John Bell is the Democratic candidate for Delegate in Virginia’s 87th District, in Loudoun and Prince William Counties, Virginia.

John’s Story: Education is more than a talking point for John. He was the first person in his family to graduate from a four-year college. He served in the U.S. Air Force while attending college at night. It wasn’t easy, but the GI Bill helped him achieve his dream in return for his service. This inspired John to make it easier for more people to go to college. That’s why he’s working to find a state solution to the college debt crisis by forgiving some student loan debt in exchange for community service.

Bio: Delegate Bell is a retired U.S. Air Force Major and MBA who served almost 26 years as a Finance Officer, including tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. His ability to build consensus produced savings including $200 million annually from his work in Iceland. John lives in South Riding in Loudoun County with his wife Margaret (also retired Air Force), a realtor and avid supporter of animal rescue. They have five children, including one who served six years in the Air Force and two in the Air National Guard.

Issues: John served in the Air Force for 26 years and became a budget-cutting expert, eliminating millions of dollars in waste. He still works to save our funds so we can focus on our priorities like schools and quality of life. John has been a consistent advocate for full-day kindergarten, and will work with the Board of Supervisors to bring more of our money back to Loudoun and Prince William. He proposes to relieve Dulles Greenway tolls and push for bus rapid transit and more ride-sharing in western Loudoun. He wants to explore public-private partnerships to grow cybersecurity and green technologies without taxpayer expense. As a former Air Force major, John respects the rights of law-abiding citizens to own a firearm. In Virginia, he delivered on sensible gun safety reforms to protect families. John was raised by a single mother and is the proud father of two daughters. As our Delegate, he will work to enforce and strengthen equal pay laws.

Opponent: Subba Kolla, a 57-year-old real estate broker and mechanical engineer raised in India, became a citizen in 2008 and runs a brokerage in South Riding. He is campaigning for better education, transportation, and job creation. Kolla raised over $286,000 in the first quarter, mainly from the Indian community, who are about 1/15 of Loudoun residents. Kolla has volunteered for Barbara Comstock, whose votes align almost 100% with Donald Trump’s policies. Kolla blames the poor for not working hard enough, and even though he has daughters, he cast his Republican delegate vote for the womanizing candidate, Donald Trump.

Odds: This District voted for Hillary Clinton by a margin of 25.64% over Trump, and for Obama by 13.84% over Romney. Nevertheless, John Bell’s opponent has shown fundraising success and is strongly supported by the Republican establishment and the Indian immigrant community.

Website: www.johnbellfordelegate.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/johnbellforvirginia
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DelegateJBell
Ballotpedia: https://ballotpedia.org/John_Bell_(Virginia)

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