PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY — (Press Release) Yesli Vega, a military wife, mother, former police officer, and Prince William County Sheriff’s deputy announced her campaign for the Prince William County Board of Supervisors Coles Magisterial District.

If elected, Vega, a Republican would serve as the first minority representative in the history of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors.

Born in Texas, Vega was raised in Northern Virginia and graduated from Annandale High School.

Vega started with the Alexandria Police Department on the “street beat” as a patrol officer and later became a Field Training Officer, certified Hostage Negotiator, and served on the Crisis Intervention Team.

She also oversaw department spending which helped hard-working taxpayers by reducing wasteful spending.

“First, as a former law enforcement officer, public safety and protecting the citizens of Prince William County will be one of my top priorities,” said Vega. “Second, we must reduce the tax burden on our homeowners by broadening our tax base with policies that attract more businesses to the county. There’s no reason our hard-working homeowners should have to pay the highest real estate taxes of any county in the region.”

“Finally, the growth at-all-costs strategy toward development we’ve seen over the last decade must be replaced with a more balanced approach that respects the wishes of our neighbors. Hour-long work commutes and overcrowded schools are only two consequences of past decisions. Prince William County is a great place to live and raise a family, but we must elect citizen legislators who put the interest of the public over their own private interests when it comes to development.”

In addition to her career in law enforcement, Vega has served the Prince William Community as a mentor to at-risk youth through the Cal Ripken Foundation’s “Badges for Baseball” program. She has also coached her daughter’s youth soccer teams, and volunteers with Special Olympics, Girl Scouts, and “Santa Cops”.

Vega is a graduate of American Military University and the Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Academy. She resides in the Coles District with her husband, Rene, and their two children who attend Prince William County Public Schools.

The Coles District seat is currently held by Marty Nohe, who is not seeking reelection to the seat but rather to the Prince William County Board of Supervisors At-large seat.

Republican Paul O’Mera is also making a second run at the Coles District seat this year, and Republican Patrick Sowers is making his first.

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY – (Press Release) Amy Ashworth announces her candidacy for the office of Commonwealth’s Attorney for Prince William County and the Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.

The Commonwealth’s Attorney represents you, the people, in the criminal cases before the courts and oversees a staff of 24 prosecutors.

Ashworth has lived in and practiced law in Manassas City and Prince William County for over 23 years. For 11 of those years, she worked as a prosecutor in the Prince William County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, assigned to the Special Victim’s Unit, where she handled cases involving child sexual and physical abuse, homicide, adult rape and sexual assault allegations. She successfully took many of those cases to jury trial where she secured convictions and lengthy prison sentences for many offenders.

The Commonwealth’s Attorney is a very powerful position. Some of the responsibilities of the office include advising the police departments of Prince William County, Manassas City, Manassas Park, the Towns of Haymarket, Quantico, Occoquan and Dumfries, as well as deciding whether or not to charge someone with a crime, the nature and number of charges to bring, whether or not to take the case to trial or to negotiate a plea deal.

The Commonwealth’s Attorney also recommends an appropriate punishment such as asking a judge to take away someone’s liberty, suspend a driver’s license, impose a fine or require someone to be listed on the Sex Offender Registry. The Commonwealth’s Attorney can even ask a jury to impose the ultimate punishment – death.

Ashworth states “Make no mistake, there are absolutely cases in which the full power of the state should be brought down upon an offender to ensure that justice is done. But there are many cases in which that power should be tempered with compassion. Compassion for those who have served our country, those who are addicted to substances, the mentally ill and those who have made a mistake and are truly remorseful.”

Ashworth adds that “Under her administration, the office will operate with guiding principles set forth in her mission statement. There will be no more deals made with defendants without consulting with the victim of a crime and there will be no more “good old boy” network for the recruitment and hiring of prosecutors.

The budget, under her administration, will be transparent so that resources will not be wasted and pay scales cannot be adjusted to pay men more than women for equal work.”

Since 1995, Ashworth has successfully managed two law offices in private practice and worked as a prosecutor in Prince William County. As a mother, a wife and an active member of this community, she has the insight and experience to handle the office beginning on day one. She will continue to hold herself and those who work for her to the highest ethical standards of honesty and fairness when dealing with law enforcement, victims and witnesses of crimes, defense attorneys and the public.

Amy is looking forward to this campaign and serving this community as Commonwealth’s Attorney. For more information, visit her website at voteashworth.com.

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY -- Jackie Gaston is throwing her hat in the ring for Coles District School Board.

