"I come from a proud family that has made serving our country a family tradition. Virginia Beach has changed and evolved so much over the course of my lifetime and I am running for City Council because I want our city to be the kind of place my own children and those of my friends and neighbors want to call home, just as my family did for me."
- Ryan Gilliam
RYAN'S PLATFORM
EDUCATION
Like any other Father, I want my children to receive the best education our city can possibly provide in a safe, well-equipped school.
​
I am a strong supporter of our Virginia Beach City Public Schools, I will always support our public school teachers by insisting that our School Board present budgets that are mindful of our teachers commitment to the students.
A teacher's impact on a student's entire life can never be measured in terms of dollars and cents, so as your Councilman, I will require our public schools to provide just compensation for educators, adequate resources for the classrooms and hold administration to account for spending.
PUBLIC SAFETY
Public safety is the number one job of City Government and our First Responders are not only entitled to the pay and benefits we afford them, but go above and beyond to earn it every day.
​
The number of illegal guns our police force takes off the streets, the numbers of lives our EMS service saves and the amount of property our Firefighters are able to save each year is nothing short of staggering.
​
My door will always be open to any member of our Public Safety Community and as I am sure the residents of District One will agree with me, I want our Public Safety workers to want for nothing as they work to safeguard our city, and I want them to be rewarded with pay and benefits that reflect the value of their service to our city.
COLLECTIVE BARGAINING
President Franklin D. Roosevelt once stated that "[a] strike of public employees manifests nothing less than an intent on their part to obstruct the operations of government until their demands are satisfied. Such action looking toward the paralysis of government by those who have sworn to support it is unthinkable and intolerable."
​
President Roosevelt was joined in his opposition to collective bargaining of government employees by former AFL-CIO President George Meany who believed "it was impossible to collectively bargain with the government."
​
In 2009, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that for the first time ever, public sector employees outnumbered private-sector employees in union membership.
​
Government has a virtual monopoly on education, policing, libraries, road repairs and every other aspect of government services. To place some of the decision-making responsibilities for these services in the hands of those not elected to public office undermines our government and the will of the voters.
%20%E2%80%94%20Scale.png){kind=tracking}
JOBS & OUR ECONOMY
Virginia Beach was once just a "bedroom community" to the City of Norfolk. But over the years, our city has become an economic powerhouse in our own right, offering not only a great entertainment and relaxation destination for vacationing families, but we also offer great schools, stellar city services and opportunities for expanding businesses.
​
The "Trident" of Virginia Beach is 1, great schools, 2, a safe, well-governed city and 3, tax policies that encourage investment and expansion.
​
When you combine all of these elements, you will see an expanding economy, more job opportunities and increasing tax revenues for our city will naturally follow. Good government and good business go hand in hand, which can benefit everyone.
​
As a member of Virginia Beach City Council, I will seek every opportunity to expand our economy and shrink your tax bills.
LOWERING TAX BURDENS
With the recent downturn in our economy, inflation and costs like utilities, property taxes and homeowners/renters insurance on the rise, it is becoming difficult for Virginia Beach residents to make ends meet.
​
I know this first-hand because my family and I live and work in Virginia Beach, too.
​
As your representative on City Council, I will seek every opportunity to lower taxes and fees while working to assure each and every city department delivers the highest value for the taxpayers dollar.
​
The cost of essential government services should never be an undue burden to the taxpayers and like our taxpayers, your elected leaders should be just as careful with public funds.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
As the demand for housing increases and the amount of available land for development disappears, there are opportunities for growth in the housing sector such as underused or under-valued tracts of property where strip malls or other now-closed businesses stand empty.
​
Municipal government can streamline the zoning process (as may be allowed under state law), expedite the permitting process and create opportunities for more affordable housing choices in Virginia Beach so those who work here can afford to live here.
​
Government doesn't have a great track record of providing housing to those in need, but what government can do is create tax incentives and land-purchase opportunities for the Development community that will encourage them to invest in building housing projects that can help everyone have their own place to call "home."
