This message is from Luanne Gutermuth, Chamber Board of Directors Chairman, 2021-2022
The Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce continued its 30-year tradition last week in hosting a debate between the major party candidates for Governor of Virginia. It was a great event – and great television! We appreciate our partners who helped make the debate happen: NBC4 and Telemundo 44, Capital One, the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University and Northern Virginia Community College. If you missed it, you can view a recording at NBC4.com.
Our Top of the Ticket debate is an important forum for civil discourse on the issues of importance to the business community and to the public. The debate allowed us to hear directly from Terry McAuliffe and Glenn Youngkin on where they stand on key Chamber priorities – including maintaining Virginia’s Right to Work laws, building an open and welcoming community, improving Virginia’s workforce development ecosystem, and investing in education and transportation. These are the issues that matter to the business community.
We encourage all current and future candidates for office to focus on the important issues and avoid the personal attacks we see too often. That kind of rhetoric is inconsistent with Virginia’s values.
We are proud that Virginia was named by CNBC as the #1 State for Business for the second year in a row. We want to continue to build on that success and strengthen Virginia’s reputation as a great place to live, work and do business. The Chamber will continue to use our voice, the Voice of Business in Northern Virginia, to advocate for constructive discourse, a strong economy, an inclusive community and expanded access to opportunity.
Now is your chance to use your voice and vote. Election Day is November 2. We are fortunate in Virginia to have several voting options, and early voting has already begun. What is important is that you have the knowledge you need to make an informed choice between candidates. I am proud that the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce can continue to support your decision-making process.
