Area legislators talk taxes, healthcare and education at chamber conclave

Good morning! Today we'll review what our state senators and delegates had to say to the Greater Williamsburg Chamber of Commerce Wednesday. Also, York County gets a new chair and vice-chair.

Jan 08, 2026

From left, Sen. Ryan McDougle, Sen. Danny Diggs, Del.-Elect Jessica Anderson, Del.-Elect Mark Downey, Moderator Mindy Carlin, Del.-Elect Virgil Thornton. (Williamsburg Watch photo)

The area’s state legislators met with local business leaders Wednesday to share their thoughts on topics from minimum wage, to education, health care and business regulations.

All five – two incumbent Republican senators and three newly elected Democratic delegates – said they believed in working across party lines to get things done. But there were differences in how they would get there.

The Greater Williamsburg Chamber of Commerce held its legislative question and answer session Wednesday at the Williamsburg Library with Senators Ryan McDougle and Danny Diggs, as well as Delegates-Elect Jessica Anderson, Mark Downey and Virgil Thornton.

The area of greatest agreement was in the need to train more young people for good-paying technical jobs that do not require a college degree.

McDougle, R-26, said schools need to expand dual track offerings and recognize a college education does not serve everyone.

“We (should) start talking about it in middle school,” agreed Delegate-elect Mark Downey, D-69. “ Not everyone is going to be on the college track, so how can we structure our high schools better, where they have opportunities to get out of the traditional classroom?”

Delegate-Elect Jessica Anderson, D-71, said a majority of high school students in the Williamsburg-James City County school system who apply to the regional New Horizons technical training center cannot get in. She, like Downey, called for a return to more technical classes in the schools.

All the legislators favored steps to improve access to affordable housing without watering down local government’s ability to control zoning. And they said they favored expanding casinos and legalizing recreational marijuana as long as there were guidelines to ensure the product was safe, protect those who become addicted and allow police to sanction those who drive under the influence of marijuana.

The biggest differences between the representatives came when it was time to talk about expanding health care, subsidizing child care, and the state’s right to work law.

All three Democratic delegates said they favored expanding medical access, providing daycare assistance and raising teacher pay. Downey and Anderson advocated raising the minimum wage as well.

“I really want to make sure that we’re prioritizing all of those things,” Anderson said. “Sometimes they do come with a price tag, and there are ways that we can look to be creative about funding that, but the reality is, you get what you pay for and we’re investing in our communities, we’re investing in our children specifically.”

MCDougle countered the questions that need to be asked are “How much is it going to cost Virginians? What are they going to have left in their wallet at the end of the time we leave the general assembly?” He said the Senate Republican caucus, which is in the minority, will work to stop taxes from rising.

The senator said Medicaid spending over the past two years has exceeded initial estimates by more than $4 billion, adding “that’s over $4 billion that cannot be spent on other things like K-12 education or transportation, or workforce development...there are tradeoffs when those costs increase.”

Anderson said it was time to carefully audit all government spending to see what programs need to be cut to fund other initiatives.

The Democrats said incoming Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger has ruled out ending Virginia’s Right to Work law, which prohibits unions from forcing people to pay dues if they are elected to represent them in a workplace.

But McDougle predicted Democrats would try to weaken the law by requiring collective bargaining for local governments and schools, which would raise costs and taxes.

The Democrats defended the right of unions to receive dues if they organize a workplace, with Thornton, D-86, saying they cannot effectively represent workers without a strong budget.

Anderson said eliminating the right to work law would not damage Virginia’s business climate, but added Spanberger has made clear “this is something that isn’t going to change. We’ve already heard from the governor. This isn’t going to change. This is a bipartisan issue.”

Chair Douglas R. Holroyd, left, Vice-Chair Thomas G. Shepperd, Jr. (York County pictures)

York County supervisors unanimously elected 1st district supervisor Douglas R. Holroyd as chairman of the group, selecting District 5 representative Thomas G. Shepperd as vice chair.

Before the vote at a brief organizational meeting Tuesday, the supervisors also honored former Chair Sheila S. Noll for her 30 years on the board.

Holroyd said Noll, who has served continuously since she was elected from the 2d district in 1996, has been active both locally and in regional organizations. Noll, who has two years left in her term, told Williamsburg Watch last summer she is considering not running for another term.

The supervisors also set Jan. 30 for their annual strategic retreat, where they will discuss the upcoming budget and tax rates.

Shepperd said the county faces several key challenges, including a space study for its courthouse and administrative building and the need to spend $8 million to bring county employee pay closer to parity with other local governments.