The Gloucester Branch of the NAACP held a candidate forum last Thursday night in the T.C. Walker Education Center auditorium for local offices impacting Gloucester County. Each candidate was asked four pre-determined questions based on submitted concerns by local residents.
Up first were state candidates running for the 69th and 68th House of Delegates’ districts. Valerie D. Beverley (independent), Mark C. Downey (Democrat) and W. Chad Green (Republican) are running for the 69th District seat and M. Keith Hodges (Republican) and Elaine G. Walters (Democrat) are contending for the 68th district seat.
When asked what the top three issues facing Gloucester County were, Beverley said she believed they were the county’s declining infrastructure, access to health care and economic/job development.
“They go out of Gloucester County for higher paying jobs,” said Beverley about members of the workforce.
Downey said that access to affordable health care, quality child care and education were his...