08/03/2021
Paul R. Hedges announced his candidacy for Commonwealth Attorney for the City of Chesapeake. Hedges, who is running without formal support from either political party, reminded members of the Chesapeake Fraternal Order of Police of his depth of experience in government service and law enforcement. The only candidate who has actually prosecuted criminal cases in Virginia state courts, argued his tenure as a prosecutor in Chesapeake that included leading a number of investigations with the police that resulted in convictions of several government officials gave him valuable experience. He also served as adviso0r to Internal Affairs and taught at the police academy. Later, when the City Council authorized creation of a position to handle all City DUI prosecutions he volunteered to take the job and create the systems and practices required to provide the leadership required.
Hedges informed the younger Officers in attendance that he served as Manager of the Commission to Abolish Parole which was charged with implementation of a new Sentencing scheme that preceded sharp drops in crime statewide. After the General Assembly adopted the Commission’s recommendations, he served as Confidential Assistant to the Virginia Alcohol and Beverage Control Board. In that post, he was asked to provide counsel to the 140 Special Agents covering the whole state. He worked with local prosecutors and law enforcement who identified licensees who were violating public safety and ownership issues which created significant challenges to the peace of Virginia’s communities.
Hedges taught Criminal Procedure at Regent University and pre-law classes at Cornell College. He also taught at the Catholic University of Mozambique during two years in that nation. A resident of Chesapeake since 1986, he coached in many of the City’s youth athletic leagues, where he grew to know and love the citizens of the City and its families. He resides in Chesapeake where he has lived except two years in Africa. He explained his work in Africa for an international NGO he served as International Admin Director. The organization provided aid and relief in eighteen nations in Africa and elsewhere. His oversight included a workforce of several hundred volunteers and an annual budget of about Eight Million Dollars. Upon return to the states, he served four years as a Commissioner on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel Commission. While managing his law practice since he left government service he has been serving as Executive Director of Virginians for Reconciliation for three years, the bi-partisan group formed in 2017 by Former Governor McDonnell along with seventy other Virginia leaders.
He is most proud of the work VFR has done in community, including an event at Norfolk State University which featured direct descendants of Dred Scott and the principals in the historic Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court case. In addition, the group sponsored a Criminal Justice Reform Panel featuring Chesapeake Police Chief Kelvin Wright and Norfolk Circuit Court Judge Jerrauld Jones. The recording of the ZOOM meeting is available for viewing on his Campaign website. He concluded by urging that law enforcement should not be a political question, where either party should seek to influence the fair and even handed administration of justice. He told his audience that he believes modern voters can look past political labels to select the most qualified and experienced candidate.
