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Brief description of each Delegate-Elect - 2009 Virginia Elections

November 9, 2009

DATE: Friday, November 6, 209
RE: 2009 Virginia Elections

In addition to sweeping all three state wide offices by large margins, Republicans made significant gains in the House of Delegates as well, where all 100 seats were up for election. Republicans picked up at least 7, possibly 8 seats, holding 4 of their open-seats and losing 2 for a net gain of 6.

Democrats lost 8 incumbent seats, but held 6 of their open-seat races. Additionally, Democrats picked up the 52nd District seat held by Jeff Frederick, who did not seek re-election, and defeated longtime Republican incumbent Phil Hamilton in the 93rd District. In total there will be 20 new members of the House of Delegates.

The breakdown of the House is now 59 Republicans, 39 Democrats and 2 independents which caucus with the Republicans. A brief description of each Delegate-Elect is below.

Republicans defeated Democrat Incumbents in the following races:

HD 3 (Tazewell) – Will Morefield defeats Dan Bowling
Will is a small business owner and serves on a number of community boards including the Tazewell Area Chamber of Commerce. At age 25, Will is the youngest member of the House of Delegates. He is a 2002 graduate of Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas. He is a strong supporter of coal and will fight any anti-coal policy in Richmond. Will ran on an anti-cap-and-trade message, as well as his opposition to illegal narcotics and the need to end the abuse of prescription drug use. This was not a race on anyone’s radar screen until late in the fall, but quickly rose to the top after polling was done by both sides which indicated Delegate Bowling was in trouble.
HD21 (VA Beach) – Ron Villanueva defeats Bobby Mathieson
(Villanueva holds a 16 vote lead over Delegate Mathieson where a recount is underway.)
Ron is the Executive Vice President of SEK Solutions, a company that provides tactical and special operations equipment to law enforcement and the military. Ron also served as the youngest ever elected Virginia Beach City Councilman in 2002 and was re-elected in 2006. Ron is married and has 4 children.

HD 23 (Lynchburg) – Scott Garrett defeats Shannon Valentine
Dr. Scott Garrett grew up in Lynchburg graduating with the E C Glass H.S. Class of 1974. Scott received his B.A. in Economics in 1978 and M.D. degree in 1984 from the University of Virginia. He is a practicing general surgeon and a Lynchburg City Councilman. On a personal note, Scott participates in the performing arts including 13 years singing with FACination, a local choral group. Former Speaker of the House Vance Wilkins was a very active in Scott’s campaign serving as a Senior Advisor.
HD 32 (Loudoun) – Tom “Tag” Greason defeats David Poisson
Tag Greason is a graduate of West Point and served with the Corps of Engineers and in the Virginia National Guard. He is Executive Vice President of Current Analysis, Inc. He is an active member of the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce, and was recently appointed as a commissioner of the Loudoun County Economic Development Commission (EDC). He received his MBA from George Mason University. Tag is married and has 3 children.
HD 34 (McLean) – Barbara Comstock defeats Margi Vanderhye
Barbara Comstock has a law degree from Georgetown Law and is currently a small businesswoman and founding partner of Corallo Comstock, a public relations and government affairs firm. She previously served as senior aide to Congressman Frank Wolf and served on the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee. She was a senior Justice Department official in the Bush Administration as well. Prior to running for the House of Delegates, Barbara was a frequent contributor to Fox News and was part of Mitt Romney’s inner circle. Barbara is married to a high school principal and has 3 children.
HD 51 (Prince William) – Richard Anderson defeats Paul Nichols
Richard Anderson is a native Virginian, a graduate of Virginia Tech and retired 30 year veteran of the US Air Force. He he has a very strong defense background and remains very active in the defense community. He is married and has 4 children.
HD 67 (Fairfax) – James LeMunyon defeats Chuck Caputo
Jim LeMunyon is a technology company entrepreneur who has started and helped build technology businesses. Currently, Jim heads a company called HexaTech, which develops novel sources of ultra-violet light for water purification, and new components for wireless communication systems. Jim has served on Capitol Hill as Chief of Staff to Republican Congressman Ed Zschau from California’s Silicon Valley and he served as Deputy Assistant to Secretary of Commerce from ’89 – ’93. Jim is viewed as pragmatic and even keeled. He received the endorsement of the Northern Virginia Technology Council and NFIB. Jim is married and has 3 children.
HD 83 (Virginia Beach) – Chris Stolle defeats Joe Bouchard
Chris Stolle is a graduate of the US Naval Academy and Doctor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and serves as Vice President of Medical Affairs at Riverside Regional Medical Center. He also has MBA from the College of William and Mary. Chris is the brother of Senator Ken Stolle, who was elected Sherriff of Virginia Beach last Tuesday. Chris narrowly lost his bid for the House of Delegates in 2007 for this seat. Chris is married and has 5 children.
Republicans hold 4 of their Open Seats:
HD 17 (Roanoke) – Bill Cleaveland wins Fralin seat
Bill Cleaveland was born and raised in Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of Alfred University and has a law degree from Western New England School of Law. Bill has a law practice consisting of defense work, plaintiff’s injury and civil litigation. He has served as a substitute General District Court Judge for over 10 years. He is an avid outdoorsman, played football and ran track in High School and loves to hunt and fish. Bill has a son, a stepson and grandson.
HD 20 (Staunton) – Dickie Bell wins Saxman seat
Dickie Bell was born and raised in Staunton and area where he will represent in the House of Delegates. He is currently a member of the Staunton City Council. He is very proud of his hometown roots and proudly displays “Virginia Born and Bred” on his website. Dickie has attended Blue Ridge Community College, James Madison University and Old Dominion University. Dickie is a High School Special Education teacher and a Coach in Staunton. Dickie is married and has 2 children.
HD 55 (Hanover) – John Cox wins Hargrove seat
John Cox is the founder and owner of Cox Transportation Services, Inc. John is very active in community organizations and served as a former board member of the Hanover Education Foundation. John is the Past President of the Virginia Trucking Association, is on the Board of Directors for the Truckload Carriers Association and is the Former President of the Richmond Transportation Club. John is married and has 2 children.
HD 60 (Halifax) – Jim Edmunds wins Hogan seat (uncontested)
Jim Edmunds is a native of Halifax and attended Virginia Tech. He later received a degree from Averitt University. He owns and runs his family farm and served on the Halifax County Board of Supervisors and was selected as Vice Chairman in 2000. John served on the Virginia Board of Forestry and participated in the White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation. Jim is married and has 2 children.