She’s a special education teacher in Fairfax County as well as a mother of three boys whose experience with PTO’s, meetings in the schools, and school improvement planning teams for her own children in who attend Prince William County Public Schools led her to want to serve.

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MANASSAS — Delegate Lee Carter’s seat is up for election next year, and Manassas City Councilman Ian Lovejoy plans to run for it.

Lovejoy will announce his campaign on Saturday night at 7 p.m. at a small gathering in his house in Manassas.

“I’m certainly honored to have the endorsement and support of Jackson (Miller). I think that he certainly left some big shoes to fill,” Lovejoy said.

Miller, a Republican who represented Manassas in the House of Delegates for 12 years before losing to Carter in 2017, will see his name is on a long list of elected officials and business owners in Manassas and Prince William County who have endorsed Lovejoy.

A move to Richmond for Lovejoy would come after he’s spent nearly seven years on the Manassas City Council.

“My main goal is to extend on the type of service that I’ve provided as a councilman in Manassas and that’s citizen-driven focus, citizen engagement, and certainly a focus on jobs and making sure our economy continues to grow. That’s been my focus while on the council and its perspective that I think needs to be taken forward into the House of Delegates,” said Lovejoy.

Carter said it’s not a surprise that Lovejoy is running for Delegate. Lovejoy hasn’t exactly kept his plans to run for higher office hidden, he adds, He plans to challenge him.

“I’m definitely seeking re-election,” Carter said. “Frankly, I feel very confident.”

Carter a, Democratic-Socialist, was a political outsider who rode a blue wave into office in 2017, one year after President Trump was elected to office. He’s the first and only member of his party elected to Virginia’s General Assembly.

Before him, Manassas-area residents had unchanging leadership with seniority in Richmond. The late State Senator Charles Colgan, a blue dog Democrat, retired in 2015 after serving 40 years in the State Senate. He was the body’s longest-serving member when he retired and had also served as the Senate’s President Pro Tempore for four of them.

In the House, Miller served for 12 years before his loss to Carter. He succeeded Harry J. Parrish, who once was Manassas Mayor and the father of current Manassas Mayor Harry J. Parrish II.

“I also think that we’ve lost our voice in the 50th a bit as it pertains to our representation in Richmond, and the 50th is an important district in the Commonwealth, and I think that we need to make sure that we have a strong voice that can work across all parties to make sure that we get good work done for the citizens of the 50th,” Lovejoy said.

It’s possible that Carter, who hasn’t been universally accepted by members of his own party in Richmond, won’t be the Democratic nominee. For that reason, Lovejoy says he won’t focus his campaign solely on him.

“He is probably going to face a primary challenge from establishment Democrats,” said Lovejoy. “I honestly don’t know who the Democratic nominee will be…”

Lovejoy has made no secret of his disdain for socialism, a term Carter has bandied about. Carter defends his positions and said the “first misused word” in government is ‘socialism,’ and the second most misused word is capitalism.

“[Lovejoy] can’t even accurately define what socialism is,” said Carter. “He just says ‘freedom and markets.”

Carter said he looks forward to talking about socialism with Lovejoy. But it’s not a subject on which his Republican opponent wants to focus.

“I don’t think it’s going to be a debate about socialism specifically. I think it’s going to be a conversation about specific policies,” said Lovejoy. “Socialism was adjudicated decades ago. I’m not interested in re-adjudicating socialism.”

Lovejoy labels Carter an activist first and public servant second. He asserts the Democratic-Socialist dislikes business and doesn’t differentiate between the concerns of large corporations or mom and pop shops.

“I think that is too extreme for the 50th and certainly too extreme for Virginia,” said Lovejoy.

Being the only person in the General Assembly who identifies as a socialist is “a bit isolating,” said Carter.

“I found that my name is a party-line issue,” he adds.

With him in Richmond, Carter said it’s the first time the people of Manassas and Bristow have someone “fiercely advocating” for them and that there’s “no place I’d rather be.”

The freshman delegate did not name any legislation on which he’s working to hang his hat. Instead, he cited the 51-49 Republican seat majority in the House, and that he’s working to make sure Virginia flips both chambers for Democrats next year so they can “improve the lives of everyone” not just in his district, but also throughout the state.

Lovejoy plans to focus on continuing the positive trajectory of job growth for the area and campaigning on lowering healthcare costs by “working across state lines to create regional pools for insurance so that we can work to bring the price of insurance down for everybody,” and focus on transportation.

“We continue to send more than our fair share of money to Richmond, and we need to make sure that it’s coming back and properly being used to address our transportation concerns,” Lovejoy said.

