Profile: Ken Plum, 36th Delegate District Candidate

At a Glance

• Born: Shenandoah
• Education: Bachelor's from Old Dominion University; master's from University of Virginia
• Family: Married; four children
• Occupation: retired teacher/school administrator
• Public office: Delegate in 36th District from 1978-80, 1982-present

A native of Shenandoah and graduate of Old Dominion University and University of Virginia, Del. Ken Plum (D) has spent his career giving back to the state that provided so much to him.

He loves Virginia's history, which he traces back to a field trip he took to Jamestown in the fourth grade.

"Some people ask me when I decided to run for the House of Delegates, and I tell them probably in the fourth grade because I visited Jamestown and Williamsburg. History became alive to me," the 69-year-old said. "I always saw myself in history, as far as what I could contribute, what I could do for history."

From then on, he studied history and politics avidly, which he finds surprising when he looks back on his life because his parents were not political at all.

"A mosquito must have bit me in Jamestown or something. That sort of thing just wasn't around me growing up, but I was interested anyway," Plum said.

His senior year in high school, he wrote his first meaningful paper on state affairs, which studied the misuse of absentee ballots in local elections. The injustice of it fascinated him, as well as the way politicians at the time dealt with — or didn't deal with — the problem.

He developed an interest in public service and eventually became a teacher for Fairfax County Public Schools, where he stayed for nearly 30 years. In 1978, started his first term in the House of Delegates, but lost in his re-election bid. He bounced back with a win two years later and has held the seat since 1982.

Plum faces a challenger again this year with , throwing his hat in the ring for the second election in a row.

But Plum said he isn't done in the House of Delegates. As the Democratic Caucus Chairman and former chairman of the Democratic Party of Virginia in a Republican-majority House, Plum said he knows Speaker of the House is likely out of reach. So ladder-climbing isn't his goal.

"I'm running for re-election because I'm involved in a number of vital areas of state government that I've spent a lot of time working on and I want to follow through," Plum said. "I haven't lost my enthusiasm for any of it."

He names education and transportation as his two top priorities both now and when he first started in the General Assembly.

Most of his education career was spent in adult education, where he worked with members of underrepresented communities on a daily basis. The experience helped confirm his strong belief in the importance of public education.

His current concerns on education lie in the lack of funding available to school systems because of the economic climate.

"In times like this, it's when you have to put money into education the most," Plum said. "The future is going to require more skilled workers in the area of technology."

As the founder of the Dulles Corridor Rail Association, he has been involved with the expansion of rail in Fairfax County from the beginning. He is content with progress on Dulles Rail so far despite some of the setbacks, and wants to see the Dulles Rail project through as far as he can.

"It's a mammoth project with mammoth funding and I want to continue to work on that," Plum said.

Plum does not want to see increases in the Dulles Toll Road fees — and bristles at the campaign that claims tolls will reach $17 each way soon — but says the best way to ensure the project is properly funded is to get support from governor.

"Only Governor McDonnell can secure the proper funding to bring costs down," Plum said. "He needs to step up for both transportation and education."

Plum sees himself continuing in the House of Delegates for many more years to come, and working for the good of the state for even longer.

"I'm a dedicated student and citizen of the state. I don't see myself ever stepping away from public service entirely," he said.