Pam Witham

Pam Witham

Education

High school

Princess Anne High School

Bachelor's

Virginia Wesleyan College

Contact

Personal website

Pam Witham was a candidate for an at-large seat on the City Council of Virginia Beach in Virginia. She was defeated in the general election on November 8, 2016.

Biography

Witham graduated from Princess Anne High School. She earned her B.A. in international studies from Virginia Wesleyan College.

Campaign themes

2016

See also: Ballotpedia's municipal government candidate survey

Witham participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of municipal government candidates. The following sections display her responses to the survey questions. When asked what her top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:

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Transportation

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When asked what she would most like to change about the city, the candidate made the following statement:

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Green spaces

”

When asked what she is most proud of about the city, the candidate made the following statement:

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Community involvement

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Ranking the issues

The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the city, with 1 being the most important and 12 being the least important. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important:

Issue importance ranking
Candidate's ranking	Issue
1	K-12 education
2	Transportation
3	Housing
4	Government transparency
5	Environment
6	City services
7	Unemployment
8	Civil rights
9	N/A
10	Public pensions/retirement funds
11	Homelessness
12	Recreational opportunities

Positions on the issues

The candidate was asked to answer four questions from Ballotpedia regarding issues facing cities across America. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column:

Question	Response
Is it important for the city’s budget to be balanced?	Very important
Which level of government do you feel should set a minimum wage?	State
What do you think is the best way to improve a city’s public safety?	Public outreach/education programs
How do you think your city should emphasize economic development?	Focusing on small business development

Additional themes

Witham's campaign website listed the following themes for 2016:

“	Why are you running for Virginia Beach City Council? The current make-up of our City Council just does not listen to the people who sent them there. I want to bring that voice back to public office and make you feel like your voice actually matters to the future of our city. Where do you stand on the light rail issue? The current proposal is a gross mismanagement of our tax dollars. I cannot support spending $300 million to extend The Tide to Virginia Beach Town Center. We need to look at other way to relieve the congestion that we all experience during our day to day lives. What would be your plan for creating more jobs in the city? Virginia Beach has become a city too dependent on tourism. When the summer season is over, there is a dip in businesses that affects hotels, restaurants, and other local attractions. While tourism is a huge source of income, we need to insulate our economy from the tourist lull. We have the deepest port in the United States that is less than five miles from the city. We have thousands of highly skilled American veterans who need jobs when they retire from active duty. We have a prime location where families can plant roots and in order to have those roots run deep, we need to attract more anchor corporations that will base their operations here. Whether that be in technology, health care, or defense, we need companies here that do not rely on tourism to stay afloat. What are your thoughts on the Virginia Beach School system? Every parent wants their child to receive a high quality education. Hearing talks of the Fair and Equitable Grading policies being proposed is not a way to ensure every child receives that quality education. When we take away a teacher’s ability to assess a child’s performance in lieu of some government bureaucracy, we will lose families to a lackluster education system. What is your stance on sea level rise in the area? Whether you believe climate change is caused by our carbon footprint or you believe it is just a natural fluctuation of Earth Cycles, we should be prepared for the worst case scenario. Our Ocean and our City are intricately linked. As Leaders, our City Council needs to take any and all reasonable precautions to prepare for the worst circumstances, so that our Citizens can expect the best outcomes. What are your thoughts on backyard hen keeping? I think this is a phenomenal practice that is beneficial to adults and children alike. It teaches children where their food comes from and responsibility. It allows citizens to be that more self-sustaining. There needs to be regulations for sure, but it is a practice that should be allowed once regulations are agreed upon.	”
—Pam Witham (2016)

Elections

2016

The city of Virginia Beach, Virginia, held elections for mayor and four city council seats on November 8, 2016. Candidates interested in seeking these offices had to file with the city's voter registrar by June 14, 2016. Incumbent Rosemary Wilson defeated Dane Blythe, Courtney LaLonde, and Pam Witham in the Virginia Beach City Council nonpartisan general election for an at-large seat.

Virginia Beach City Council, At-large General Election, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Rosemary Wilson Incumbent	50.27%	85,265
Dane Blythe	24.57%	41,671
Courtney LaLonde	16.96%	28,768
Pam Witham	7.67%	13,017
Write-in votes	0.53%	898
Total Votes		169,619
Source: City of Virginia Beach, "Election Information & Results," accessed November 29, 2016

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Pam Witham Virginia Beach. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Pam Witham - Google News

See also

• Virginia Beach, Virginia
• Municipal elections in Virginia Beach, Virginia (2016)
• United States municipal elections, 2016

External links

• Virginia Beach Voter Registrar
• Campaign website