R.M. Jessie Jr.

Key Facts

Party N/A; nonpartisan election
Status Challenger

Background

R.M. Jessie Jr., or Richard Jessie, has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from George Washington University. Jessie served 18 years as a major in the Marines and has earned the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. He has also worked as a HR Professional for Lockheed Martin for 14 years. Jessie’s wife, Lillie Jessie, was the former Occoquan District School Board Member and is not running for re-election [1, 2].

Key Issues

Budget

Jessie supports using the budget to create educational infrastructure, such as by getting science labs in every school. He wants to create the first net zero energy school in Occoquan [5].

Equity

Jessie wants to meet with African-American, Hispanic, and LGBTQIA+ communities to listen to their concerns and create a more fair school environment [5].

School Safety

Jessie supports stronger safety measures for schools [5].

Teachers

Jessie supports collective bargaining for school teachers and staff to keep the school system competitive with recruitment and retention [6].

Endorsements

Prince William County Democratic Party; Gerry Connolly, Congressman; Abigail Spanberger, Congresswoman; Earnie Porta, Mayor of Occoquan; VoteVets; Alias Studios Pro LLC; The Buffy Foundation Inc; Intl Brotherhood of Electrical Workers; CASA in Action

Sources

1 Friends of RM Jessie

2 LinkedIn 

3 Ballotpedia 

4 VPAP

5 PWPerspective

6 InsideNOVA