WYDaily sent an identical questionnaire to each candidate for the District 93 seat in the Virginia House of Delegates. District 93 represents Williamsburg, parts of James City and York counties and part of Newport News. The seat is currently held by Republican Mike Watson who is facing off against Democratic challenger Monty Mason. The election takes place Nov. 5.
These are Watson’s answers to the questions. View a completed questionnaire from Mason by clicking here.
1. Can you share your age, family and professional background?
Age:52
Family: Wife, Amy, and three sons, Cody, Adam, and Taylor
Professional Background: Small business owner for 25 years, currently President and CEO of Control Automation Technologies Corporation, a technology company supporting the manufacturing industry.
2. What would you say are the three biggest issues facing the 93rd District and how do you plan on addressing them if you are elected to the statehouse? Are there specific policy objectives you can outline?
a. Transportation- Improving I-64 to points east and west is a vital step in bringing jobs to our district and state. I have been working with the Secretary of Transportation and VDOT to make I-64 improvements a priority project.
b.Workforce development- Training our citizens for the jobs that exist today and in the future needs to be a top priority in Virginia. I have worked with the Business Development Caucus to develop and introduce legislation to bring funding to our schools and improve workforce development.
c. Jobs- We have to diversify our economy in the Hampton Roads area through growth in the private sector so that we aren’t so dependent on federal spending. We can best do this by reducing unnecessary regulation that burdens business, creating a competitive tax environment, improving infrastructure, and training our workforce for the private sector jobs of the future.
3. On a statewide level, what challenges do you think need to be addressed in the next legislative session? How would you address them?
a. Education – particularly in the area of workforce development (both K-12 & Higher Ed) we need to develop programs to train students for the jobs that exist today and those that will exist in the future and expand student participation in these programs.
b. Economic Growth – there are four key elements that I believe need to be addressed to keep Virginia as the #1 state to do business. These will always be areas that I look to improve:
i. Infrastructure
ii. Responsible Tax Environment
iii. Practical Regulation
iv. Highly Skilled Workforce
c. Energy – I believe that we can improve many of Virginia’s economic challenges as well as our nation’s security challenges by implementing a responsible, aggressive energy strategy that utilizes a variety of domestic resources and invests in the research and development of practicable renewable energy.
4. How do you think the 93rd District is recovering from the recession? What policy changes would you make to help the local economy grow?
Our district and its economy are largely dependent on tourism and Department of Defense spending. While tourism has been improving across the state, our community has been slow to recover. We must boost tourism through improved marketing and funding. It is important that we diversify our economy in the private sector so that we are not so dependent on defense spending. This has been my focus in the General Assembly.
5. Do you believe the Transportation Bill (HB2313) passed in the 2013 session adequately addresses the state’s transportation problems? If so, why? If not, how could it be better?
For the first time in 27 years, the General Assembly took steps to fix our transportation infrastructure. It certainly was a step in the right direction and will help us to address many of our transportation needs. I worked with the Secretary of Transportation’s Office to ensure that I-64 expansion between Newport News and Williamsburg was a top priority in the Governor’s plan and have also promoted it as a member of the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization.
On the HRTPO, we will look at future projects, but our next step is to encourage the Commonwealth Transportation Board to support the Ft. Eustis interchange project and options between Williamsburg and Richmond. This is why it is so important that we have effective leadership in the General Assembly from the Peninsula.
6. Describe your perfect day in the Historic Triangle. Where would you go? Who would you see? What happens?
I was raised on the James River spending time with my father on our tugboat. I feel at home on the water and enjoy spending time with my family on the river. We are fortunate enough to live near Jamestown Island and our perfect weekend would be spent on our boat as a family and enjoying the historic beauty of the region and the Chesapeake Bay.
