web-based news journal, TheHill.com.

Program Summary

“ObamaCare,” the Affordable Care Act, originally came to be to address gaps in traditional health coverage. Historically, the majority of the those not elderly in the U.S. received health insurance as a job benefit. The private non-group market charged higher premiums based on medical history and often excluded specific conditions like maternity care or cancer. In 2008, 29% of individuals 60 to 64 who applied for non-group insurance were denied coverage based on health status.

The number of non-elderly uninsured Americans reached 49.1 million in 2010, amidst rising unemployment rates and a struggling economy. The steady decline in employer-sponsored health coverage since 2000 largely explained the growing numbers of uninsured.

Conclusion: BACK TO THE FUTURE: competing philosophies as to the fundamental nature and purpose of health insurance.

The traditional Democratic philosophy favors a comprehensive medical payment structure with government subsidies to encourage preventive care and to protect against financial exposure to high medical costs due to illness.

The traditional Republican philosophy favors a market-based traditional insurance structure, with high deductibles, catastrophic protection, and routine costs paid out of pocket. Relying on taxpayer-subsidized health care for others is anathema to Republicans.

In many ways, ObamaCare has become the “new normal.” The political battle now is WHO will pay to help keep Americans insured and HOW it will be paid.

Kristen Suokko served as Board of Directors chairwoman of the Local Food Hub in 2012, and in 2013 became executive director. Kristen spoke at our February meeting on the value of fresh, farm sourced food from local farms. The program was moderated by SSV board member Madison Cummings. Listen to her presentation via podcast.

Local Food Hub is a nonprofit organization that partners with Virginia farmers to increase community access to local food. They provide the support services, infrastructure, and market opportunities that connect people with food grown close to home.

Local Food Hub grew out of a community-supported discussion that identified a need for greater linkages between small family farms and institutions seeking local food. Farmers were being locked out of the institutional market due to missing infrastructure, delivery minimums, insurance requirements, and time. Institutions and businesses found it challenging to access a consistent supply of local produce, and were looking for one number to call to source locally.

Since its founding eight years ago, Local Food Hub has made strides in its mission to make fresh, farm sourced food available to everyone. Locally sourced food is now accessible to school kids and seniors, hospitals and universities, and restaurants and retailers. Community partnerships and programs ensure that we not only feed but also educate a new generation about the value of eating fresh and local. Family farms, the environment, public health, and the local economy all benefit as a result.

Kristen Suokko maintains a wealth of experience in environmental philanthropy and nonprofit excellence, as well as environmental planning and sustainability. She began her career in Washington, D.C., working for the Natural Resources Defense Council and the U.S. Department of Energy.

Kristen has lived in Charlottesville for over 15 years and previously held positions with the W. Alton Jones Foundation and the Blue Moon Fund. Kristen received a degree in Russian from Middlebury College and is from New England.

Program Summary

Here’s how the hub works: partner farms and producers (small family farms and specialty producers) sell farm sourced food to the Local Food Hub which in exchange provides support services and resources to the food producers. The Local Food Hub then distributes the food through partner distributors, institutions retailers and schools. The Local food Hub also has partnerships with other community groups including nonprofits, hunger and food access organizations and farm to school. A third element of their services involves public education by increasing knowledge of local food to all segments of the community.

For distribution, the Local Food Hub has a 3,000 square foot warehouse in Ivy, and three refrigerated vehicles. With over 200 customers the Hub has $1.5M in sales.

The Hub assists more than 70 small family farms with Training and technical assistance, liability insurance, marketing, traceability, food safety and certifications. Community Partnerships include hunger organizations, PB&J Fund, City Schoolyard Garden, the Health Department and Crutchfield. The Farm to School program involves 70 public schools in eight districts, Harvest of the Month, Virginia Farm to School Week, and private schools and universities. The Fresh Farmacy program serves 75 patients in three clinics with measurable health improvements.

Marshie Agee is the communication liaison for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. In her position Marshie speaks to groups visiting the IIHS Vehicle Research Center, and we were fortunate to have her at the SSV January meeting. The program was moderated by SSV Vice President Rich DeMong.

Ms. Agee spoke about these issues surrounding traffic safety.

