Wilton King
Wilton "Will" King was a 2017 Green Party candidate for District 18 of the Virginia House of Delegates.
Biography
King's professional experience includes working for the U.S. Federal Air Marshal Service and the U.S. Capitol Police. He served in the United States Navy from 1993 to 2003.[1]
Campaign themes
2017
King’s campaign website highlighted the following issues:[2]
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Education: One of the most important investments we can make is in our children. They deserve a first class education to better prepare them for their future, beginning with the reform of our standards of learning (SOL) evaluation. Students should be taught to interact with the subject matter with critical thinking skills rather than just memorize for a test. Undue stress is put on our children at a very early age, learning to despise school, and affecting their health. We need to allow for more control of schools by local school and county boards who are accountable directly to the people of that particular school division. This is especially necessary in funding as we must review and adjust how our schools are funded. We need to make higher education more accessible and affordable for all. We can create more opportunities for students to gain college credits in high school. For some students, learning a trade is more suitable, therefore we should offer such training beginning in high school, even offering certifications to help them begin their career. We can strengthen and expand our community college system to include more vocational training after high school certification, while assisting other students begin their academic journey. For those wanting a future in the agriculture business we should provide incentives to do so and offer education in 21st century techniques. We should provide innovation for future careers with an economic philosophy that I call “eco-conservatism”. This is the practice of job creation, with successful small businesses, while using our resources wisely, securing the future. Agri-Business: Agriculture is the cornerstone of the Virginia economy, and always has been, yet the state is not doing enough to promote or protect it. For starters, we have nutrient run-off and soil erosion issues which are affecting our crops. I will support agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs) that will ease restrictions and provide farmers more freedom to succeed. An example of this would be introducing incentives for nutrient management programs. I also plan to work for the introduction of industrial hemp production, somewhat of a miracle plant. (Find out more at http://vahemp.org/). This plant can take a struggling farm of 10 acres or more and turn it into a thriving farm with a lucrative crop. It requires no pesticides, it self-composts, does not require rotation of fields, yields two harvests per year and creates jobs as it increases the need for an expanded workforce. We must remove unnecessary regulations from our small businesses and farms. Agricultural products should be easier to get from the farm to the table. Environment: It is becoming critical that we address C02 emissions which automobiles are the main cause of. To combat this I will introduce legislation that offers tax credits for the purchase of electric hybrid cars. We will also offer incentives to individual home owners for the installation of solar systems, not just for businesses. We will need to be innovative in preparing for the future. I will work with local elected officials toward the installation of solar powered charging stations throughout the district. We can also do this at interstate rest stops to aid tourism and at commuter lots as well. Installation of these will also create jobs for our local work-force. We must also be diligent in our protection of water. We must assure that lakes, rivers and streams, as well as groundwater are not being polluted and that there is an adequate supply for our residents. While the protection of the rights of property owners is important, the rights of neighbors are as well. With every right comes responsibility. We should all be free to utilize our property as we enjoy, but not to the point it affects someone else’s property. Jobs/Economy: We must be fully engaged in the promotion of buying at local businesses and eating locally grown foods. On average 48% of monies spent at a local business returns directly into the local economy while only 13% spent at non-local businesses returns. We need to return to a Main St over Wall St economy. We will work to ease the burdens on the starting of a new business with less restrictive regulations, most of which are designed to benefit the larger out-of-town businesses. The same will be done for existing small businesses to help them succeed as half of the private sector jobs in Virginia are with these small businesses. Assistance with training for those with jobs that are disappearing due to innovation and modernization, such as coal workers. Encourage investment in our infrastructure. Businesses looking to locate in Virginia will need roads, bridges, utilities and even broadband. An educated workforce is an asset as well. it is imperative that we review and modernize our antiquated tax code. Healthcare: First, after careful study and consideration of the expansion of Medicaid as it presently stands, is both a good business decision as well as a moral one. Virginians are presently having this money withdrawn from their paychecks to pay for it, and have been for years. Even at the 10% liability to the state for this the increased revenues and job creation will add more to the state budget than the cost. This is certainly not the solution for healthcare, but an immediate stop gap that should be employed. 2600 residents of the districts would be covered by this expansion, immediately. Bottom line, healthcare for profit is destroying our families, our economy and our small businesses. “Obamacare” was not the answer, and “Trumpcare” is even worse. If the Congress is not willing, or able, to address this crisis then we, as Virginians must. I am prepared to lead the way on this, looking at what other states are doing. |
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Elections
2017
General election
Elections for the Virginia House of Delegates took place in 2017. All 100 house seats were up for election. The general election took place on November 7, 2017. A primary election took place on June 13, 2017. The filing deadline for primary election candidates was March 30, 2017. The filing deadline for non-party candidates and candidates nominated by methods other than a primary was June 13, 2017.[4] Incumbent Michael Webert (R) defeated Tristan Shields (D) and Wilton King (Green) in the Virginia House of Delegates District 18 general election.[5]
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 18 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Michael Webert Incumbent |
60.45% | 16,686 | |
| Democratic | Tristan Shields | 34.36% | 9,486 | |
| Green | Wilton King | 5.19% | 1,433 | |
| Total Votes | 27,605 | |||
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections | ||||
Democratic primary election
Tristan Shields ran unopposed in the Virginia House of Delegates District 18 Democratic primary.[6]
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 18 Democratic Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | ||
| Tristan Shields | ||
Republican primary election
Incumbent Michael Webert ran unopposed in the Virginia House of Delegates District 18 Republican primary.[7]
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 18 Republican Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | ||
| Michael Webert Incumbent | ||
See also
- State legislative elections, 2017
- Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2017
- State legislative special elections, 2017
- Virginia House of Delegates
- Virginia State Legislature
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ willkingfordelegate.com, "About," accessed August 10, 2017
- ↑ willkingfordelegate.com, "Issues," accessed August 10, 2017
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Candidacy Requirements for the November 7, 2017 General Election," accessed March 21, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "2017 November General Unofficial Results," accessed November 7, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "2017 June Democratic Primary," accessed July 6, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "2017 June Republican Primary," accessed July 6, 2017
