Jennifer Economy

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Jennifer Economy

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 8, 2022

Education

High school

Peoria High School

Associate

Phoenix College, 1993

Bachelor's

Arizona State University, 1995

Personal

Birthplace

Johnstown, Pa.

Religion

Christian

Profession

Investigator

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Instagram

Personal LinkedIn

Jennifer Economy ran for election for an at-large seat of the Chesapeake Public Schools in Virginia. She lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Economy completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Jennifer Economy was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. She earned a high school diploma from Peoria High School, an associate degree from Phoenix College in 1993, and a bachelor's degree from Arizona State University in 1995. Her career experience includes working as an investigator.

Elections

2022

See also: Chesapeake Public Schools, Virginia, elections (2022)

General election

General election for Chesapeake Public Schools, At-large (5 seats)

The following candidates ran in the general election for Chesapeake Public Schools, At-large on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Kim Scott (Nonpartisan)	12.8	42,363
✔	Submit photo	Brittany Walker (Nonpartisan)	12.0	39,870
✔		Amanda Dean (Nonpartisan)	11.8	39,039
✔		John McCormick (Nonpartisan)	11.5	38,272
✔	Submit photo	Michael Lamonea (Nonpartisan)	11.3	37,557
		Shirley Auguste (Nonpartisan)	9.8	32,548
	Submit photo	Malia Huddle (Nonpartisan)	9.4	31,300
	Submit photo	Bradley Moore (Nonpartisan)	8.7	28,935
	Submit photo	Gayle Gilmore (Nonpartisan)	3.0	9,986
		Blaizen Buckshot Bloom (Nonpartisan)	2.7	8,936
	Submit photo	Jared Miller (Nonpartisan)	2.3	7,525
		Kimberly Alameda (Nonpartisan)	2.3	7,496
		Jennifer Economy (Nonpartisan)	2.1	6,808
		Other/Write-in votes	0.4	1,295

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 331,930
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Tiffany Thompson (Nonpartisan)

Endorsements

To view Economy's endorsements in the 2022 election, please click here.

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Jennifer Economy completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Economy's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am the spouse of a 24-year Navy Veteran and the hardworking mother of three teenagers. I possess a Bachelor's Degree in Administration of Justice and am currently employed as a licensed Private Investigator. Previous positions I've held include Immigration Special Agent, BATFE Inspector, Facility Security Officer, and Surveillance Investigator for the Tidewater Chief Medical Examiner's Office. These jobs necessitated an strong attention to detail and a focus on compliance and enforcement of the laws and regulations. They also required me to be an effective communicator, working with diverse groups of individuals, seeking solutions, and accomplishing desirable results.

I am an advocate for those with disabilities. Two of my children have disabilities which required them to have special accommodations in school. I am also an advocate for the elderly as I am the caregiver to both of my parents with disabilities. I understand how important it is to have a voice for those who cannot advocate for themselves.

If elected, I will participate responsibly. I will do my homework, come prepared, ask questions, and listen to those who disagree with my values. I'm running because I was tired of fighting the system on behalf of my own children, now I want to help others who are tired as well.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Transparency - I want transparency with policies, contracts, the budget, our administration, and our elected officials.
• Accountability - I want accountability for those who are not ensuring our children come first in public education.
• Consistency - I want consistency among all schools to ensure we are providing a high-quality education and staff and students the resources, safety and security they deserve.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am an advocate for those with disabilities. I have a child with Type 1 Diabetes and a child with Crohn's Disease. I know the struggles that many families experience when needing special accommodations for their children at school. I will advocate for awareness and compliance with special accommodations as required by law.

If elected, I want to be the school board member who is the representative for our SEAC, Special Education Advisory Committee. This will allow me to act as a liaison to help implement the plans that the committee recommends.

I believe in fiscal responsibility. As a previous federal employee, I witnessed a lot of wasteful spending. I know how important financial resources are to a school district. I will work with our city council members to ensure that school funding is a priority and applied where it is needed. I will also advocate for any state funds that are supposed to be allocated to school districts, get allocated and are used appropriately.

