WILLIAMSBURG— Delegates Jessica Anderson and Mark Downey will be at a panel discussion with the League of Women Voters of the Williamsburg Area on March 31.
The panelists will discuss the successes and challenges of the 2026 General Assembly session. Each panelist will speak for about 20 minutes, followed by a Q&A period. The LWV says each delegate will offer brief remarks on key issues addressed during the session, which may include the Constitutional Amendments, Data Centers, Housing Affordability, Gun Safety, and the Environment. The panelists will also take questions from the audience.
This panel discussion came about as a group of league members went and visited with the general assembly.
“At the time, Senator McDougal’s office was on leave that day, and he said it would be better to talk with the senator after all the sessions were complete, and the delegates expressed an earlier-is-better sentiment,” said Becky Sipos a member of the LWV Williamsburg chapter. “That’s how we scheduled it, just with Jessica Anderson and Mark Downey. Because they were interested in doing it sooner rather than later.”
Anderson is the delegate for the 71st district, which covers parts of James City County, parts of New Kent County and the City of Williamsburg. Downey is the delegate for the 69th district and covers part of James City County, part of Gloucester County, part of York County, and part of the City of Newport News.
The LWV finds having these discussions important as there may be issues in the community that aren’t listed to be discussed as well as allowing the chance to learn more about what is happening with the topics that are.
“I think everybody is worried today about what’s going on, and this is a chance to hear from some of the players as to what they think and why they think. You can’t get that from a short news article,” said Sipos.
The panel discussion on March 31 will be held at the Williamsburg Unitarian Universalists. The discussion will go from 4 to 5 p.m. as is open to the public and free of charge. For more information about the LWV, please visit the official website.
