Sen. Kaine and city councilor Woods share respect for the other's job challenges

STAUNTON – When the senator comes to town, the importance of a city councilor's job sometimes gets a chance to shine.

On April 3, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine arrived in Staunton as part of his re-election campaign. The Redbeard Brewing Company was already packed when The News Leader arrived 30 minutes before the event, but this didn't stop the flow of people.

The room filled with local representatives and officials, reporters, Kaine supporters. Even a Waynesboro anarchist had come to hear the senator speak. By the time the event was scheduled to begin, 3:30 p.m., the seats had long been filled. Standing room only.

Kaine arrived around 3:35 p.m., meeting and greeting people as he made his way through the bodies.

After about 20 minutes, Kaine made his way to the microphone. Staunton Councilor Alice Woods opened Staunton to Kaine and his wife, Anne Holton.

“I want to welcome you, Senator Tim Kaine, to our beautiful city, which we call the Queen City,” said Woods.

“We're coming up on our 40th wedding anniversary in November," Kaine said. "When we got married, we just hopped around the inns in the Shenandoah Valley. We stayed a little bit west of here, I think it's called the Buckhorn, on Route 250. We came in and we had dinner at White Star Mills restaurant."

What follows are selections of Wood’s and Kaine’s speeches, given before the senator spoke with individuals or groups for the rest of the event.

The importance of city council

“Thirty years ago, I was running a city council race, my first race," said Kaine. "We started this morning in Richmond, and I was knocking in a place where I had been knocking on doors 30 years before. There were some people in the audience whose doors I had knocked on 30 years ago.

“[City Council] is a very challenging job on city council, unlike the Senate," Kaine continued. "You don't go on a recess. You don't get to go home the month of August, right? Everywhere you go, grocery store, stuff with your kids, out and around, people are talking to you. You in local office have more of a capacity to make people believers in public service than any other level. To you, Alice, and to others, others who are running for local office, city elections in the even year. We're going to all be on ballots together.”

“What I want to do is serve," said Woods. "Senator Tim Kaine has lived his life serving, being a servant. When he started out as city council, then he went to mayor, then he went to governor, and now he's representing us in the U.S. Senate. Thank you so much for all of your years of service.

“I'm not running to move up into the Senate or anything," Woods continued. "I'm just going to stay right here, where I know I can make a difference here in my community. Then we can see all of those changes come to happen.”

Policy fights, from the hyperlocal to the national

“Mental health and substance abuse is really close to my heart, not only because of my own experience personally, but those of my family members," Woods said. "I want to make sure that we do everything that we can to make sure that there are enough resources out there for those that are suffering from mental health and substance use.

“Education is a big thing for our children today," Woods continued. "We don't have enough educators that look like me for our children out there. Something needs to be done about that.

“When you were here at city council and talked to them the last time, there was a protest going on," Woods said to Kaine. "It speaks volumes that you were so interested in that protest, and what it was about, that you sent some of your people to find out, to investigate what it was. What we were experiencing was, out of the pandemic, when we had zoom calls, we had [the council meetings available] over the phone. They wanted to take that all away. A group of citizens said, ‘No, we want to serve. We want to serve our whole community.’ We found out there were some people that could not make it to city council meetings. That was a successful campaign on that part, because now we got zoom in and call in for those that cannot be present in person.”

“I've had three [bills] during my 10 years in the Senate passed by one vote," Kaine said. "Sometimes it all comes down to whether one person is willing to stand out.

First, Kaine pointed to the attempted appeal of the Affordable Care Act in 2017. Second, “Joe Biden is now president. We're in the midst of COVID. The economy is really suffering, and we put on the floor of the Senate, in March of 2021, the American Rescue Plan. Funds for localities, funds for businesses, funds for vaccines, saving the pensions of more than two million workers, the pensions were teetering, and we passed that bill without a single Republican. It passed by one vote. Sometimes all it takes is one person willing to stand up.

Then, the third example. “Recently, we passed the Inflation Reduction Act, capping insulin costs of 35 bucks a month for seniors under Medicare, stopping a lot of pocket costs for seniors under Medicare, negotiating with Big Pharma for prescription drug prices instead of just letting them tell us what we were going have to pay. Advancing on a clean energy economy so we could battle climate change."

Kaine looking to the upcoming election

“When I looked at you and your values, those seem to resonate so much with my values for here in Stanton," Woods said of Kaine. "We continue to serve with our heart, to bring people together. That is one of the things, when I ran, is really what I wanted to do. Make sure that we all came together, that we live here, that we work here, and make this city so much better for each and every citizen that lives in the city of Stanton."

“Being a rural Dem can be a little lonelier than being like a Richmond Dem," said Kaine. "I always tell my staff, you go into some rural counties, they're my most loyal voters. It's one thing to be a Tim Kaine voter and put a sign up of 80% of the people in the neighborhood are, but when only 20 % of the people in the neighborhood are, those are your most loyal voters.

“Now look, we're up against a tough challenge," Kaine continued. "The world has a lot of heartache right now, and we're seeing heartache here at home. We're up against a disgraced ex-president who has got to be one of the primary tear-down specialists who has ever served in any office in this country. Tearing down political candidates, both Democrats and Republicans. Tearing down basic virtues, honesty, respect, fidelity, patriotism, tearing down alliances like NATO where democracies link arms to try to keep the country safe. Tearing down rights and protections that we've counted on for years, like people being able to make their own reproductive choices. even willing to tear down our democracy. I was barricaded in that capital on January 6th. I saw what he did because he was unwilling to accept the reality that he had lost the election.

“We’ve never had anyone in a leadership position in this country who is such a tear down specialist as Donald Trump. I don't know who my opponent is yet, Thursday is the filing deadline, then there will be a primary in June. But I do know this. The eight people running against me are competing to stand right in lockstep behind this teardown special.”

A teenage story from the senator

“An experience from my childhood that I didn't like then, but that I kind of now like – it would be Saturday. I would have plans to play football with my buddies. It would be the last day of summer vacation. I was going out to an amusement park and hanging out before school started the next day. day. I would hear footsteps coming down the hall. I'd hear my door open. I'd feel my dad's hand on my shoulder shaking me.

"‘We got an order we got to get out today.’

"‘Well dad, look, I had plans for today. I was going to have some fun today.’

"‘Son, it's a family business. When there's business to be done, then the family has to do it.’

“I wasn't wild about it then, but what I learned from my dad was hard work, pitch in.”

Lyra Bordelon (she/her) is the public transparency and justice reporter at The News Leader. Do you have a story tip or feedback? It’s welcome through email to lbordelon@gannett.com. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Sen. Kaine and city councilor Woods share respect for the other's job challenges