Three of the four names on upcoming Democratic primary ballots address candidate forum

PETERSBURG – Minding the business climate of the area should be near the top of any politician’s agenda. However, in the hot-button arena that is women’s reproductive health, the message is clear – mind your own business.

That was the crux of comments three Democratic legislative hopefuls made in front of a “Meet the Candidates” forum Monday night sponsored by the Southern Virginia Regional Chamber of Commerce. The candidates – Kimberly Pope Adams and Victor McKenzie Jr. in the 82^nd House District, and former Del. Lashrecse Aird in the 13^th Senate District – shared portions of their platforms with about 40 people inside the Petersburg Public Library’s main auditorium.

The abortion issue was not originally expected to be discussed because most of the pre-submitted questions focused on more local topics such as economic development and the proposed casino for Petersburg. Aird, who has made women’s reproductive health a cornerstone of her legislative record and her current campaign, brought up the issue during her closing comment.

“The next battle for protecting our reproductive assets comes straight through Senate District 13,” she said. “Reproductive health care intersects with everything else … your financial stability, your mental well-being, your overall health. And there should be no politician who makes that personal decision for you on your behalf.”

Sen. Joe Morrissey, the incumbent Aird is opposing for the Democratic nomination, has stated his personal objection to abortion as a Catholic but supports access to it in some degree. He has been hammered by members of the Senate Democratic Women’s Caucus over this, and as a result, all of them, plus other prominent female Democrats across the state, are backing Aird for the nomination.

Citing a previous out-of-town commitment, Morrissey did not attend the forum.

Starting Tuesday, the Aird campaign launched a “Roe, Not Joe” tour through the 13^th District, which stretches from eastern Dinwiddie County to eastern Henrico County, and includes Petersburg, Hopewell and Prince George County. The tour includes a Wednesday afternoon stop at Urban Baby Beginnings in Petersburg, a Thursday afternoon stop in Hopewell and a Friday afternoon rally in Prince George coinciding with the beginning of early voting for the June 20 primary.

More: The primaries are around the corner. Here's what you need to know.

The two House candidates had their chance to weigh in on the pro-choice issue. McKenzie brought up his opinion during his closing statements, while Adams was given her say after a reporter brought up toward the end of the forum that she had not been given an opportunity to speak on it.

“To be quite frank, as a politician, we have no right being in a room between a woman and her doctor,” McKenzie said.

Adams used her time to state for the first time publicly that “while I have a child, I was pregnant twice, and I’ve had a miscarriage.” She also said lawmakers should steer clear of intervening, adding that the only ones to be concerned about that decision should be the woman, her doctor and her God.

Other topics

The pro-choice issue might have dominated the sensitive side of the forum, but it was not the only topic broached.

Each candidate was given the opportunity to answer questions on the same set of topics – crime prevention, economic development and the Petersburg casino proposal.

All said they supported Virginia’s initiative to spend $450 million supporting so-called “shovel-ready” sites upon which prospective businesses could easily build. Aird noted Petersburg’s growing pharmaceutical cluster in the city’s Industrial Park, saying while she was in office, she initiated discussions between the industry and Petersburg for those sites, and pushed her Assembly colleagues to fund improvements to the Poor Creek wastewater station that serves southeastern Petersburg.

“They listened, they supported, and they funded,” Aird said.

Concerning the $1.4 billion casino proposal, everyone at the podium said they supported Petersburg residents getting the opportunity to vote on bringing legalized gambling to the city as long as the public knows every step that is being taken to achieve that.

“I support economic development as long as it is done the right way,” Adams said. “It has to be a transparent process.”

That remark was an apparent reference to the Assembly’s denial earlier this year of Petersburg being the fifth Virginia city to host a casino. Opponents claimed Petersburg’s bid was based on closed-door decisions made about the partner Petersburg chose to work with on the project without getting public input on who that should be.

“As an auditor, I understand the process that takes place when a locality wants to do business with a company or a corporation,” Adams said. “And I can tell you there are existing laws in the commonwealth that govern how a locality is supposed to conduct themselves with the bidding process, with the contract process.”

“We need to make sure folks are engaged and informed,” McKenzie said, adding that he did not even think the current representatives in Richmond did not have all the information needed to advocate for the casino.

“Trust, but verify,” was Aird’s response. She said Petersburg voters were given a great deal of information about the benefits of bringing the casino, but “we need to verify that actually is going to happen.”

Morrissey and Del. Kim Taylor, R-Dinwiddie County, were the chief advocates for the Petersburg casino.

Taylor, who is unopposed for the Republican nomination, did not take part in the forum. Neither did Eric Ditri of Prince George, the presumed GOP nominee for the 13^th Senate District.

The general election where all 140 General Assembly seats will be on the ballot is Nov. 7.

Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist who covers breaking news, government and politics. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com or on Twitter at @BAtkinson_PI.

This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Petersburg legislative candidates speak at forum