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The Three Rivers Republican Women’s Club held its third annual candidate forum on April 30. Candidates running for the House of Delegates in the 84th and 89th districts answered questions posed by the audience about local issues. 

Felisha Storm (R) is running for Delegate in the 84th district. Mike Lamonea (R) and Kristen Shannon (R) are running for Delegate in the 89th district.

The forum was moderated by Kerry Dougherty from WTAR.

Storm is a Hampton Roads realtor and a former volunteer firefighter and EMT. At 23, she was also the youngest elected member of the Vermont General Assembly.

“The reason I am running here today and to be your next delegate is I see all of those coming up for us in 2025,” she said. “I see our right to constitutionally protect ourselves and bear arms at the forefront of this election, I see the need to stand up and speak on education and make sure that parent voices matter and student voices are still heard, and I see the need to make sure that Suffolk is represented all the time, not when it’s convenient.”

Lamonea worked as a special agent and executive for ICE Homeland Security Investigations for 26 years before retiring. He currently serves as Chair of Virginia’s Human Trafficking Commission and is a member of the Chesapeake School Board and School Safety Task Force.

His key platform issues include preserving constitutional liberties, protecting parental voices and promoting school choice, enhancing community safety, increasing local law enforcement resources, and cutting costs across the commonwealth.

Shannon owns a law firm in Chesapeake and has been an attorney for 20 years. The court has also appointed her guardian ad litem and substitute judge.

“It’s really important for me, for you all to know that I am unashamed of my faith,” she said. “My faith dictates my values, how I run this campaign, and how I’ll vote in Richmond. With that said, I’m unashamed to be pro-life, pro-family and pro-community.”

The first question for the candidates was whether they support or oppose public sector collective bargaining in Virginia.

Storm said people should have the right to choose to join collective bargaining or not. 

“As a former firefighter and EMT, I can absolutely see where, especially in our public safety, looking to bargain together and advance your positioning, so if you guys are speaking in one voice, can be incredibly helpful,” she said. “I’ve also seen the damage that can be done when you get into a trap where people get wrapped into a collective bargaining unit that they did not want to participate in, they did not want to be a part of, and it does not represent their best interests.”

Lamonea said while he personally would not choose collective bargaining, he thinks people should be able to make that choice for themselves.

“Within public safety, within any government office, school systems, first responding entities, I think that it’s, you know, it’s paramount that people have a choice,” he said.

Shannon said she would vote for any legislation that keeps Virginia a right-to-work state if elected.

“I do not support any kind of legislation that takes money out of blue collar workers’ pockets and compels them to join a union that typically represents a liberal agenda and takes money out of their paychecks,” she said.

Storm said she opposes sanctuary cities and witnessed firsthand the partnership between the border patrol and the local law enforcement agencies when she lived on the Canadian border. What is most important to her, she said, is that we have the resources to help people become legal American citizens.

“We are looking to invite people to our country that are here to help us grow,” she said “We are one big melting pot for all, and I think that our founders will be very proud if that continues to be our legacy, but it needs to be legal, and we need to make sure that people are good actors, and I’m not going to be standing in sanctuary cities when we have other alternatives to make sure that we can grow our communities in safe ways.”

Lamone also said if elected, he will do everything he can to oppose sanctuary cities because he has “seen the damage that transnationals can do within our communities” from his experience as an ICE special agent. 

“Just know I am adamantly, with my experience, against this,” he said. “And I’m counting on it that I will be the one with the most experience when I get to Richmond to talk about this issue.”

Shannon said she will also legislate against sanctuary cities.

Another question asked the candidates if they support industrial solar projects in our region and if the state should be allowed to override local land use authority.

Storm strongly opposed putting solar panels on farmland as well as any state control over local land.  

“I just don’t think that we’re using our common sense when it comes to placing these projects,” she said. “I don’t think that we are holding people liable enough for these long term effects. I don’t think that there has been enough time for the legislation to catch up with these projects, and by the time that solar panels are out of commission, the company will have gone and run away.”

Lamone agrees, stating, “Richmond should not be mandating what we do with our land here in the 89th [district],” and Richmond needs to “catch up and fund infrastructure for things that we agree with.”

Shannon said, “The government should never tell private citizens what to do with their own private property.”

All three Delegate candidates oppose speed cameras.

Storm said speed cameras violate our Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights and supporting jobs in local law enforcement is more important to her than supporting cameras.

Lamonea called speed cameras a “cash grab, taxation without calling it taxation.” He will propose legislation to abolish them.

The candidates were asked about their position on red flag laws — legislation allowing the temporary removal of guns from people who are considered a risk to themselves or others. 

Shannon said “second amendment rights are not up for grabs” and all laws restricting the right to bear arms in any way is “an unreasonable and unconstitutional erosion” of those rights.  

Storm and Lamonea agreed with Shannon. 

When asked about where they see the most waste in the state budget and what they would cut, Storm said the most waste is in summer committees and staff. 

“Where can we be smart about using our time, treasure, and talent to better our Commonwealth,” she said. “And I think looking at our budget there’s a lot of little places to cut across the board but starting up at the top is making sure we do our work within our allotted time … and finding ways to look at our programs, make sure they’re serving the best interest of the Commonwealth and either reallocate those funds or give them back to our tax payers.”

Lamonea said the budget should be looked into deeper to find what can be cut.

Shannon said “any program that advances the woke, liberal agenda” should be cut. She said any programs being used to “indoctrinate” students in schools should be cut and staffing should be investigated. 

In regard to how the delegate candidates will address human trafficking in Suffolk, all of them mentioned increasing resources and training for local law enforcement to be able to recognize the signs and intervene.