Saturday, Dec. 30 — As she prepares to leave office next week, State Del. Kaye Kory, who represents the 38th District and because of overlaps created by redistricting last year, did not seek re-election, issued a departing statement Friday.
She wrote the following:
“As your 38th District Delegate for 14 years, I want to share a heartfelt final farewell as my term officially nears its close on January 9th, 2024.
It has been a great honor to serve our caring and highly-engaged community. I am truly humbled by your support throughout my terms of service.
“I am deeply grateful to my Chief of Staff, Nancy Hedeen, who worked tirelessly to serve you. She was instrumental in the development and administration of our Art Show for Special Artists, which became our Art-Ability Art Show; supervised our interns and ensured that their experiences were valuable to them and to our office; handled the work of the advocacy caucuses I implemented (the New Americans Caucus, Women’s Healthcare Caucus, and Animal Welfare Caucus), and oversaw our annual food drive for FEED MORE — all the while smiling and welcoming all visitors to our office.
“I also need to offer kudos to Max Jenkins, who first worked for me as a student intern and is now my Legislative Director. Max and I grew together as we served for many years. He was an invaluable member of Team Kory and the patient editor of this marvelous newsletter! I am delighted that he will continue to bring his expertise and knowledge born of experience to the General Assembly as Delegate-Elect Rozia Henson’s incoming Chief of Staff.
“Thank you, Max and Nancy — I couldn’t have achieved legislative successes without you!
“Our legislative successes were many: driving permits for immigrants, in-state tuition for Dreamers and students born here to immigrant parents, preventing school systems from charging for required credits, ending the practice of charging female inmates for menstrual products (a first in the nation), prohibiting the sale of personal care products tested on animals (a third in the nation), developing family visitation sites in state prisons, raising salaries for teachers and correction officers, requiring epinephrine to be available in school clinics, mandating that cars stop for pedestrians in crosswalks, requiring that energy companies limit and supplement the energy dollars spent by low-income families while implementing cost-saving energy audits (a second in the nation) and passing the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). All of our work required support from you and from other members of the General Assembly.
“I am proud of the collective decisions made while I chaired the House Counties, Counties, and Towns Committee.
“My student interns and staff worked long hours to deliver the best constituent service possible to you. I have been consistently dedicated to serving you with honesty, accountability, and transparency while encouraging robust community engagement. My overarching goals have remained the same throughout my tenure: to bring your voice to Richmond and to improve the lives of all Virginians.
“While my retirement is bittersweet, I retire with confidence that Delegates Watts and Simon will serve us with dedication. I look forward to supporting their efforts. I wish you a happy holiday season and a healthy and prosperous 2024.”.
