Summary
District Description: County of Chesterfield (part); City of Colonial Heights
Current Delegate: Kirk Cox since 1990 (R)
According to Ned Oliver of Virginia Mercury:
“Cox, the Republican speaker of the House, saw his district shift under the court-ordered redistricting plan from a seat in which Republicans had a 25.5 point advantage to a seat in which Democrats now hold a 6.5 point advantage (again, as calculated based on 2012 presidential election results). But a win for Democrats is far from a sure thing. Cox is well known from years of representing the area and has access to a massive $788,000 fundraising haul, which in typical years he’d use to boost other Republicans in tight races but is already tapping into to blanket the airwaves with television ads.”
OnAir Post: VA House 66 – 2019
VA House District 66
Kirkland Cox
Current Position: State Delegate for VA House District 66
Affiliation: Democrat
Candidate: 2019 State Delegate VA House District 66
For more information, see Kirkland Cox’s post.
Kirk Cox was first elected from the 66th District to the House of Delegates in 1989. The 66th House District includes all of Colonial Heights and parts of Chesterfield. Kirk is proud to represent the very district where he grew up and graduated from High School. Following his graduation from Colonial Heights High School, he graduated from James Madison University where he holds a B.S. in both Political Science and General Social Science.
On January 10, 2018, Kirk was unanimously elected as Speaker of the House by the members of the House of Delegates. Upon being sworn in, Kirk became the first Speaker in state history from Colonial Heights, the first Speaker to represent a portion of Chesterfield County since the 1800s, and the first Speaker whose profession was that of a public school teacher.
Despite serving as Speaker of the House, Kirk’s priority has always been his hometown district. As Delegate Kirk is honored to represent many of the same students he taught in the classroom during a teaching career that spanned three decades. During the majority of his career, he would serve in Richmond during the day and work on teaching lesson plans at night. As a government teacher, Kirk always believed students learned best by being able to see first hand the workings of their government. Many times, Kirk would welcome his students to the Capitol so they could see first-hand representative democracy in action.
Kirk’s history as a teacher gives him a unique aspect about the job teachers perform everyday. That is why Kirk has fought to make sure teacher’s receive the pay they deserve, supporting 4 pay raises for teachers in the past 6 years, including a 5% raise in 2019.
Kirk works tirelessly to make Colonial Heights, Chesterfield, and all of Virginia the best place to live, work, and raise a family. In addition to championing a quality public education system, Kirk is also dedicated to improving veteran services, supporting citizens with disabilities, increasing economic development opportunities, and creating jobs.
Most important to Kirk is listening to what ideas and concerns are on the minds of the constituents he represents. He credits many of his major legislative successes to the suggestions made by constituents who he meets while knocking on doors in their community.
Just in 2019, Kirk championed legislation to lift the age cap on Autism related healthcare coverage, make our schools some of the safest in the nation, protect the unborn, take care of our veterans and their families, and provide tax relief to hard working middle class families.
Kirk lives in Colonial Heights with his wife, Julie. Colonial Heights is where they met while in High School, and later where they raised their four sons—Lane, Carter, Blake, and Cameron. The Coxes are members of The Heights Baptist Church where he serves as a Deacon. Kirk is active in the Colonial Heights community and previously coached youth baseball for 14 seasons.
Sheila Bynum-Coleman
Current Position: Real Estate
Affiliation: Democrat
Candidate: 2019 State Delegate VA House District 66
For more information, see Sheila Bynum-Coleman’s post.
Sheila is a proud lifelong resident of Chesterfield County. She is a #MomOnAMission to bring true representation to the people of District 66.
Sheila Bynum-Coleman is a native of Chesterfield County where she attended Monacan High School. Sheila received her B.A. from the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Sheila is a mother of five children, all of whom have attended Chesterfield Public Schools. A successful small business owner and community advocate, Sheila first got involved in politics once her delegate decided it wasn’t worth his time to discuss her child with special needs. Since then, she has made it her mission to advocate for improved school services for children with learning disabilities.
Sheila has also dealt with one of a parent’s worst nightmares: her daughter was shot in 2016. While she thankfully survived, Sheila is determined to ensure that as few families as possible in our community experience the trauma and grief of having a loved one affected by senseless gun violence.
But in many ways, Sheila is a Chesterfield success story. She has a background in real estate and construction, maintaining several successful small businesses. She was also appointed by former Governor Terry McAuliffe as the first African American woman to the Board of Contractors.
Sheila spends much of her free time teaching classes for first time home buyers, leading entrepreneurial development workshops, and coaching businesses on fiscal management. Sheila helps numerous organizations such as Veterans Helping Veterans, which supports our veterans in the Richmond Area.
