Pete Snyders discusses his ideas as a candidate for lieutenant governor. Photo by Jessica McKay
Last year, the Greenspring Republican Club hosted Pete Snyder as the chairman of the Virginia Victory 2012 campaign, a coordinated campaign in support of Republican candidates across the Commonwealth of Virginia. On Tuesday, Feb. 5, Snyder was invited again to speak to the Greenspring Republican Club, but this time as a candidate for lieutenant governor.
In November 2012, Snyder announced that he would run for lieutenant governor, which would be his first bid for elected political office. Snyder was one of the pioneers of social media marketing at New Media Strategies, and currently is the CEO of Disruptor Capital, which according to the company’s website is “a Virginia-based seed and angel capital investment company focused on funding and growing disruptive technologies, ideas and entrepreneurs.”
“I’m not a Richmond insider,” said Snyder, to a group of approximately 50 residents at Greenspring. “I’m an entrepreneurial outsider.”
Snyder focused the discussion at Greenspring on what he calls his three “Big Ideas”:
- Education Reform
- Ending Runaway Government Spending
- Firing up Virginia’s Economy
In discussing education reform, Snyder referenced ending the teacher tenure system that is in place in Virginia and replacing it with a performance-based system. “The education laws in Virginia read as if the teacher’s union wrote them,” said Snyder.
In response to a resident’s question regarding school safety in Virginia, Snyder said, “we need better safety in our schools, but I think the local school districts can find a local solution. We don’t need a federal TSA-type solution.”
Snyder also focused on government spending and, if elected, intends to “reign in the size and scope of government” in Richmond by 10 percent.
Snyder strongly encouraged anyone who supports his campaign and believes in his initiatives to join him at the Republican Party of Virginia’s state convention in May, where the 2013 statewide GOP nominees will be selected.
More information about Snyder’s campaign can be found by visiting his website at http://www.petesnyder.com/. Additional information about Greenspring retirement community can be found at www.ericksonliving.com.