“I want to make the 31st District as equitable and inclusive as possible.”

These were the words of Kara Pitek, Democratic candidate for Virginia’s 31st District in the House of Delegates, and she recently shared what life has been like since announcing her candidacy for the seat currently held by Delegate Elizabeth Guzman, who is running for Lieutenant Governor. Pitek talked with the PW Perspective on talking with local constituents, her goals as delegate, to finding the balance between campaign and family life.

While participating in several drive-through sign-ins throughout the local Prince William County and Dumfries areas, she reflected on her conversations with voters and addressing some of the critical issues that were brought up. “Everyone is concerned about the pandemic,” said Pitek. “By the time I get sworn in [January 2022] hopefully the worst of the pandemic is over and that the majority [of people] is vaccinated, but there are economic impacts such as lost jobs and wages that we need to focus on rebuilding our economy. Also, paid sick leave was passed for home care workers but we need to make it the law across the state.”

Another issue that she has heard about within her district is improving local infrastructure in order for the county to become a haven for relocating businesses. “I support continued effort with infrastructure to get funds allocated to those rural areas. I also do consider broadband as part of our structure. We need to do something about the I-95 bottleneck as well as the Metro access. All of these opportunities must be done with providing high paying construction jobs.”

“Having supported infrastructure that people can travel on, such as improved roads and bridges, as well as ensuring people have the ability to come into the neighborhood. These are the things that will make people not only want to live here but also attract more businesses.”

Of her many passions, education is one of them, as the mother of two visited the students of Neabsco Elementary via Zoom. She read the book “Magic Trash.” It carried a special meaning to Pitek as she recalls her father doing the same thing when she was a child.

“I saw my dad do it when I was younger so I wanted to do the same thing. The story that I read was about a man who lived in Detroit and revitalized his neighborhood through art. It really touched my heart as one of the students raised their hands and said I was a great reader.”

She continued on to discuss how as delegate she would like to see programs such as a universal Pre-K implemented. “Preschool programs have been proven to have lifelong positive impacts including decreased dropout rates and increased high school graduation rates, particularly for children from disadvantaged and marginalized communities. We must invest in our youth and offer universal preschool across the Commonwealth to ensure that every child is set up for the same success in life.”

In addition to universal Pre-K, another program she would like to bring to the county’s schools are universal schools meals. “The USDA waivers this year demonstrated the feasibility of universal school meals, since every public school student eats breakfast and lunch free this year, and many also get dinner through the after school enrichment and supper program. Schools have been effectively implementing this program, and it’s been incredibly beneficial to both the school systems and families. We can continue this on into the future as a great lesson learned during this pandemic.”

She references the infrastructure issues that rural areas of the counties face and how important it is for them to have broadband access. “Rural broadband is a major issue. “We need to make sure that as leaders we are developing the digital access for families who continue to work remotely. Everyone should have the same access to their school and jobs. Prince William County has done a great job with digital hot spots but on the federal level we need more access everywhere.”

As she prepares to go campaigning in a virtual environment, she reiterates her reasoning for becoming a candidate for the seat. “I just want to empower people to make them feel that they have a voice within the legislative process; to make them know that government is working for them. They feel that no one is prioritizing their concerns, and I think that it’s wonderful we’ve expanded early voting access but if people aren’t inspired to cast their ballot then it’s all for naught.”