City Council
Re “Virginia Beach punts on collective bargaining referendum, launches study” (June 9): A city council is charged with the responsibility of governing. Members of a council are elected by the citizens to establish policies of that city; to enact ordinances; to devise and approve a budget; and essentially, to make decisions about a municipality’s present and future.
Why, then, is it again necessary for the city of Virginia Beach to propose yet another study, this time regarding collective bargaining for city employees? Members of City Council and the mayor are expected to be in charge, and that does not mean farming out the business of the city so frequently, thus avoiding making a hard decision, or at least prolonging it until after an election.
By punting this to perhaps 2025 on a referendum, the mayor can appear to be searching for information, when actually, this move is cooling the temperature of the debate, perhaps in the hopes that relatively few citizens will respond, even with a referendum, and the issue will die, or at least there will be confirmation bias in favor of denying collective bargaining.
Our employees deserve praise for what they do to help all of us, regardless of our political leanings. They deserve to work in a city that will listen to their needs. They deserve to be respected for their service. After all, they don’t put their work to a committee for action.
Ginny Diezel, Virginia Beach
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June primary
Vote for Missy Cotter Smasal to unseat Rep. Jen Kiggans. Kiggans is a hypocrite, campaigning as a veteran yet not voting in the best interest of America’s veterans. When our country was at great risk of defaulting and MAGA Republicans were playing with fire, Kiggans voted “yes,” and the House of Representatives passed HB2811, sending it on to the Senate and President Joe Biden.
The Veterans Affairs Department said if that spending proposal passed, it would have cut more than 80,000 department jobs and 30 million medical appointments, and increased the backlog on disability claims. Kiggans’ website says she comes to Congress determined “to bring civility” and “competence” to politics, yet she endorses a convicted felon who has been found liable for sexual abuse and fraud, and is an unapologetic philanderer.
My dad fought in World War II. I have always believed that our country was special because of our stand for equal justice under the law; a universal right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”; and that “we the people” as a collective society have sort of a “USA” standard of morals and values that would obviously back a European ally over Russia or any authoritarian.
Smasal is a down-to-earth veteran with those standards and values. And, she has endorsem*nts from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, our previous two governors, Democratic Virginia legislators, and members from Virginia City Council and School Board. Her primary opponent has few, if any of those, and we are going to need all the horsepower we can get to remove Kiggans from power. Please vote Smasal.
Patrick Cosgrove, Virginia Beach
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Weak
The contrast could not be greater. The juxtaposition is jarring: The courage of the World War II generation and our sniveling governor who pretends to be a leader but runs for cover.
On June 6, we marked the 80th anniversary of the Normandy invasion. We honored the memory of brave soldiers ready to make the ultimate sacrifice in order to free Europe from tyranny and preserve democracy not only for their time but for future generations. They and all of their supporters — airmen and sailors, civilians helping ferry them across the English Channel, and millions back home — fought for their present but also for a future they themselves might never see. Securing the future comes with a price, and it takes sacrifice.
Climate change is not going away. Ask citizens in Norfolk who are experiencing increased flooding. Ask our military leaders who know climate change is a serious threat to our security. Our governor ducks and runs for the sake of political expediency as he takes us out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and, by dubious means, reverses our commitment to improved mileage and increased use of electric vehicles. We expect courage from our leaders and the willingness to make tough decisions. Our governor is failing us and future generations as we strive to be good stewards of this planet not only for the present but for those who will follow.
Chip Austin, Hampton
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Youngkin irony
Re “Youngkin pulling Virginia out of clean car emission standards mandate” (June 5): When Gov. Glenn Youngkin pulled Virginia out of future car emission standards, he stated, “The idea that government should tell people what kind of car they can or can’t purchase is fundamentally wrong.”
Hmm. How about “the idea that government should tell women what they can or can’t do with their bodies is fundamentally wrong”?
Thom Vourlas, Norfolk
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About election letters
We are no longer accepting letters about the election. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the debate. Please vote on Tuesday.
