WITH DEBBIE, YOU ALWAYS COME FIRST
WHO IS DEBBIE RITTER?
She is a consistent voice for neighborhoods. Here is a portion of an opinion issued by the United States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit:
“…in this case, the Developers attempt to allege discriminatory animus by taking aim at Councilmember Ritter, who voiced an opinion on traffic congestion and drainage concerns and school capacity… Councilmember Ritter was discussing precisely the kinds of things that local governments routinely discuss in considering matters of zoning…The factors Councilmember Ritter considered here are the very ones that ought to taken into account when making zoning decisions… Moreover, Councilmember Ritter’s concerns echoed those of the community…”
(No. 22-1690 SAS Associates, LLC, Military 1121, LLC v City Council of Chesapeake , Virginia. Decided January 24, 2024)
ALWAYS RESPONSIVE
Debbie is ALWAYS RESPONSIVE. She answers emails and phone calls; spends time going to neighborhoods to see for herself and never gives up trying to find solutions.
LAND USE & DEVELOPMENT
Debbie has always been the strongest Council advocate for responsible growth.
- She always pays heed to the impacts of residential development on our schools, roads and other City services and votes accordingly.
- She is always mindful of the needs of existing neighborhoods and how they will be affected by residential or business developments.
- She has been a consistent leader to preserve agricultural lands and open spaces. The City now has reliable funding to achieve those goals.
- She is well versed in local, state and federal laws and regulations that help to grow and still protect the environment.
- She has worked to achieve redevelopment and strengthen older, established areas of the City.
- Her voting record is clear and has never changed over her tenure on City Council.
MEASUREABLE SUCCESS
When asked about her most important achievements city council member Debbie Ritter cites the 382-CITY/online request and complaint system that fields over 150,000 inquiries, complaints and service requests every year.
PUBLIC SAFETY
For city council member Debbie Ritter, there is no higher priority than a safe City.
Safe streets, safe neighborhoods, safe schools- without those, we cannot have quality of life.
- Debbie has supported the new Pay Plan to assure our law enforcement officers and first responders can recruit and retain the best.
- She supported the proposed new training academy facility and made sure the construction phasing was compressed to assure building what we need.
- Supported new Fire and Police Stations to better serve our City.
- Advocates for repeal of State Laws that tie the hands of law enforcement to confiscate illegal guns and drugs.
EDUCATION
Public Education has always been and will always remain one of Chesapeake’s highest priorities.
When our Schools were faced with physical closure due to the pandemic, the School Board and Council worked closely to provide for virtual learning and assistance to families to achieve the best possible outcomes for their students. Needless to say, it was a daunting challenge.
Since the reopening of our schools we have focused on overcoming the inevitable learning losses and the safety of our schools. The hard work has paid off and all of the schools are back to accreditation and rising test scores.
Debbie currently serves on the School Safety Task Force Executive Committee. In the past three years much has been accomplished including physical evaluations of every building with school personnel following the recommendations of our Police officers and fire marshals.
Work continues to harden our 47 school buildings, train all teachers, staff members and students to respond to threats quickly, assure seamless communication with first responders, maintain robust threat assessment teams in every school and be sure plans are in place to reunify families as quickly as possible.
Also important is the partnership Debbie has helped to shape, providing critical mental health service access for students.
Fletcher works for treats, but...
Donations help too!
To join others supporting Debbie's campaign, drop her a line at ritter2002@aol.com! She will love to hear from you!
Contact Debbie
Vote Nov. 5th! Debbie Ritter for Chesapeake City Council!
