Voting and engagement in the development of public policy are both a responsibility and the great privilege of being a citizen in a democracy. Environmental planning, regulations, and funding for our natural resources directly affect our efforts to restore and protect our natural resources. Through our advocacy work, LRNow works with our elected officials and community leaders to advocate for good environmental policy at the local, state and federal levels.

Our Work at the Local, State and Federal Level

Candidates Forums
Good public policy starts with understanding the positions of our candidates on the issues that are most important to you. Our Candidates Forums each fall give voters a chance to listen to the candidates and ask questions to determine who will represent their priorities on the City Council or in the General Assembly.

Educate you vote and watch our Fall 2021 Candidates Forums:

September 29th – Click HERE
All candidates were invited to attend.
District 21 – Kelly Convirs-Fowler and Tanya Gould
District 81 – Barry Knight and Jeffrey Feld
District 82 – Scott Flax and Anne Ferrell Tata

October 6th – Click HERE
All candidates were invited to attend.
District 83 – Nancy Guy and Tim Anderson
District 84 – Glenn Davis and Kim Melnyk
District 85 – Alex Askew and Karen Greenhalg

Every Vote Counts. Whether it is on our own City Council or the General Assembly in Richmond, who represents you is very important. And all of those who aspire to represent us need to know what issues are important to you. Watch our recorded virtual Candidates Forums from September and October and find out where your potential representatives stand on the issues that are important to you. Remember, everyone votes for every office on the ballot in Virginia Beach, not just your district.

Take action. Learn “How To: Virtual Civic Engagement How to Advocate from a Distance”

Federal Level

We have worked to prevent action to weaken the protections for our local waters under the Clean Water Act and advocated for funding for Chesapeake Bay restoration, but preventing seismic testing and drilling for gas and oil in the Atlantic Ocean off of our coast is our most important federal issue. We continue to work with our Representatives and our Senators to pass legislation which permanently prohibits new seismic testing permits and the sale of gas and oil leases in the Atlantic.

Read more HERE

State Level
Each year, our Board of Directors adopts a list of priorities for the General Assembly session. In the 2020 session, we have worked on and will continue to work on issues related to flooding resilience; funding for stormwater improvements; a study of the Albemarle-Pamlico watershed; actions to prevent offshore drilling; and controls on single-use plastics. On all of these issues, we join with partners from across the state through the Virginia Conservation Network.

Local Level
At the local level we engage with our City Council members and other local leaders to understand our local challenges and opportunities, our budget choices and the best policy decisions for all of the watersheds and residents of Virginia Beach.

Our way of life in Virginia Beach is tied to our natural resources. We love our beaches, our beautiful waterways and our extensive parks. We are very fortunate to live in such a beautiful place that offers year round opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. Our work is to restore and protect those natural resources. With 450,000 people in our city and all of the development that comes with that population, our waterways and natural areas have all been impacted. But with good policy choices we can protect our natural resources, develop smartly and deal with our biggest challenge: climate change and sea level rise.

Partners

Virginia Conservation Network

The Virginia Conservation Network is a coalition of over 100 conservation organizations across the state.  LRNow is proud to be a partner organization.  The coalition offers network partner organizations the opportunity to work together on issues of mutual interest and have a stronger voice in the General Assembly and beyond.  VCN tackles issues related to Clean Energy, Healthy Waters, and Smart Communities.

LRNow staff and volunteers participate on the Water Workgroup and in the three primary events sponsored by VCN each year: Environmental Forum in the fall, General Assembly Preview Day in December, and Lobby Day at the General Assembly in January.   All who are interested are invited to participate in these events.  Please watch our E-News for dates, locations, and registration information.  Karen Forget currently serves as the Vice-President of the Board of Directors of VCN.

For more information, go to www.vcnva.org

Choose Clean Water Coalition

Choose Clean Water is a coalition of groups throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed who are working on water quality issues.  This group supported by the National Wildlife Federation brings together voices from Virginia Beach to New York to learn about and common issues, work together on solutions, and have a collective strong voice in Washington, DC on water quality issues that are a part of the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.

LRNow staff participate on monthly workgroup calls, the annual conference and lobby day on Capital Hill.

For more information, go to https://www.choosecleanwater.org/

Virginia Coastal Alliance

The Virginia Coastal Alliance (VACA)  is a coalition of environmental organizations working together on issues that affect the coastal area of Virginia.  Our primary focus up to this point has been offshore drilling and seismic testing, but we are exploring other areas where we can work together.

Commissions and Boards

LRNow staff members serve on all of the following local, regional and state boards and commissions.

Virginia Beach Green Ribbon Committee

Virginia Conservation Network Board of Directors

Congresswoman Elaine Luria’s Albemarle-Pamlico Advisory Commission

Congresswoman Elaine Luria’s Chesapeake Bay Advisory Commission

Virginia Beach Forest Conservation Study Group

Virginia Beach Open Space Committee

Virginia Beach Vision Board and Resiliency Committee

Resort Area Commission Green Committee

Bikes and Waterways Committee

Parks and Recreation Foundation

Our Elected Representatives

Virginia Beach City Council
Click HERE for Contact Information

Mayor Bob Dyer

Vice Mayor Rosemary Wilson

Louis Jones – Bayside District

Guy Tower – Beach District

Linwood Branch – Lynnhaven District

Michael Berlucchi – Rose Hall District

Sabrina Wooten – Centerville District

Barbara Henley – Princess Anne District

N.D. “Rocky” Holcomb – Kempsville District

Rosemary Wilson – At Large

John Moss – At Large

Aaron Rouse – At Large

All City Council meetings are open to the public, can be viewed on Cox Channel 48 and Verizon Channel 45, or streamed from the City’s website.  Click HERE for more information about City Council meetings, schedules, or information about how to contact your City Council representatives.

Virginia General Assembly
Click HERE to learn who your legislator is!

Senator Bill DeSteph – District 8

Senator Jennifer Kiggans – District 7

Senator Lynwood Lewis – District 6

Delegate Nancy Guy – District 83

Delegate Jason Miyares – District 82

Delegate Bobby Knight – District 81

Delegate Alex Askew  – District 85

Delegate Kelly Fowler – District 21

Delegate Glenn Davis – District 84

For information on General Assembly bills or access information for our representatives, go to the Virginia Public Access Project, Richmond Sunlight, or the Virginia General Assembly.

Congressional Representatives

Senator Tim Kaine

Senator Mark Warner

Congresswoman Elaine Luria