Lovejoy is betting that his experience as a city council member, will serve him well in state government, as it did Jackson Miller and Harry Parrish I who were also both elected to the Manassas City Council before they were elected to the House of Delegates.

“Being an elected official from a locality also gives me a unique perspective of how Richmond relates to localities.”

Northern Virginia voters continue to elect Democrats to public office. Earlier this month, Manassas voters chose two new Democrats to City Council, sent their Republican Congresswoman Barbara Comstock packing voting instead for Democrat Jennifer Wexton, and re-hired Democrat Tim Kaine to the Senate.

Manassas Councilwoman-elect Theresa Coates-Ellis was the only Republican in the region who mounted a successful campaign.

“I’ve managed to win in bad circumstances for Republicans every time my name’s been on the ballot because I bring a unique sense of engagement and follow through to my constituents,” he said.

Lovejoy has been a Manassas resident since 2008 and is the owner and founder of Reliant Hiring Solutions.

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY — The last time Patrick Sowers ran for office was for class president in 1991, at Gar-Field High School in Woodbridge.  

Patrick Sowers just threw his hat in the ring for the Republican nomination for the Prince William Board of County Supervisors in the open seat that Coles District Supervisor Marty E. Nohe will be vacating next year for his run for At-large Board of Supervisors Chairman.

Democrat LaTonsha “LT” Pridgen has already announced her campaign for the Coles District seat.

Sowers is a third-generation Northern Virginia resident whose family moved to Prince William County in 1976. He has spent the majority of his life in Prince William County where he currently lives with his wife of almost 25 years and their 8-year-old daughter. A Realtor, Sowers owns Loyalty Exteriors on Hornbaker Road near Manassas.

Sowers has filed all his paperwork with the county’s Office of Elections but has yet to make an official announcement of his campaign, which he expects to do in the coming weeks.

“I have been in public service my entire life,” Sowers said.

He taught safe boating classes as a teenager, coached youth football in Prince William and Fairfax counties for over 10 years, currently serves on the Coles District Community Services Board and the Virginia Community Services Board, and volunteers as a project manager for Care Net’s new office in Woodbridge, among other things.

“I don’t have a lot of hobbies outside of what I do for my community.”

Sowers’ love for community service fueled his desire to serve as a Supervisor.

“I actually approached several other people that I thought might run and they don’t have interest,” Sowers explained.

Before getting into Real Estate and exteriors, Sowers worked in IT on Capitol Hill for 14 years.

“I’m a pro-life conservative,” Sowers said. “I don’t think I’m perfect,” he said, but his faith as a born-again Christian fuels him.

He said seeing his 17-week old stillborn baby solidified his pro-life conviction.

He is also a fiscal conservative.

“Rising taxes in Prince William County are concerning to I think every resident that pays taxes in the county,” Sowers said. “My goal will be to look for every alternative possible to a tax increase.”

Filling Supervisor Marty Nohe’s shoes may prove challenging, but Sowers is up to the task. Nohe has been on the Board since 2003 and is currently seeking election as Chairman of the Board in 2019.

Sowers said he has been friends with and has a working relationship with Nohe.

“Marty and I are alike in a lot of ways, but we are also different in quite a few ways,” Sowers said. “A lot of people don’t feel Marty is conservative enough and I’m hoping that they’ll find that I foot that bill for them and their changes.”

“With very few exceptions, there is no issue that Marty and I have disagreed upon in the last twelve years,” Sowers adds.

The nomination process for Republicans has yet to be announced.

Prince William County Republican Committee Chairman Bill Card said in an e-mail that he hopes to hold a county-wide caucus or firehouse primary like Prince William County did in 2015, but it must be approved by the local committee. If a county-wide caucus occurs, Card estimates it will take place sometime in early spring 2019.

No other Republicans have announced their candidacy so far. Prince William County School Board Coles District representative Willie Deutsch and Paul O’Meara, who lost to Nohe in 2015, are also rumored to be considering running for the office.

Babur Lateef this year was appointed to the Prince William County School Board as its Interim At-large Chairman.

The appointment came after former chairman Ryan Sawyers stepped down in March after months of wrangling with fellow Board members and county school staff over lawsuits regarding emails, as well as social issues like LGBT bathroom rights. He served two years in the job.

Under Lateef, an ophthalmologist by day, the School Board has refocused on students, and he’d like to keep the job.

Potomac Local sent a Project: Election survey to Lateef. These are his responses:

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PL: What are the top three major issues facing the district you wish to represent?

