Biography: Husband of 43 years to Kathy, retired school teacher of 41 years, and the father to a Gold Star Girl Scout and two Eagle Scouts. Reside in District 9 (Bayside) and attend Prince of Peace Lutheran Church. Kathy and I and our children grew up in Virginia Beach and attended Virginia Beach public schools.

Retired 41-years Navy civilian as the Director of Submarine Program Requirements, Warfare Development and Readiness, Commander Submarine Force Atlantic Command.

Received Distinguished Civilian Service Award from the Secretary of the Navy for outstanding resource management in support of the submarine forces combat readiness and future combat capabilities.

Active in Boy Scout Tidewater Council Troop 375, Old Donation Episcopal Church. Thirty-six years of service to Scouting.

Vice President, Witchduck Point Civic League

Served on VB City Council At-large 2011– 2022 and 1992 – 1995, and the Kempsville Borough 1986 – 1990.

Naval War College – M.A., ODU – M.P.A., VA TECH – B.A., and Princess Anne High School.

Why are you running for this office?

I am requesting voters to hire me as their next mayor of Virginia Beach to achieve what a mayor committed to fiscal discipline, independent of monied special interest, and focused on residents’ priorities can accomplish – make Virginia Beach more affordable for every resident. High value government does not have to be expensive.

What is the top challenge facing Virginia Beach, and how would you address it?

Addressing the unaffordability of the increasing cost of local government. The following are just initial steps in to reduce the financial burden of city government in building the next budget [FY 2025 – 2026]: (1) cease funding position as if they are filled each of every 26 pay periods, when on any given day five percent or more are vacant – should yield about $40 million [city and schools]; (2) return a major portion of under execution/budget surplus (excluding labor already accounted for) and revenue growth in excess of budget appropriations back to taxpayers in the form of tax rate reductions – should yield a minimum of $20 million; (3) return top line authorized positions back to the FY 2023-2024 budget – estimated yields $1.3 million; (4) impose a productivity gain of one percent on all labor other than public safety – yields an estimated $3.5 million, and (5) transfer back $4 million in labor cost transferred to the General Fund (four budgets ago) back to the Tourist Investment Fund trustee account . With little effort $71 million of revenue requirements could be reduced. This would enable a real estate tax rate reduction in excess of 8 cents or a reduction in the personal and business property tax rate or a blended reduction of each rate. $71 million represents 2.73 percent of the city and schools $2.6 billion 2024-2025 Resource Management Plan, hardly a drastic move. I know we can do more once we apply the same level of scrutiny families have applied to their budgets now and over the last three years.

Preserving agriculture does not contribute to the affordable housing crisis or preclude it from being addressed.

In fact, the additional debt to provide the full spectrum of public infrastructure and accompanying operational expenses associated with breaching the Green Line will increase the real estate property tax rate. Higher real estate tax rates translate to higher rents and house payment making housing less affordable. The affordable housing crisis is just not finding affordable rental shelter, or finding affordable entry level housing, it now includes affording to remaining in a purchased home. The average cost of home owning a home exclusive of principal and interest has increase 56 percent since 2019 at sum of over $18,000 annually (property taxes, insurance, maintenance, and fixed cost utilities).

National monetary and fiscal policy has more to do with the affordability of housing along with hedge funds, and global competition for raw materials than any action city council could take. The former is not a justification for inaction. It is a justification to learn what action can make a difference before acting.

City council can best impact the affordability of housing by reducing the cost of local government, reducing time to review and approve construction and modernization activity, not using taxpayers’ money and public borrowing capacity to subsidize the creation of low-wage jobs, and making city property available to the Virginia Beach Community Development Corporation to increase the inventory of affordable housing.

How do you view Virginia Beach’s continued growth strategy? What would you change?

In 1986 the city’s taxable property tax base was roughly 85 percent residential and 15 percent non-residential and in 2024 it remains unchanged. The goal set in 1986 was to achieve a 70/30 mix. I would work with my peers to set a more realistic four-year goal. I would shift to economic development led financed by private capital markets (equity and debt) supported by level playing field fiscal policy complimented by increased investment in public infrastructure – the core responsibility of local government.

City Council’s current strategy of picking the winners and losers with direct and indirect subsidies after 38 years has failed to move the needle. By any objective measure the city’s strategy to diversify the property tax base and reduce the tax burden on residents has failed.

What has to stop is the city council’s use of the city’s/taxpayers’ available credit and other direct subsidies to finance parking garages and other infrastructure to enable select developers’ profits, for example, Atlantic Park, that deliver not a dollar to the unrestricted General Fund for many years, if ever, into the future.

What is your view on changing the operational model of the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center?

I do not favor changing the operational model. Divesting of the operation and recapitalization of the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center by privatization does not change the financial requirements of the facility.

In fact, this course of action would certainly not find the Aquarium’s private foundation continuing to raise donations for capital improvements that benefit a private operator.

It appears that the motivation to consider changing the operational model was not to increased the effectiveness or offerings of programs or achieve a material reduction in cost, but to eliminate the need to use the public’s available debt capacity to modernize the facility. A debt capacity that may be eyed for invest in a convention hotel and a hotel on 17th on land purchased for oceanfront open space.

The Mayor and City Council that so willingly invested $153 million dollars of public debt in Atlantic Park (wave pool, music hall, retail, and apartments) and more recently allocated $22+ million public debt for parking for luxury apartments does not possess the moral high ground or acceptable reasoning to change the current operational model of the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center. Let us not forget breaking a bond of trust with the Foundation that has donated millions of dollars for capital improvements needs to factored into the equation.

Based on city council incumbents’ comments at candidates’ forums it appears there is a major retreat from yet another initiative thar if properly vetted upfront would never have been launched.

What is your view on taking money from individuals who will likely have business before the city?

I support a policy by which a city council member whenever there is the appearance of a conflict of interest should abstain. I support policy by which a city council member shall

be required to abstain when any person or any entity (non-profit, corporation, partnership, LLC, sole proprietorship, etc.) contributions total in excess of $1,000 to the campaign of a council member after the date of their election through the four-years of their term to which they were elected.

How will you still value constituents with whom you disagree with?

I do not let a disagreement on a public policy issue preclude having an on-going relationship with a constituent. The latter enables me to emphatically acknowledge their position, while communicating the reasoning for my position in the context of the larger public interests. I find areas of mutual agreement and build on those to provide the relationship resiliency when common ground is not be had on a given issue.

My spouse and I do not always agree and we have been married for over 43 years. We continuously communicate, continue to trust each other, accept that we will not always agree and never expect appeasement from each other. Public life is not so different from private life. The Golden Rule works pretty well.