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The Democratic nominee for the House of Delegates’ 24th District in a special election on Jan. 10, Jade Harris, who just concluded a stint as Glasgow vice mayor and a member of Town Council, cites a couple of instances in which she has been involved in initiatives that are benefiting the town’s citizens.
Word was recently received that the town had been successful in securing a $4.5 million federal grant to fund the replacement of three-and-a-half miles of aging water lines and other improvements to the water distribution system. After Rockbridge County imposed a cigarette tax, Harris successfully advocated for the town to enact its own tax so that the revenues would go directly to the town.
A 2016 graduate of Rockbridge County High School and 2020 graduate of Mary Baldwin University with a degree in political science, Harris has played an active role in the civic affairs of Glasgow.
“I’ve held several leadership roles supporting vulnerable communities,” she said. “I’ve gone to Richmond to talk to legislators – some who weren’t always friendly – on their behalf. I’ve organized March for Our Lives round tables with people on all sides of the gun debate to hold respectful discussions meant to find real, workable solutions for gun violence.”
Being a Democrat will not preclude her from working in a bipartisan fashion with Republicans, she insists. “I’ve listened to the voices of community members as we deliberated on some difficult decisions. I’ve worked in conjunction with individuals who may or may not agree with my personal politics, but agreed that we needed to get the job done for our citizens and to do it right.
“In a General Assembly that is so nearly evenly split, I know that I’ll be reaching across the aisle quite a bit to get the job done. I’m happy to do so; I know there are still Republicans out there whose main priority is to serve their people, and I’m eager to work with them. All these experiences and more have prepared me to serve in the General Assembly. I know what hard work is and I’m ready to lead.”
In the upcoming session, she notes, “funding for education is critical. In this post-Covid era, both our educators and their learners are suffering. Teachers are leaving the field en masse, learning outcomes are dismal and our schools are embroiled in a student mental health crisis. Increasing our educational funding is vital to finding solutions for these problems so that Virginia learners can receive the world class education that they deserve.”
Funding for mental health care, she said, “is a major part of my platform, is essential to a functional and healthy state. Gov. [Glen] Youngkin’s $230 million proposal in the state budget is an excellent start – I would like to take that even further by seeking additional funds to train and retain qualified mental healthcare professionals to mitigate our current crisis bed shortage.”
She said law enforcement “needs a boost as well; we are amidst a national shortage in police officers. In order to attract (and keep) the most qualified individuals, we need to compensate them accordingly so that we have access to the gold standard in policing. By investing in our officers, they will invest in their communities, and community investment leads to healthy relationships with law enforcement.”
She said she supports several changes to Virginia’s tax laws: “Especially in areas like the 24th District, taxes can be a heavy burden on citizens. We need to find feasible ways to reduce that burden while still maintaining a healthy state budget. A repeal of vehicle safety inspection stickers is one method; another would be increasing the state subsidy for noncommercial vehicles (the subsidy decreased from 57.5 to 49.5 percent this past year, leading to an increase in personal property taxes). Of course, those funds would have to be made up elsewhere; if marijuana were to be fully legalized in Virginia, that would provide an excellent replacement; conversely, we could also increase taxes for some of the large data centers in northern Virginia.”
Even though she is willing to work in a bipartisan fashion when it’s warrant, she won’t back down when confronted with extremist ideology. “If elected, I plan on introducing legislation designed to protect our educators from being criminally charged for teaching concepts considered by some to be ‘divisive.’ We cannot and will not live in a state that legislates based on the right wing monster of the week; public education is under attack, and if it is destroyed by those seeking to line their own pockets with public funds for private school vouchers – and trust me, that is what is happening – what kind of schools will be left for those in the 24th District unable to afford private education?”
What she hopes to do, she said, is bring back “common sense” to government. “We need legislators who are willing to work for their people – not play silly games to get media airtime.” In a not-sosubtle jab at the governor, she remarked, “We need people willing to be all in for Virginia, not jet-setting cross country to set up for a future weak presidential run. We need a real government, and to get that, we need real working class people like me representing us in Richmond.”
