(Thanks to Chap Petersen for sharing some personal information about himself. For the record, I’m totally with him on Bruce Springsteen, but Totino’s Pizza? Ugh, nasty! LOL – promoted by lowkell)
Democrat John Chapman “Chap” Petersen represents the 34th District, which includes all of Fairfax City and parts of Fairfax County in the Virginia Senate. Senator Petersen is well known for being an advocate for the environment and education. This past session, he sponsored Senate Bill 832, which mandated greener building standards for certain government buildings, and SB 831, which limited the right of the Attorney General to issue civil investigative demands in matters of academic research and inquiry. Senator Petersen’s also considered by some to be one of the hardest working candidates in Virginia’s history after he knocked on more than 18,000 doors in 2007. But here are a few things you may not know about him:
Senator Petersen’s best dish is frozen
My favorite meal to prepare is Totino’s frozen pizza (Supreme).
His favorite musician
My favorite musician is Bruce Springsteen, because he’s a great American.
His greatest accomplishment
My greatest accomplishment is being married for 15 years.
He’s web-savvy
Online media and social networking are good ways to get information to people quickly.
Senator Petersen’s interest in politics dates back to the ’90s
I developed an interest in politics during the presidential race of 1992. I started working for Bill Clinton as a volunteer in New Hampshire, then organized his caucus slate in Charlottesville. (I was a first-year law student at UVA.)
But he ran for president before Bill Clinton…
The first elected office I held was Student Body President of J.C. Wood Elementary School. (His term was from 1979 to 1980.)
His first campaign slogan
My first campaign slogan was “Send a Rebel to Richmond” (1996 House race). I was a Fairfax High (Rebels) graduate and only 28 years old. I wanted to get people’s attention.
His funniest moment on the campaign trail
My RV backed into Carl Eggleston’s front porch in Farmville in 2005, during the Lt. Governor’s race. Actually, it wasn’t funny at the time. I think I still owe him for the porch.
The legislation he’s most proud of
In 2010, I was proud of my bills on “academic freedom” and “foreclosure reform” which passed the Senate but died in the House. I take more pride in the controversial bills.
His top goals for the 34th District:
My top goals for my district are:
• providing options for commuting.
• modernizing our housing.
• keeping higher education affordable.
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