Lateef: 

PL: What concrete solutions do you propose to address these issues?

Lateef: Student Success Close the Achievement Gap.

Implement the changes recommended by our Special Education Audit.

Ensure that a student’s economic background or ethnicity does not dictate their success.

Increase Test Scores Improve our SOL and SAT scores to compete with the rest of Northern Virginia.

Provide Opportunities For All Students Improve the communication of our academic and professional development opportunities through traditional, digital, and social media.

Prepare Students For college and life Increase the funding of our CTE (Career & Technical Education) programs, where students can learn valuable vocational skills such as cybersecurity, culinary arts, and practical nursing.

Space to Learn: Reduce the number of trailers

develop a concrete plan to tackle the decades-long problem of overcrowding. Prioritize remodeling of our aging schools.

Find solutions to decrease student-to-teacher ratios in our classrooms. Update and repair our internet infrastructure, including increasing bandwidth, creating new servers, and updating our websites.

Work on changing how specialty school assignments work so that the Board can determine how best to use our resources.

Safety and security: Secure school campuses

Work with student resource officers, teachers, counselors, and other staff to develop comprehensive, county-wide protocols to secure our campuses.

Increase funding for mental health specialists and counselors, and bring down the student to counselor ratio, so that all students have access to receive whatever help they may need.

Participate in school safety pilot programs: explore opportunities for innovative school safety solutions.

Provide students with the appropriate college advising and personal counseling they need.

Continue to support cultural sensitivity training programs so that our campuses are inclusive and sensitive to the different backgrounds of every student.

Salaries recruit and retain the best teachers

Offer competitive salaries so that Prince William County can recruit and retain the best educators in Virginia.

Increase per-pupil spending to ensure all students receive the best education possible.

PL: From your perspective, what is the job description of the office you’re seeking?

Lateef: Build consensus on our priorities as a school division. Put the student’s first every day, in every feasible way. Be a good steward of the budget, ensure our tax dollars are used efficiently to keep our promise of a world-class education. Make Prince William County a regional leader in education.

PL: Do you feel that the average citizen is well-informed and understands the workings of local government?

Lateef: I believe the average citizen is well informed on what their personal values are and the values they seek in an elected official. We can always do better at sharing information about local government.

That’s one of the reasons we need to reach people where they are by increasing our social media presence and email campaigns. With more aggressive digital marketing on our programs for students and parents, we can achieve one of our main goals, more parental and student involvement.

PL: What expertise will you bring to the office?

Lateef: The University of Virginia, Board of Visitors Member – Term 7/16 – 7/20

Chair, Audit, Compliance, Risk Committee

Vice Chair, Health System Board Student Life, Commonwealth Engagement, Research Committees Finance, Advancement Committees

Past Member UVA NOVA Task Force

Member SPARK Foundation – Board of Directors (Supporting Partnerships and Resources for Kids) 

The Education Foundation for Prince William County Schools Board of Directors 7/16 – 7/19 

Marshall Elementary School 2010 – Present PTO Member

Louise Benton Middle School 2014 – Present PTO Member

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology 2017 – Present Thomas

Jefferson High School for Science and Technology Partnership Fund – Supporter

PL: Have you ever made any mistakes in your public life? How have they affected you?

Lateef: No.  

The most recent meeting I did just that.  At a previous meeting, our fire chief detailed the implementation of over fifty recommendations from his volunteer and paid fire and rescue personnel.  I failed to give him the praise he deserved for achieving that in such a short time as chief.  This past meeting I publicly admitted my error and corrected it.

It is important for people, especially the young, to see that owning up to mistakes is the right thing to do.

PL: Our readers want leaders in local government. Why should they vote for you? 

Lateef: I have been an active leader in the community for many years. I believe in leading by example which is why I spend my time volunteering at clinics, my children’s PTOs, and in different educational institutions.

I have been a student, teacher, and parent in Public Schools. Public education worked for me, kindergarten through medical school, I want every student in Prince William County to have the same opportunities that I did.

MANASSAS — Democrats will rally in Prince William County during the final hours of the 2018 mid-term elections campaign.

Senator Tim Kaine will be joined by fellow Democrats Vangie Williams and Jennifer Wexton, who is running for Congress in the 1st and 10th Districts, respectively.

Williams and Wexton face Republican incumbents Rob Wittman and Barbara Comstock, respectively.

All 435 seats in the House of Representatives are open this election. Democrats are favored to win control of the House from Republicans.

