The Dartboard: Wagner’s Checkbook

Jody Wagner, one of two Democratic candidates for Lieutenant Governor, stopped by to visit with the Independent last week. Preparing for the primary vote on June 9, Wagner graciously submitted to an interview (see video) and talked about what her plans were to assist the Virginia economy and help us prepare for the future.

Wagner’s financial and economic background is critical. Having been Treasurer of the Commonwealth under former Governor Mark Warner and Secretary of Finance under Governor Kaine, Wagner has an unassailable understanding of the state’s current financial state. However, that’s not the extent of what she brings to the table.  

Sitting down with someone so informed regarding the economics of Commonwealth can be a little daunting, but there is also the troubling possibility that their understanding stops with the facts and figures—without an understanding of the reality that exists out in the real world. This is not a problem with Jody Wagner.

With many candidates or public officials, there is a “on the record” transformation that occurs when they start talking to reporters and potential voters. From all appearances, this is not the case with Wagner. From my own conversation with her—and from her cameo appearance at the Meet-n-Greet hosted by the Loudoun Young Democrats, Wagner was as interested in listening to concerns from the people of Loudoun as she was in getting her own message across.

There is another reason for the business community to rally behind Jody Wagner. An attorney by trade before her initial appointment, Wagner and her family started a small business, which operates in the Virginia Beach area. It’s a refreshing change that one of the people vying to help manage your money knows the stresses and strain that the current economy has had on small business. Very few candidates out there have had make payroll or truly understand the ramifications in employment or health law.  

Very often, voting is a leap of faith. With the understanding that your elected officials are making decisions for you, sometimes it is not unlike handing a stranger your checkbook and hoping that they make the right decisions. Should you choose Wagner to manage your checkbook, you know that she cares about it, she’s got the experience managing it and that she understands the consequences of a bad decisions and not planning ahead.