In reelection campaign, Del. Michael Webert advocates for small businesses and farmers
Michael Webert, a five-term Republican incumbent in the Virginia House of Delegates’ 18th District, is running for re-election in a contested race to continue representing much of Rappahannock County and parts of Fauquier, Warren and Culpeper Counties.
Webert lives in northern Fauquier with his wife where they run a local farm and raise cattle, sweet corn and other produce. He also sits on the Fauquier Livestock Exchange Board. “We’re pretty tied to the cattle industry,” he said.
The delegate grew up in Denver, but has had family in Fauquier spanning generations. He moved to Virginia in 2000 to be with family after having a bad time in college up north. “It was one of those things where I was going to college in New York and hated it, so I moved south,” he said.
ISSUES IMPORTANT TO YOUR CAMPAIGN?
Webert in an interview on Monday outlined several issues important to him and his campaign, chiefly the need for improvement to the Piedmont’s business environment. The delegate cited what he described as “over regulation” of small businesses with regards to zoning permits and tax forms.
“There’s just certain things that are onerous that could be streamlines. It could be down to one form as opposed to filling things out in triplicate,” he said.
He also hopes to ensure that expansion of solar as a primary source of energy doesn’t tarnish the countryside. “While trying to be carbon free is admirable, I don’t necessarily want to be staring at hundreds of thousands of acres of solar panels either,” Webert said. “I think the Piedmont and the Blue Ridge Mountains are pretty good looking. I don’t want to necessarily destroy them.”
The Commonwealth has experienced a surge in murders this year that Webert wants to combat. He said the best ways to do that are to not villainize police in criminal justice reform discussions, and end any state programs that allow inmates to be released from prison early. Amid the pandemic, Virginia released more than 2,000 inmates as part of a since-closed program in an effort to curb spread of the virus in prisons.
Keeping schools open amid the pandemic is also top of mind for the candidate.
HOW TO ADDRESS HEALTH CARE & ABORTION?
Virginia in 2018 passed a Medicaid expansion law that broadened the scope of who is eligible to enroll in the program. Since going into effect in 2019, hundreds of thousands of Virginians have enrolled in Medicaid, according to Virginia Business.
Webert argued that further expanding health care programs, including medicare and medicaid, would “bankrupt” the commonwealth. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to hand government over health care,” he added.
State legislatures across the country are restricting access to abortion, namely Texas, where it's illegal to terminate a pregnancy more than six weeks after conception. Webert said he would hate to see late-term abortions become easily accessible in Virginia, saying he was born prematurely and maricaulaously survived. In the past, Democrats in the House of Delegates have attempted to pass legislation that would loosen restrictions on abortion into the third trimister.
“Science has allowed the miracle of life to happen sooner and sooner … so, at which point do we say a life is a life?” Webert asked.
WHERE TO ALLOCATE STIMULUS MONEY?
Webert said he would like to allocate money toward broadband and schools to help them emerge from the pandemic in a position of power, while providing mental health resources to students. He even suggested giving the money to fast food employees who chose to work amid a nationwide labor shortage.
He defended his voting against the legislature’s most recent bipartisan budget bill, saying it was too loose with defining how pandemic stimulus money could be spent. The bill increased funding for mental health resources, universities and broadband, among others.
Webert’s opponent, Democrat Doug Ward, condemned him in a Rappahannock News letter to the editor over that vote, writing, “We need a delegate who evaluates legislation on its merits, and votes in the interest of the citizens of the district and of Virginia. That doesn’t seem to be Webert.”
The delegate cited what he described as “over regulation” of small businesses with regards to zoning permits and tax forms: “There’s just certain things that are onerous that could be streamlines. It could be down to one form as opposed to filling things out in triplicate.”
WHY SHOULD VOTERS REELECT YOU
“I understand the district very, very well. I understand the needs of the district in regards to protecting our natural resources here as opposed to just flying along with the governor’s energy plan … I also have been an advocate and fought for our constitutional rights, including our second amendment,” Webert said.
“I’ve been an advocate for and will continue to to fight for and be a voice for small businesses and agriculture,” he added.