Daniel Whitaker is a candidate for Chesapeake City Council. His name will appear on the ballot on Nov. 8, 2022.
10 On Your Side reached out to all of the candidates running in this race. If you do not see a candidate listed with a profile, we did not receive one.
See who is on your ballot by viewing the candidate lists on the Virginia Department of Elections website.
Name: Daniel Whitaker
Race: Chesapeake City Council
Website: Daniel Whitaker for Chesapeake
Biography: A lifelong resident of Chesapeake, Daniel Whitaker is a small business owner and president of D2W Electric, Inc. His business provides electrical service to an average of 250 homes annually and has provided employment opportunities for many people over the years.
Whitaker grew up on Plainfield Avenue in the Great Bridge area of Chesapeake. After graduating from Oscar Smith High School and Chesapeake Center for Science and Technology, Whitaker went straight into the workforce as an electrician’s helper. He then went to Tidewater Community College pursuing, and obtaining, his master electrician’s license for Virginia, and then obtaining his licensing in North Carolina.
Always trying to excel, he then became an entrepreneur and built an electrical company that today proudly serves Southside Hampton Roads and Northeast North Carolina.
As a husband and father of four, Whitaker campaigned tirelessly for Gov. Glenn Youngkin, Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears, and Attorney General Jason Miyares, taking his children door-to-door so they could begin to understand the importance of our political process and electing conservatives to public office.
Whitaker has supported and volunteers for Roc Solid Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, Salvation Army, and St. Baldrick’s Foundation. He is also a strong advocate for small and medium-sized businesses and is a member of the National Federation of Independent Businesses.
Whitaker and his family are members of Lake Drummond Baptist Church.
Why should residents elect you to City Council?
As someone who is a lifelong resident of Chesapeake, I know our community. I am a graduate of Oscar Smith High School and attended Tidewater Community College. I own a small business in our city, D2W Electric, Inc.
My experience with business has taught me how to relate with people of various backgrounds and political ideas, which has helped me become a great listener. Running a small business has given me the operational skills to oversee and manage projects from conception to completion.
I will use these skills to ensure that Chesapeake is operating smoothly. I do not let things get swept under the rug or put them on the side; I take them on with full speed, accountability, and transparency. With my grassroots connections to Chesapeake and successful business traits, I am ready to get to work for the people of Chesapeake.
What are the top three priorities you would tackle if elected?
- Public safety: This topic will always be a major priority. As a resident raising a family and as a local small business owner, public safety is, and always will be, my first priority. I will fight to keep our first responders’ compensation among the highest in our region and equip them with the tools necessary for them to do their jobs.
- Taxes: As a property owner and a small business owner, I will fight for lower property and business taxes. We are in weary times — coming out of the pandemic with record inflation and property values soaring. We need tax reductions, not increases. This is a topic near and dear to most residents.
- Recycling: At a time where taxes are going up with record-high inflation, we shouldn’t be losing public services. I will work with council and our city manager to reinstate a curbside recycling program that works.
What is the most pressing economic issue facing your community, and how would you address it?
Soaring property values have caused a painful rise in property taxes for Chesapeake’s property owners. I intend to work with council and our city manager to achieve a more reasonable tax rate, while also ratifying a budget where public safety is incentivized to stay in Chesapeake and grow.
Reinstating and maintaining our curbside recycling program is also achievable with the right leadership and financial management. With the right budget and fiscal responsibility, we can achieve these economic issues without raising taxes.
What are your community’s biggest infrastructure needs, and how do you plan to fulfill them?
Because Chesapeake is a great community to live, learn, work, farm, and play, our city will continue to grow. As Chesapeake grows, so do our community’s infrastructure needs, like roads, schools, utilities, and services. I will work with council and our city manager to stay within the Chesapeake Capital Improvement Program. I will work to develop a measured response for new development in our city that will consist of thoughtful development.
How is gun violence impacting your community, and how do you plan to address gun violence?
Gun violence is on the rise within our city and nation. I will work hard to ensure that Chesapeake minimizes gun violence by allocating the needed resources to the communities that need them most. Bridging the gaps between law enforcement and the communities is vital to reducing the gun violence we see in our city. I also plan to support community outreach and advocate for increased community engagement to help keep our children off the streets.