While Kaine is favored in Virginia to beat his Republican opponent, Prince William County Board of Supervisor Chairman, At-large Corey Stewart, Republicans are expected to retain control of the Senate.

Kaine is calling out additional names Sunday night in his effort rally the vote:

• Rep. Gerry Connolly (Va. 11 — Fairfax, Prince William)
• Rep. Bobby Scott (Va. 3 — Hampton Roads)
• Rep. Don Beyer (Va. 8 — Arlington, Falls Church)
• Attorney General Mark Herring
• Former Gov. Terry McAuliffe

The rally starts Sunday, Nov. 4, 2018, at 7 p.m. at the fairgrounds, located at 10624 Dumfries Road in Manassas. The rally will be Kaine’s final stop in a day-long tour of cities along the urban crescent, from Hampton Roads, Richmond, to Northern Virginia.

His opponent Corey Stewart will also spend the final hour of the campaign. On Monday, Stewart will hold his “Jobs not Mobs” rally at the Farm Brewery located at 16015 John Marshall Highway in Haymarket, following appearances in Virginia Beach and Mechanicsville.

Back at the Prince William County, Fairgrounds, the land is no stranger to political rallies. President Barack Obama rallied there on the eve of the 2008 Presidential Election. In December 2015, President Donald Trump held a rally inside the Commercial Building at the fairgrounds.

Officials with the Prince William County Fair say next year’s fair in August could be its last. After 70 years, the shareholders of the fairgrounds are looking to cash out and sell the land to a developer for a possible residential development.

Corey A. Stewart, Republican faces steep competition on November 6 race. According to a September press release, Sen. Tim Kaine held “double-digit leads over Republican nominee Corey Stewart (R) among both registered and likely voters.” In a recent letter, one resident cited local land use issues that could also affect Stewart’s outcomes. But it’s not over  until it’s over. Stewart still has a loyal base of followers and voters.

We sent survey questions to Stewart and all local candidates running in the upcoming election. Below are Stewart’s responses.

PL: What role can you play in helping to improve traffic conditions in Northern Virginia? What can Congress do when it comes to improving traffic or public transportation in the region?

Stewart: As governor, Tim Kaine gave away the Dulles Toll Road, to an unelected, unaccountable governing body. In the U.S. Senate, he failed to get the federal highway aid that Northern Virginia urgently needs. As a result, commuters today are facing insanely high tolls on I-66 as well as rising Metro costs.

During my chairmanship in Prince William County, we built more than a billion dollars worth of roads. As your new Senator, I will focus on securing federal funding to relieve traffic congestion and ease access to our region’s vital economic hubs.

PL: How would you characterize President Trump’s first  year and a half in office, in terms of his administration’s impact locally, nationally and internationally?

Stewart: President Trump has succeeded in revitalizing our national economy – through lower taxes, streamlined regulations, and renegotiating unfair trade deals. In addition, we are now rebuilding our military and restoring our nation’s credibility on the international stage. The current administration has made tremendous strides in the right direction, but more still needs to be done. And that’s why Virginians need a results-oriented U.S. Senator – not someone who mindlessly “resists” whatever President Trump is for.  

PL: What’s your view on the recently enacted tax reform bill — and on the potential for a second round of tax cuts?

Stewart: Thanks mostly to recently-enacted tax reforms, our nation’s economy is now roaring back to life. Wages are rising. Overall unemployment has fallen to a 49-year low – and unemployment rates for African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, Asian-Americans and youth are at their lowest ever in our nation’s history. In the Senate, I would vote to make President Trump’s tax cuts permanent – and I would like to cut taxes even more, to ensure continued prosperity for all.

PL: Where do you stand on immigration reform? What should happen with DACA and TPS recipients, particularly those in the Northern Virginia area? Do you support using taxpayer funding for a border wall?

Stewart: There is a big difference between illegal aliens and legal immigrants. Legal immigration has benefited our nation enormously. Illegal immigration, by contrast, carries with it significant costs – in both financial and human terms. Nationwide, we need to remove criminal aliens from our streets, as I have successfully done in Prince William County, where violent crime fell by nearly half. I do not favor any form of amnesty – nor do I favor a “path to citizenship,” until we truly control our borders first. In the Senate, I would vote to fund construction of the southern border wall. A true wall on the border would not only block illegal aliens – it would also thwart human trafficking and stem the flow of illegal drugs.

PL: What’s your view on salaries and retirement benefits for federal workers, particularly those in this area?

Stewart: I rarely disagree with the current administration, but on this I did.

