All results / Stories / Delegate Kenneth R. “Ken” Plum
Opinion: Commentary: Mark and John and Amendment One
When the then underdog Mark Warner, whose only experience in political life had been to chair the Democratic Party of Virginia and manage the successful campaign of Doug Wilder for governor, had the courage in 1996 to take on senior senator John Warner in his re-election bid, Mark Warner’s bumper sticker read, “Mark, not John.”
Opinion: Commentary: An Amazing Year
With more than two months remaining in 2020, I can already say that it has been an amazing year in Virginia’s history.
Opinion: Commentary: Vote Yes on Amendment #1
In a campaign that promises “fair maps” by voting yes for Amendment #1 on the ballot this election cycle and the opposition that promises “fair districts” by voting no, there is little wonder that there would be confusion in the minds of voters.
Opinion: Commentary: Keeping Tabs on State Government
The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) conducts program evaluation, policy analysis, and oversight of state agencies on behalf of the Virginia General Assembly as authorized by the Code of Virginia.
Opinion: Commentary: Virginia Voters Can Contribute to the State’s Progressive Future
The year 2020 has been filled with major ups and downs, but nowhere has the good news been clearer than in the Virginia legislature.
Opinion: Commentary: The House at the Half
The House of Delegates is probably half-way through its virtual Special Session.
Opinion: Commentary: No More Excuses
The most important election of my lifetime is coming up on November 3, and I am not even on the ballot!
Opinion: Commentary: A Special Special Session
Until the early 1970s the Virginia General Assembly met every other year in the even-numbered years.
Opinion: Commentary: Women’s Equality Day
Today, August 26, is Women’s Equality Day commemorating the 1920 adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution which prohibits the federal and state governments from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex.
Opinion: Commentary: Beyond Jefferson’s Manual
While serving as vice president of the United States from 1797 to 1801, Thomas Jefferson wrote down rules of parliamentary procedure as remembered from his days studying parliamentary rules while a student at William and Mary and from his experiences as serving as president of the United States Senate.
Opinion: Commentary: Defund the Police: Oversimplifying a Complex Issue
’Defund the Police’ slogan in response to the real problems in policing may inhibit progress towards reform.
Communications experts advise that a message needs to be short and punchy to convey its intended meaning in a short period of time.
Opinion: Commentary: Lifetime of Learning
My mom and dad had little or no formal education which was not that unusual for children in large families growing up in rural Virginia in the 1920s.
Opinion: Commentary: John Lewis Legacy
The body of John Lewis will be laid to rest this week, but the legacy of his leadership in the Civil Rights Movement will live on.
Opinion: Commentary: Next Steps: Virginia legislature must take significant next steps in the closing months of this year.
Readers of this column are certainly aware that on more than one occasion I have praised the work of the 2020 General Assembly session as being historic and transformative.
Opinion: Commentary: Not Over Until It Is Over in Virginia
Hundreds of new laws went into effect last Wednesday. A total of 1,289 new laws passed the General Assembly in its regular session in January and February and were signed into law by Governor Ralph Northam.
Opinion: Commentary: Back to Work Without Delay
Back in March, a couple of weeks after the 2020 General Assembly session had adjourned, I wrote in my weekly column that while the annual meeting of the state legislature had been “historic, transformative, and consequential” there was also as I titled the column “More Work Left to be Done.”
Opinion: Commentary: Words Have Meanings
Words have meanings defined in the dictionary that can take on other meaning within the context in which they are being used.
Opinion: Commentary: Black Lives Matter
We are on the verge of making the statement a reality.
Black lives matter. Period. No further explanation or expansion of the phrase is needed.
Opinion: Commentary: Monumental Changes Continuing
Finding the words to describe the period of history in which Virginia finds itself is challenging.
Opinion: Commentary: Virus of Racial Injustice
The image of a man in a uniform pressing his knee down on the neck of a hand-cuffed black man while being protected by three other uniformed individuals is so revolting and repulsive that I cannot get it out of my mind.