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This spring’s upcoming election season is proving to be historic for voters in Norfolk and the Second Congressional District as three openly gay candidates are running for local and national office. To highlight this historic election for the region, OutWire757 and MJ’s Tavern organized a ‘meet and greet’ event for candidates and voters last night.
Both Nicole Carry and Arthur “Chip” Broadbent are running for open seats on the Norfolk School Board. Ms. Carry spoke first and is a Navy veteran, technology consultant, former interim member of Norfolk City Council, and area LGBTQ activist and running for a seat in Ward 1. She spoke first and expressed her goal to make Norfolk Public Schools the most technologically advanced district in the area.
Recently retired after 33 years teaching in Norfolk Public Schools, Chip Broadbent is seeking the Ward 5 school board seat. He highlighted his experience working within the school system as a teacher and member of the school budget committee to bring about positive change for the district.
Second District Congressional candidate David Nygaard was the last to speak. As a newly out gay man, Nygaard’s personal recent experiences inform his stance on many policies and promoted his outsider status as allowing him to challenge norms not only in the Democratic party but in Congress, should he be elected. Among his major policy concerns are healthcare, restoring rights of felons, tax reform favoring small business, banking reform, decriminalization for the medical use of marijuana, and a strong military.
Before and after speaking, candidates were able to network and speak to voters individually.
Voters in Norfolk should be aware that the School Board election is May 1. The Democratic primaries for House and Senate seats is June 12. If you are unsure which Ward you live in or need additional information to make sure your voter registration is up to date, please visit the following links:
For more information about the candidates that spoke last night, please visit their websites.
