VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — One of the most visible elections this season is the 83rd State House District seat.
The two candidates: incumbent Republican Delegate Chris Stolle, who was first elected 10 years ago, and former Virginia Beach School Board member Nancy Guy.
She doesn’t have an ad on air yet, but she was ready to respond to Stolle’s.
The commercial, sponsored by Stolle, blasts Guy: “As school board member, Nancy Guy voted to give herself a 67% raise.”
The truth tracker finds that claim is true. Guy did vote for a raise, and 10 On Your Side asked her about it.
“The 1997 School Board voted to increase its pay from $300 to $500, and that’s the 67%.” Guy says that raise took her salary to $6,000. “I was paying more for baby sitters than I was earning as a School Board member. If you want young parents on the School Board you got to make sure they don’t lose money doing it,” Guy said while sitting in her campaign headquarters.
It should be noted Guy won reelection after that vote was taken 22 years ago.
“So I can’t think how the electorate 22 years later would think it is important,” Guy said.
Stolle counters, “I think the voters will decide if it is relevant or irrelevant.”
She said, “I certainly think it is irrelevant.”
Stolle responds back, “You entered that job knowing what you were going to get paid and then to turn around and raise your own pay.”
Stolle wonders what happens if Guy’s elected, “Is she going to vote to raise her pay as a delegate because she doesn’t think she is getting paid enough? I think that is something people want to know,” Stolle added.
The Stolle commercial continues: “after Guy left the board, her company received nearly $1,000,000 in rent payment from the School Board of Virginia Beach.”
The Truth Tracker finds that claim true. “[The School Board] inquired through a commercial real estate broker, and I had nothing to do with the transaction,” Guy said.
Stolle countered by saying Guy appeared to be very involved in the transaction, “She signed the contract.”
Stolle is correct, Guys name is on the lease as partnership manager representing her five partners.
“I did sign the lease, and I also signed the lease of tenant improvements we had to do for the school division,” Guy said.
However, Stolle goes further. He says that Guy had access, advantage, the inside track. They get the knowledge from the elected position to then enrich themselves when they come out of that position,” Stolle said.
To that, Guy counters, “I had been on the School Board, but it just isn’t true. That inquiry about that lease happened five years after I left the School Board.”
Stolle, “I think it is actually fair to say this is what actually happened. It is not misleading. It’s not not telling the truth. Her company personally gained from this deal,” Stolle said.
Guy: “I certainly don’t think it should be an issue in a campaign 22 years later.”
Stolle said, “She is running as the education person. All she did on the School Board was not for the kids.”
After the interview it seemed Guy was insulted by the charge, even though the facts are indeed facts, “I grew up in public education … I have worked my entire adult life in public education in Virginia Beach. I have spent my life improving it and for him to imply I did it for my own self-interest is appalling and insulting. I don’t know if that is on tape,” she said.
Yes it was on tape. “Well that’s how I feel about it,” Guy concluded.
There is no doubt Chris Stolle is running hard. He knows this is a newly redistricted district that voted Clinton in 2016, and has supported Democratic statewide candidates. Stolle said several times this will be a close race.
10 On Your Side checked out the finances in the race. At the last filing on August 31, Stolle had $76,000 cash on hand, Guy almost three times that figure at $204,000.