Bouchard for Delegate

Background:

Joseph F. Bouchard, Ph.D., was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in November 2007 representing the 83rd District in Virginia Beach. He serves on the Finance Committee, Science and Technology Committee, the Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee, and the Joint Committee on Comprehensive Services for At-Risk Youth. In the private sector he is Director of Government Sales for Cox Communications. He graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1976 and retired in 2003 as a Captain after 27 years on active duty. He commanded the destroyer USS Oldendorf and Naval Station Norfolk, the world’s largest naval base. He was a specialist in strategic and operational planning, including assignments as Branch Head, Strategy and Concepts Branch, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations; Deputy Senior Director for Defense Policy and Arms Control, National Security Council, The White House; and Deputy Director, Navy Operations Group (Deep Blue), which is responsible for planning the Navy’s role in the war on terror. Dr. Bouchard is widely recognized as an expert on national defense and homeland security, and has received several awards for his leadership in port security, including the Secretary of Defense 2002 Annual Antiterrorism Award, Secretary of Transportation 2002 Partnering for Excellence Award, Virginia Port Authority Medal of Excellence, and the Virginia Maritime Association Port Champion Award. He also is widely recognized as an expert on climate change and environmental protection, which led to his serving on the Governor’s Commission on Climate Change. He currently serves on the Boards of Directors of the Virginia Maritime Association, Future Hampton Roads, and the Civic Leadership Institute; on the Hampton Roads Partnership Comprehensive Economic Development Committee, the City of Virginia Beach Alternative Energy Task Force; and on Advisory Committees for the Hampton Roads Military and Federal Facility Alliance, the Old Dominion University Maritime Institute and the WHRO Center for Regional Citizenship.

Goals:

1. To provide open, responsive, energetic leadership that makes government work for the residents of the 83rd District.
2. To advance the progressive agenda in Virginia in a manner that is fiscally responsible and supports robust economic growth. (Destroy the Republican myth that a progressive approach to policy issues is irreconcilable with a sound economic and fiscal policies.)
3. To apply my extensive leadership and management experience in the Federal government and the private sector to helping solve the many problems facing Virginia.

Issues:

1. Economic Recovery. Creating new jobs for Virginians.
2. Veterans and military families. Providing veterans the services and health care they need. Ensure that state laws and programs recognize the unique circumstances of active duty military personnel and their families.
3. Education and youth. Protecting funding for public education; ensuring that all our children receive a quality education; providing programs to reduce the unacceptable drop-out rate among minority youth and prevent young people from becoming involved in gangs.
4. Health care. Protecting funds for medicaid, mental health programs and care for seniors; preserving and strengthening programs that keep health care costs under control; ensuring that all Virginians have access to health care.
5. Transportation. Developing a funding plan that meets urgent needs; ensuring that the burden of paying for transportation programs is shared broadly and fairly.
6. Environment. Implementing effective mitigation (greenhouse gas reduction) and adaptation programs to prevent the severe consequences of climate change without harming the economy; restoring the Chespeake Bay and Lynnhaven River; preserving open space; creating new jobs in the growing green economy.
7. Fiscal Responsibility. Keeping the state budget balanced without harm to core programs or transferring the tax burden to local governments with unfunded mandates.

Grassroots Support:

Critically important. The Republican Party has targeted my District and is pouring tens of thousands of dollars into my opponent's race - hoping that Democratic Party losses in Virginia this year can be portrayed as the American people rejecting President Obama and the Democratic Party. My opponent is likely to run extremely negative attack ads as the centerpoint of his campaign - as he did in 2007. I won in 2007 through superior direct contact with the voters and can only win in 2009 with the same strategy. A strong grassroots organizing effort is central to my camapign.

DFA Values:

Socially progressive: I am pro-choice, pro-labor, and support the goals of Equality Virginia. I am a leader on environmental protection and mitigating climate change. I support the social justice agenda in Virginia, such as eliminating the scourge of payday lending and other usurious lending practices that target the middle class and low income workers.
Fiscally responsible: I earned an outstanding record for cost cutting as Commanding Officer of Naval Station Norfolk, and have taken that expertise to the General Assembly. I have an outstanding voting record on fiscal responsibility and discuss this in the Issues section of my web site.