• Crash testing and consumer ratings programs have made vehicles safer than ever.
• Autonomous vehicles get lots of attention, and they do have the potential to make automobile travel even safer. However, none of us can buy one now, and there are many issues to be resolved before they can become mainstream.
• Crash avoidance technologies like auto-braking are the building blocks for autonomous cars, and these systems are already on the market and reducing crashes.
• Despite the promise of technology, it’s important not to forget about things we can do right now to improve safety, no matter what kind of vehicles people are driving. Lowering speed limits, using automated enforcement to deter both speeders and red light runners, and improving enforcement of safety belt use and impaired driving laws are proven ways to bring down the death toll.

A PDF version of the PowerPoint presented is here and the podcast is below.

Marshie Agee is the communication liaison for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. In her position Marshie speaks to groups visiting the IIHS Vehicle Research Center about the Institute’s work and represents the Institute at conferences and community events. She also fields consumer inquiries about the Institute’s research and presents research findings on the web for both the media and general public. Marshie has been with the Institute since 2004. She received a bachelor’s degree from Wake Forest University and a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia. Before joining the Institute, she worked as web designer and a teacher.

Program Summary

Dozens of people gasped and grimaced as they watched brand-new cars slam into barriers during a lecture at the Senior Center on Wednesday.

Marshie Agee, communications liaison for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, presented these crash-test videos and a wealth of information at a meeting of the Senior Statesmen of Virginia.

The IIHS is an independent, nonprofit organization that aims to reduce deaths, injuries and property damage from crashes on U.S. roads through scientific research and educational outreach. The IIHS and its partner organization, the Highway Loss Data Institute, are entirely funded by auto insurers and insurance associations.

“We hope that we have changed the way consumers go about buying cars,” Agee said. “We hope the first question consumers ask before buying a vehicle is not whether it is fast or sporty, but whether it is safe.”

The IIHS established its Vehicle Research Center in Ruckersville 25 years ago and has conducted crash tests on cars there since 1995. Automakers covet the institute’s annual Top Safety Pick awards, which recognize new models that perform best in its safety tests.

“Manufacturers love using these awards in their advertising,” Agee said. “If we dangle that carrot out there, it encourages them to make [safety] improvements.”
In 1995, fewer than 25 percent of vehicle models received the highest safety rating, “Good,” in the institute’s first round of frontal crash tests. That percentage rapidly increased, and today, virtually all new models get the top rating for this test.
The IIHS has gradually expanded its testing regimen for new vehicles over the years.

“We don’t let the manufacturers rest on their laurels for very long before we introduce a new challenge,” Agee said. The IIHS conducts five different crashworthiness tests today: moderate overlap front, small overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraints/seats.

This is excerpted from an article written by Josh Mandell (jmandell@cvilletomorrow.org) that was printed in the January 12 issue of The Daily Progress. You can access the entire article at: http://www.cvilletomorrow.org/news/article/26029-crash-tests-and-autonomous-vehicles/

The results of the 2016 presidential election pleased some, disappointed others and surprised just about everyone. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton was supposed to have a lock on the presidency but Republican nominee Donald Trump, who faced not only Democratic opposition but a “Never Trump” movement among Republicans, prevailed by winning a majority of Electoral College votes.

Speakers Jim Hobart and Terry Cooper

The excellent slide presentation can be downloaded as well as the podcast.  The PDF version does not include the two election videos, but is much faster to download.

PowerPoint (pptx) Presentation   (74MB)

PDF Version of Presentation   (18MB)

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The Senior Statesmen of Virginia hosted two political consultants in a program that was moderated by SSV Vice President Rich DeMong.

Jim Hobart is a vice president at the leading Republican polling firm Public Opinion Strategies.  Jim is a veteran of numerous important campaigns, including four victorious U.S. Senate campaigns and 11 winning U.S. House campaigns in 2014.  He was named Campaigns & Elections magazine’s Rising Star in 2013.  Terry Cooper is a native of Charlottesville and a veteran opposition researcher for Republican campaigns.

Many questions about the elections were addressed, such as:

• How was a political novice (Trump) able to dispatch more than a dozen seemingly far more qualified Republicans and secure the nomination?
• Why did Socialist Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders perform so well in the Democratic primaries and caucuses yet lose the Democratic nomination to Clinton?
• Why were voters left with a choice that many described as between the lesser of two evils?
• How was Trump able to carry states — Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin — that were supposedly part of a “blue wall” guaranteeing a Clinton victory?
• Why didn’t the pollsters and the media see what was coming?
• And what do the 2016 election results portend for the nation and for the futures of the Republican and Democratic parties?