I will also respect medical and religious freedoms and parental rights.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I do not have one particular person that I look up to as I've come across many influential people in my lifetime.
It's the kind of people that I look up who set the examples I like to follow. They are the people who are unselfishly fighting for what's right, who stand up for others who are unable to stand up for themselves, and who are not afraid to speak up when faced with adversity. They are strong in their faith and are willing to defend the freedoms we enjoy in this country, no matter what the cost.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

The most important characteristic is integrity. Throughout my career with the federal government and other positions I've held, I have modeled integrity, been responsive to the public, and did my job to the best of my ability.

I also feel that an elected official should hold true to their words spoken during their campaign and be accountable. They must understand they are a servant and representative to the community at large.

We also need elected officials who possess strong personal leadership skills. These are skills they've learned over time. The kind of person who people can count on to do what they say they are going to do without being intimidated to do the opposite.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

For the position of School Board Member, I want people to know that I am a parent, not a politician. I have an extensive background in investigative work, fact-finding, being observant, analyzing information, and report writing in order to guide others to take the appropriate action. I will use those skills to help guide me in my decision making on the school board.

Throughout my career, I have worked with diverse groups of people. As a parent, I have been a strong advocate for my own children in our public education system. I am a firm believer that a parent is their child's best advocate and that no one, including the government, has the right to take that away.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

I see myself more as a representative of the people and not an elected official. My responsibilities would include being responsive to concerns, to come prepared to meetings, ask questions, and do my homework before voting on issues. I will be actively engaged and be an effective communicator, which includes being a good listener.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like my children to know that as a parent, I fought to protect them to the best of my ability. To realize they can accomplish their goals as long as they have a strong foundation and a mindset to not let negative influences hinder their efforts. I want them to see the good in people, but be very aware of those with bad intentions and to speak up for those who cannot or are too afraid to speak up for themselves. I want people to remember me as the one who, although may be loud at times, I was loud for the right reasons and not the wrong ones.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The Johnstown Flood of 1977. I was 5 years old.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first "unofficial" job was helping my father clean our local church every Saturday. I was about 12 years old. The first "official" job was a Certified Nursing Assistant at a senior care facility while I was in high school. I was part of the Clinical Medical Science program at my school and was interested in a career in nursing at the time. I did not have that job for more than 6 months.

What is your favorite book? Why?

I do not have a favorite book, but one of my favorite author's was John Grisham.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Were Not Gonna Take It by Twisted Sister

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I have struggled with different things in my life over time such as being a female in law enforcement, a parent of children who have disabilities, and also being a caregiver to my elderly, disabled parents. Raising teenagers during the pandemic was difficult, as is dealing with social media threats, bullying, mental health issues, and teen violence.

There are many parts of the system I feel are broken which is why I am stepping up to run for office because we need individuals who are experienced and truly willing to make change where change is needed.

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

The primary job of a school board member is to be a representative of the people. To ensure the school district is being fiscally responsible, transparent in all of its dealings, and to consider the advice of the superintendent, but to ask questions in order to make informed decisions of his/her requests. A school board member must be accountable to the community for the policies created and make sure that division administration is implementing those policies properly.

How will you build relationships with members of the broader community? Which groups, organizations, stakeholders will you specifically target?

I am actively engaged with families who have children with disabilities since I have children with disabilities myself. I intend to engage with the at large community by being transparent and accountable with the public. I will visit civic leagues, organizations, and stakeholders to ask for input on upcoming issues and explain votes taken by me.

What are your views on how to address schooling during pandemic times?

We must always respect medical and religious freedoms and acknowledge parental rights. We need to do everything possible to maintain a safe learning environment, but also understand that children do best while attending school in person. Any long-term school closures that not only interrupt a child's ability to receive a quality education, but affects their mental health, will have long-lasting negative effects.

What will you do to build a relationship with parents in the district? What plans do you have to be inclusive of parental involvement?

I will actively engage with parents. I feel parents are their child's best advocate and have the ultimate control of their education and development. I was always very active with my children in school when they were younger. Parents should feel welcome, just like our students and staff.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Candidate

Chesapeake Public Schools, At-large

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