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Sheila Bynum-Coleman

D
Policy Positions

Bynum's website highlighted the following campaign themes (2017):

Education

We must empower our kids today to compete in a global job market tomorrow. I am a parent of five whose children attend public schools, a former employee of the school system, and a community activist. Many educators have shared their experiences in the classroom with me, and I am truly concerned with the direction in which public education is heading.

We took innovation out of the classroom and replaced it with teaching to the test. Our teachers have lost the ability to use modern education practices and have lost the autonomy to insert practical methods in their classrooms. Our K-12 schools are vital to our kids’ growth and success and we must redirect their path.

I have fought for changes to our education system and support for our teachers for many years. I have worked with the NAACP to the Richmond Education Foundation to educate parents of their rights. I have personally lobbied our elected officials, including my House of Delegates opponent, to sponsor legislation to adequately fund our schools.

As your Delegate, I will defend public education. I will support and present legislation to reform our current SOL system and increase funding to our public schools in order to provide solid wages and protect retirement funds for our teachers.

Workforce Development

As a small business owner, I have partnered with other small businesses to train people for this constantly-changing and fast-paced job market. We have had great results educating young people, ex-felons and others through innovative workforce development programs. These programs help people gain skills and employment even without advanced degrees or diplomas.

Workforce development programs are going to be necessary in the future, in Virginia and across our nation. I will work to make existing workforce development resource centers more accessible. We need small businesses to help vitalize and sustain our local economy. There are many benefits to supporting small businesses: they keep money and resources local, they hire locally, they do not have long or cumbersome application processes, they provide on-the-job-training, invest more time in each employee than large businesses do, and they oftentimes take a chance on employees who are unlikely to find work.

Getting people back to work is essential to growing Virginia's economy and providing stability for each family.

Virginia has not increased the minimum wage in decades as inflation has gone up. I believe in a living wage and providing training for unskilled workers. Working people in our state should have the dignity of providing for their family. No one working forty hours a week should live in poverty.

Criminal Justice Reform

We are putting too many people in prison when there are other options. Our prisons and jails are full of people who struggle with addiction and/or mental illnesses; these people need health services, not punishment. We are also putting children in prison rather than into restorative justice programs.

The school to prison pipeline is real in America. I believe our school resource officers need to evaluate and revise their roles within the schools to protect and serve - not to interrogate and/or discipline. I am passionate about working toward solutions to ensure our children's constitutional rights are not taken away from them.

I believe we need to change the sentencing guidelines, as most are too excessive. People who commit non-violent crimes should not have sentencing such as a minimum of 15 years in prison.

Excessive prison sentences for nonviolent crimes costs taxpayers more money when we could educate people, provide them with skills training and jobs. Education directly impacts public safety; if we give people opportunities for a job and a fair wage, we can reduce the amount of people going into prisons.

I believe in legalizing marijuana and making legalization retroactive. CBD oil and THC-A oil is now legal for medical use in Virginia, as many parents and healthcare professionals grapple with treating chronic pain and central nervous system disorders such as Multiple Sclerosis or Epilepsy. People are feeling the benefits of treatment by this oil.

Environmental Conservation

Our federal government is denying responsibility for the environment. The worst-polluting areas in the largest countries have sped climate change, and it's those areas where we need changes the most.

In Virginia, 4/10 worst-polluted zip codes are in my district or next door; Hopewell and Chesterfield are #2 and #3. Ammonia, Hydrochloric Acid, Sulfuric Acid, Methanol, Zinc, and Freon fill our air, and "the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America ranks Richmond as the #1 asthma capital of the United States".

We also live at the edge of the 'plant hardiness zone' with healthy agriculture and stable temperatures. Varina sits on the fault line between different ecosystems. Henrico's 'vernal pools' have 'brackish' water supporting unique animals and agriculture. Hopewell is home to some of the most sensitive and biologically diverse areas on the mid-East Coast.

Our district has agricultural industries that depend on adequate farming resources. We must address these issues because our children deserve to live with clean water, fresh air, and adequate green space.

As the climate continues to change, we risk losing the benefits of such a unique environment. I want the General Assembly to take seriously the link between local actions and our climate. We have the power to make meaningful changes, starting in our own communities.

Gerrymandering

Gerrymandering hurts our democracy and disenfranchises voters. It prevents politicians from giving true representation to their citizens. Grouping people based on benefits to a political party or candidate does not show concern for our citizens, but rather concern for those in power.The purpose of drawing districts is for people who share a community to vote on who represents and governs those communities. One political party should not make decisions for everyone while ignoring the minority from the other party, whether Democrat or Republican. Competitive seats keep everyone more honest and stops our politics from becoming even more hostile.

We are all victims of gerrymandering, democrat and republican. The area of Chesterfield where I live was put into a republican Congressional district and a republican Va. Senate district. That means my politicians do not have to listen to my community and they can get reelected over and over. If you elect me to the Va. House of Delegates I will work with our next Governor to create non-partisan districts based on people's communities.

Gun Violence

I believe we can reduce gun violence through common sense gun reform, including universal background checks and universal laws to offer licenses to hold a firearm. We need licenses to fish, hunt, operate a motor vehicle, and now we even need to show identification when voting. We should apply the same logic to gun ownership.

We also need to educate our youth about gun safety at a very young age. So many children are shot when they find their parent's guns and think it's a toy. I believe teaching young people gun safety at an early age will also help them understand laws and safety for when they are able to purchase firearms when they come of age.

On a personal note, my daughter was shot in a crossfire shoot-out last summer while walking back to her car after an evening with friends. Guns are killing people in communities all across America, and we need to acknowledge we have a problem so we can make changes to save lives and make our communities a safer place to live and raise children.

Affordable Health Care

I believe that everyone should have access to affordable, quality healthcare as a right. I support the expansion of Medicaid here in Virginia to help bridge this gap in order to invest in our citizens. We should not be treating Healthcare like other for-profit businesses in America.

Women's Rights

I fully support the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). The ERA was passed by Congress in 1972 and sent to the states for ratification. Virginia is one of fourteen states that has not ratified this amendment. In March 2017, Nevada became the 38th state to ratify the amendment. I want to work to help Virginia become the 39th.

I also believe in equal pay for equal work. In Virginia, women earn eighty-three cents for each dollar their male colleagues earn. Providing legislation to ensure equal pay for women is common-sense practice.

I also believe medical decisions should be made by a woman and her health care provider. Legislators do not belong in our medical offices. Women have the right to choose what is best for their bodies, and I will continue to support women's rights to choose.

Senior Citizens

We must protect and take better care of our senior citizens. Many seniors face terrible situations with abuse, fraud, and lack of adequate care.

Providing access to proper health care is a key component to ensuring our seniors can stay healthy and live with dignity. Fraud targeting seniors is growing at an alarming rate and costing us billions of dollars.

We need improved financial protections, specifically for our seniors, and I will fight to protect the rights of our seniors in the District. I will protect Medicare and I will support our seniors’ caretakers.

Elections

2015

Elections for the office of Virginia House of Delegates took place in 2015. A primary election was held on June 9, 2015. The general election took place on November 3, 2015. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 26, 2015. Sheila Bynum was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Incumbent Riley Ingram was unopposed in the Republican primary. Ingram defeated Bynum in the general election.

Virginia House of Delegates, District 62 General Election, 2015
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngRiley Ingram Incumbent 59.6% 7,239
     Democratic Sheila Bynum 40.4% 4,914
Total Votes 12,153