Today, I sent a letter to each member of the Virginia Beach City Council, urging the Mayor and other members to appoint a highly qualified minority to fill the seat vacated by Ron Villanueva, who was elected to represent the 21st District in the Virginia House of Delegates.
I expressed my concern that, with Villanueva’s departure, the council of the Commonwealth’s largest city now contains no minorities while Virginia Beach itself is extremely ethnically and racially diverse.
According to 2008 US Census Bureau statistics, more than 87,000 of Virginia Beach’s citizens, or 20% of the population, is African American. Virginia Beach’s 26,000 Latino residents comprise 6% of our population, and Asian Americans make up over 5% of Virginia Beach’s citizenry. The total minority population in Virginia Beach, including people who classify themselves as being of mixed racial heritage, is 39%, or more than 173,000 people.
The Virginia Beach Democratic Committee strongly believes in inclusive government. Virginia Beach’s City Council should reflect the rich diversity of our city.
We have an online petition that I hope you will sign in support of an inclusive city council here in Virginia Beach. Please share this petition with your friends. It’s important that we get this message out quickly and show the city council that who they appoint to council is important.
We’ll be distributing flyers throughout the city to spread the word as well. Will you also contribute $5, $10, or $20 to cover printing costs? Whatever you can contribute will go a long way in supporting our efforts.
Thank you for your support,
Susan Mariner, Chair
Virginia Beach Democratic Committee
HamptonRoadsDemocrat@yahoo.com
757-692-0989
