- Reducing Traffic and Congestion
- Student-Focused Education
- Curbing Illegal Immigration
- Protecting Hunters, Open Space & the 2nd Amendment
- Attracting Good Jobs
Reducing Traffic and Congestion
Increased traffic threatens our economy and strains our families. Each extra hour we spend on the road commuting is an hour less spent with our family. Over the past six years, our traffic problems have gotten worse.
When elected, I will bring more effective leadership in fighting for the following to help ease our transportation problems:
- Extending the HOV lanes down to Massaponax.
- Get rid of the abusive driver fees, or “speeding tickets on steroids” that threaten to put a crippling financial strain on average Virginians.
- Opposing converting HOV lanes to tolled HOT lanes, which I believe is unfair to taxpayers who have already paid to build the roads and a danger to carpoolers, who help ease traffic and reduce pollution by riding together.
- Focus on secondary roads, where simple things such as extending turning lanes, synchronizing traffic lights and making better parking options available for the VRE and commuter lots can make a world of difference.
- Make sure we get our fair share of transportation funding. The 2007 Transportation package brought much needed money to our area, which is why I am so disappointed that our current Delegate voted against the following funding:
- $9.9 million to plan improvements to the congested Falmouth intersection
- $10 million to start preparations for the widening of US 17 in Stafford
- $30.3 million for through lanes and turn lanes on State Route 3 in Spotsylvania County, eastbound and westbound
With my experience working in the Federal Government and the US Chamber of Commerce, I can help our state get the Federal funding we need and deserve. And I'll work with both parties in Richmond to find and fund solutions so we can spend more time with our families and less time on the roads.
Students of all ages need smaller class sizes, better classroom technology and more highly qualified teachers. We can achieve these things if our state government provides localities with the funding they need, instead of passing new unfunded mandates onto our local officials.
With 2 kids currently in the local public school system and 1 at a state college, I will never forget that my job as State Delegate is to help students, parents and teachers.
To improve our public education system, we need stronger leadership that work towards the following:
- Better accountability – Accountability is crucial to the quality of education, in terms of budget efficiency and classroom experience. I expect accountability from everyone in the system, from teachers to principals to the state superintendent.
- Government as a productive partner – State government shouldn’t get in the way of teaching and must maintain a balancing act to make sure the leaders in our schools are doing the right thing, but without forcing them to spend time worrying about politicians, instead of focusing on students.
- Reduce class sizes – Reducing class sizes is about smarter investments in our school system. Public education needs to be properly funded and the money must be invested wisely. This will pay off for our community, our economy and our state in multitudes.
- Special Education – More than 1 in 7 students in Virginia have special needs. Our current system too often fails these students, and it is our moral obligation to fix it. To see more about my views on Special Education, please view the “Common Sense” page of my website.
Illegal immigration is another issue that has worsened in our community in the last six years. In order to curb the flow of illegal immigration, I believe it is most important to go after the cause of this situation and discourage illegal immigrants from coming to our community in the first place. And they came here for one reason – to find jobs.
I believe we need to crack down on the corporations that hire illegal immigrants and to better enforce the laws against them. The federal government has failed in their responsibility in stemming illegal immigration, and as a state we must do whatever we can do confront the problem.
My plan includes:
- Hiring 100 new state immigration officers to step up the enforcement of laws against illegal immigration.
- Conducting random checks at companies across the state, especially those notorious for hiring illegal immigrants over hardworking Virginians.
- Imposing stiff fines on corporations; $10,000 for each offense if they are found knowingly hiring illegal immigrants.
- Shutting down boarding houses that harbor illegal immigrants
- Require everyone to learn and speak English, as it is essential to succeed in school, our economy and our society.
Protecting Hunters, Open Space & the 2nd Amendment
Our natural environment is the jewel of the region. Protecting the rights of hunters and sportsmen, and protecting open space and natural beauty should be key priorities for our State Delegate.
Protecting our hallowed battlefields and spectacular rivers and watershed is a solemn duty, which requires constant vigilance. I will work everyday to help preserve our special way of life.
As a defender of the U.S. Constitution, I will always protect our right to bear arms. As a father of 4 Boy Scouts, I know the importance of teaching our children morals and life skills, like gun safety and respect for our natural environment. I will always protect our right to own and maintain firearms, protect our property, protect our community and our way of life.
Economic opportunity is too slow in coming to our region. While Northern Virginia continues to produce more good-paying jobs, our local economy is not improving as quickly. I will fight for a higher minimum wage and simpler tax-code that encourages job creation.
As a small business owner myself, I know the challenges and great opportunities available in our region. As a former member of the US Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Council, I know what it takes to get businesses to locate good-paying jobs in our area.
Veterans for Del Toro is a group of retired servicemembers who are committed to bringing focus, commitment and passion to the Virginia Legislature by helping elect Commander Carlos Del Toro (Ret).