Rockingham County Dems Statement
Because I am unable to attend today’s meet and greet in Rockingham County for medical reasons I have asked Linda Revis to share this statement with everyone in attendance. I hope to be fully recovered after a simple procedure in March and am looking forward to spending quality time with voters throughout the entire 25th District.
~ ~ I would like to thank Linda Revis for reading this statement for me. She is just one of the members of my trusty Kitchen cabinet that I know I can count on to reach every voter in the 25th district.
Jennifer Kitchen was born and raised in Augusta County. Growing up in a family with factory worker parents and with family members who raise beef cattle and poultry she is very familiar with the life of a majority of voters in the 25th district. Jennifer is the founder and president of SAW Citizen Action Network, a large community of activists who have been affecting change throughout the Staunton, Augusta, and Waynesboro communities for over 2 years. From serving meals at the Valley Mission to organizing the March for our Lives rally in Staunton, and organizing the rally outside of the Shenandoah Valley Juvenile Detention Center to bring attention to the lawsuit against the center and attention to the community about what is happening in our own backyard. Jennifer later that week was arrested in Washington DC for protesting against the family separations at the border and for calling for the abolishment of ICE. Jennifer continues to this day to work with the Shenandoah Valley Justice Coalition on how we can effectively work to dismantle hate and help reform our criminal justice system.
One of the issues Jennifer is focusing on through the primary campaign is access to reliable affordable broadband internet service. We have seen in recent reports released that the coverage rural Virginians are receiving is even worse than originally thought. We are missing out on opportunities for our small business owners, and we are missing out on educational opportunities by not addressing this need. There have been many studies done that show people in urban areas would like to be able to relocate to rural communities but are not able to in many cases because their jobs require broadband internet access. There are many ways this can be accomplished including looking at the way rural electrification projects were handled in the ‘30’s and making broadband available as a public utility.
Jennifer is also very concerned about the continual waste of money on redundant studies for improvements on Interstate 81. Our leadership in Richmond needs to stop kicking the can and set about making the hard choices on funding. While there is no way to fund a project of this magnitude while keeping everyone happy we must take into consideration the effect tolls would have on our trucking industry and the amount of the cost they would be liable for. An increase in our very low fuel tax throughout the 81 corridor would be a fair way to make sure the interstate is funded in a responsible and equitable way.
Jennifer is also a member of the Virginia Industrial Hemp Coalition and has fully endorsed the Green New Deal Virginia. As a lifelong member of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, a land and wildlife conservation group that worked alongside the Department of Game and inland Fisheries to reintroduce elk to southwest Virginia, Jennifer is committed to preserving our invaluable natural resources. As an unapologetic opponent of the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley pipelines Jennifer promises to make every effort to stand up for our environment and the individual rights of property owners throughout not only the 25th district but the entire commonwealth.
I apologize for not being there in person today, if you have any questions for me please feel free to reach out to me through facebook or email at jenniferkitchenfordelegate@gmail.com or visit my website www.electjenniferkitchen.com
As with all campaigns your volunteer time and your monetary contributions are appreciated