Democrats pick up 2 seats:
HD 52 (Prince William) – Luke Torian wins Frederick open seat
Luke Torian serves as Pastor of First Mount Zion Baptist Church in Dumfries, Virginia. He is the 1st African American from Northern Virginia to be elected in over a decade, and only the 2nd African American to be elected from the region in modern times. Luke is married and has 1 child.
HD 93 (Newport News) – Robin Abbott defeats Phil Hamilton
Robin Abbott is a lawyer and partner at Consumer Litigation Associates, P.C. and consumer advocate. Robin is a graduate of Christopher Newport University, and earned her law degree from the Marshall Wythe School of Law, College of William and Mary. Robin is very involved in community organizations such as operation smile. Robin has a special needs son who in 1980 was diagnosed with severe cerebral palsy. Robin is married and has 4 children.
Democrats hold 6 of their Open Seats:
HD 35 (Vienna) – Mark Keam wins Shannon seat
Mark Keam was born in Seoul, Korea, the youngest child of a Presbyterian minister. Mark’s family eventually moved to California where Mark graduated from the University of California at Irvine. Mark earned his law degree from Hastings College. Mark as worked on Capitol Hill serving as Chief Counsel to the United States Senate Judiciary Committee and served as Chief Counsel to Senator Dick Durbin. He has worked with the Federal Communications Corporation (FCC) and the Small Business Administration as well. He currently works for Verizon Communications as Vice President and Counsel. Mark is married and has 2 children.

HD 38 (Fairfax) – Kaye Kory wins Hull seat
Kaye Kory defeated Democratic Delegate Bob Hull earlier this year in the Democratic primary. Her strong community ties and community activism have been mentioned as a key factor in her defeat of Bob Hull in the primary and Danny Smith this week. Kaye has a degree in Education from the Western College for Women and served on the Fairfax County School Board for 10 years. She is active in community organizations such as the Annandale Chamber of Commerce; the Virginia League of Conservation Voters and the NAACP. Kaye is married and has 3 children.

HD 44 (Mt. Vernon) – Scott Surovell wins Amundson seat
Scott Surovell is a native Virginian and grew up in the Mt. Vernon area that he will represent in the House of Delegates. Scott is a graduate of James Madison University and received his law degree from the University of Virginia. Scott is an attorney, and co-founding partner and owner of Surovell Markle Isaacs and Levy PLC law firm in Fairfax. Prior to running for office, Scott was the Chairman of the Fairfax County Democratic Committee. He is very active outdoorsman and has a passion for music. Scott is married and has 4 children.
HD 47 (Arlington) – Patrick Hope wins Eisenberg seat
Patrick Hope is the Director of Legislative Policy at the American College of Cardiology and an Adjunct Professor at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. He holds a BA from St. Mary’s University, an MA from Catholic University and earned his law degree from the Columbus School of Law, Catholic University. Patrick is the Founder and President of Hope for Kids, an Arlington-based non-profit organization dedicated to providing toys to homeless and disadvantaged children throughout the DC-area. Patrick is married and has 3 children.
HD 69 (City of Richmond) – Betsy Carr wins Hall seat
Betsy Carr is a trained professional massage therapist and owns her own business. She also serves on the Richmond School Board and is the Outreach Director at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. Betsy is a founder and past director of the Micah Initiative, which involves over 80 faith communities in partnerships with 25 city elementary schools, providing over 1000 tutors and volunteers. In 2005, Betsy was selected to receive one of the YWCA’s Outstanding Women Awards. Betsy has 3 children and recently became a grandmother.
HD 80 (Chesapeake) – Matthew James wins Melvin seat
Matthew James is President and CEO of Peninsula Council for Workforce Development. Matthew was a former Director of Economic Development for city of Portsmouth and a former Assistant to the City Manager. Matthew is a graduate of Northwestern University and Hampton University. Matthew’s involvement in community organizations is extensive and includes serving as a past board member of Maryview Hospital/Bon Secours Hospital System, member of the Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Virginia Maritime Association.