Federal employees in Virginia wake up early, face punishing traffic, and work hard to serve their nation and support their families. These workers need and deserve a pay raise.

When President Trump proposed a federal worker pay freeze, I respectfully criticized his stated position – and he retweeted my criticism, after which the President reconsidered his view on the matter.

As this example illustrates, I will successfully advocate for the interests of Virginians, in a way that Kaine simply cannot.   

PL: What’s your position on how to improve the nation’s health care system and the status of the Affordable Care Act?

Stewart: The Affordable Care Act has failed to deliver on its promises, as too many individuals and families have learned the hard way. I strongly favor health savings accounts, as well as the restoration of short-term and low-cost “no-frills” plans. We should allow insurance plans to be sold across state lines (more competition is healthy). Ultimately, we need a free-market, consumer-driven health care system that puts the needs of patients first.

 

Matt J. Waters, Libertarian for Senate, joined the race against incumbent Democrat Tim Kaine and Republican Corey Stewart because of his concern over federal spending. He faces an uphill battle against the two other candidates who have been entrenched in the national political scene and spotlight via their respective parties.

We sent survey questions to Waters and all local candidates running in the upcoming election. Below are Waters’ responses.

PL: What role can you play in helping to improve traffic conditions in Northern Virginia? What can Congress do when it comes to improving traffic or public transportation in the region?

Waters: This is an issue for the department of transportation and states to decide and a matter of priorities. 66, 64, 95, 81 are in awful shape. I’d explore a public-private partnership, and a possible look at privatizing roads (see Texas). As usual, the government is not getting the job done. This would mean eliminating reducing Dept of Transportation.

PL: How would you characterize President Trump’s first year and a half in office, in terms of his administration’s impact locally, nationally and internationally?

Waters: Rocky. I agree with instincts to reduce eliminate regulations and taxes, and efforts to meet with anyone overseas – NK and Russia, etc. We’ll see if anything positive comes of it. I agree with his instincts to pull troops from overseas.  Tariff policy I disagree with and don’t favor increasing tariffs. The trade deal he struck eliminates NAFTA, but replaces it with much of the same. His tone is awful.

PL: What’s your view on the recently enacted tax reform bill — and on the potential for a second round of tax cuts?

Waters: Fifty percent of the people don’t pay taxes, I’d attempt to make it fair so the other 50% don’t have to pay taxes – so eliminate the personal federal income tax altogether, and the 16th amendment; giving every taxpayer a $12,000+ pay raise. This would return the US to pre-1913 and force major cuts in spending, and a limited government.

PL: Where do you stand on immigration reform? What should happen with DACA and TPS recipients, particularly those in the Northern Virginia area? Do you support using taxpayer funding for a border wall?

Waters: I do not support the Wall – as 70% of illegals come to the U.S. via [jets]. They overstay visas. I’d keep DACA, and I’d move to expand immigration to the US via major reforms in Citizenship and Immigration (CIS), Immigration and Customs (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as well as changes in law.

Here’s the deal: the U.S. needs more workers, and we need a streamlined process to integrate folks to citizens. The process is a joke right now–which is why we have the issues we do.  It’s like we have two DMVs and the Post Office running Immigration. It’s called inefficient, ineffective, and unresponsive: the U.S. Government.

PL: What’s your view on salaries and retirement benefits for federal workers, particularly those in this area?

Waters: Retirement benefits nearly bankrupted Ford and GM, and they are responsible for the Post Office and Metro DC not turning a profit. I’d recommend pushing retirement benefits to the private market and make fewer promises to future employees.  Basically, the government overpromises and under delivers. We have got to trust the market more and the government less. We have to take ownership and responsibility for our retirement. I’d be a strong advocate to move them out of gov’t control, let the market manage, and secure critical services like Post Office, metro, and defense.  My dad was a state teacher here in VA and totally got screwed by the state because they didn’t have any pension for him, so they offered buy-outs for pennies on the dollar, or he could have stayed in the system and risked having zero. He retired because he knew the money would not be there that the state promised.

PL: What’s your position on how to improve the nation’s health care system and the status of the Affordable Care Act?

Waters: Get the government out. You don’t want the DMV running healthcare. I’d advocate health sharing which is what my family does, and we paid $20,000 in health insurance last year, under $4,000 this year. Put the consumer in the driver’s seat. I’d advocate allowing small businesses to pay health care premiums with pre-tax dollars (see the Harvard study in WSJ last month) and Health Savings Accounts.

These are very brief answers to complex challenges – thanks for the opportunity.