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Stuarts Draft resident Randall Wolf is running for the Virginia House of Delegates in hopes of representing District 36, which covers parts of northern Rockbridge County, including the Fairfield, Raphine and Brownsburg areas.
Wolf has a career of more than 40 years in journalism with various community, major metro and international news outlets. His experience in the field “gave him an appreciation for listening and hearing multiple sides of an issue,” according to his campaign website.
Among his priorities for the upcoming session, Wolf listed mental and behavioral health care as among the most pressing to the citizens of the commonwealth. He calls for establishing a new approach for crisis intervention which would include a new division of first responders – social workers.
“These crisis caregivers would respond to domestic situations, mental health crisis, drug addiction and other situations that need people skilled and trained in care-giving,” he explained, adding that the caregivers would be the lone responder in these situations, not accompanied by police.
“The crisis caregiver would have its own chain of command, so they would be separate but equal,” he said.
Wolf called out several missed opportunities with the passing of the 2024 budget last month, including the chance to address the Virginia state income tax brackets, which he notes are 33 years old and “need updating.” He’s proposing lowering the income tax paid by people who earn less than $75,000 to “put more money in the pockets of workers and retirees.”
He also argued that the budget surplus “should have been put to work and invested in the needs of the people.”
“The two parties agree that we need more mental and behavioral health care, affordable housing is an issue throughout Virginia, and we need to raise the pay of first responders, educators, and caregivers,” he said.
Wolf also called for increasing the salaries for “state and municipal workers, and providing the tools Virginia departments need to serve the citizens of Virginia.”
With new districts in play this election, control of both the House of Delegates and the State Senate are on the line for both the Democrats and Republicans. Currently, the Republicans control the House, while the Senate is controlled by the Democrats.
“The Democratic Party puts people first in the decisions we make,” Wolf said. “We are dedicated to personal freedoms, workers’ rights, voters’ rights and the democratic principles that make our nation great. … The governor likes to talk about opportunity for all, but without access, you never have an opportunity.”
Among the issues that could be impacted by the election is the right to abortion. Gov. Glenn Youngkin has proposed a ban on abortion after 15 weeks, with exceptions allowed in cases of rape, incest, and where the life of the mother is at risk. Wolf is advocating for a constitutional amendment to “permanently protect reproductive rights of women.”
“The decision to have an abortion should be between a woman and her medical team,” he said.
If elected to the House of Delegates, Wolf said he will “work to be inclusive, not divisive.” he said.
I will support renewable energy and being good stewards of our land and water … As a life-long journalist, I believe in transparency and will meet with people throughout the district weekly and keep [them] informed on the issues and actions that affect the people in the Valley.”
