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Toddy Puller

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Toddy Puller
Member of the Virginia Senate
from the 36th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
2000
Preceded byJoe Gartlan
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates
from the 44th district
In office
1992–1999
Preceded byGerald Fill
Succeeded byKristen J. Amundson
Personal details
Born (1945-01-19) January 19, 1945 (age 79)
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseLewis Burwell Puller, Jr. (died 1994)
ChildrenLewis
ResidenceMount Vernon, Virginia
Alma materMary Washington College
OccupationConsultant
CommitteesRehabilitation and Social Services (chair); Commerce and Labor; Courts of Justice; Local Government; Rules
Websitef585256fc7004febb2/21028f91c9c0a25885256aa000719996?OpenDocument Senator Toddy Puller

Linda Todd "Toddy" Puller (born January 19, 1945, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa) is an American politician. A Democrat, she served in the Virginia House of Delegates 1992–99 and was elected to the Senate of Virginia in November 1999. She currently represents the 36th district, made up of parts of Fairfax and Prince William counties.[1]


Personal life

Puller's father was a United States Army officer. She received a B.A. degree in Art History from Mary Washington College in 1967, after which she taught elementary school in Woodbridge, Virginia.[2][3]

Puller married Lewis Burwell Puller, Jr., son of United States Marine Corps General Chesty Puller. Her husband lost both legs in the Vietnam War and spent years fighting depression. After she wrote him asking for a divorce, he committed suicide in 1994, two years after winning a Pulitzer Prize for his autobiography, Fortunate Son. They had one son, Lewis, who became a professional golf caddy, and a daughter, Maggie.[2]

Legislative career

Puller is a member of the Senate committees on Commerce and Labor, Courts of Justice, Local Government, Rehabilitation and Social Services (Chair), and Rules. In 2010 55% of the bills she sponsored or supported passed the Virginia Senate. Of all of the co-patrons of her bills, 56% were Democrats, 44% were Republicans.[4]

Throughout her legislative career, Puller has generally relied upon tax increases to address matters facing Virginia. She has acknowledged in the past "that she failed to pay taxes she owed to Fairfax County on income she received".[5] In 2004, she voted to reduce car tax relief (making car tax bills increase)[6]; to increase the state's sales tax[7] and eliminate the income tax exemption for Virginia seniors[8]. In 2008 she advocated for a 29% increase in the state's gas tax[9], and in 2011, she supported efforts to start taxing the internet in Virginia[10].

This could explain -- along with her strong support for the AFL-CIO agenda[11] -- why business groups in Virginia who have previously endorsed Puller have declined to endorse her 2011 re-election bid, such as the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce[12] and the National Federation of Independent Businesses[13].

In 2011, the Family Foundation of Virginia scored Puller's voting record as a 7 of 100[14], making her votes among the least "family-friendly" in the legislature.

The American Conservative Union gave Puller a 0% on their state legislative ratings[15], making her among the most liberal in the legislature.

In July 2011, Gov. McDonnell signed ‘Ashley’s Law’ which requires emergency responders to use their flashing lights and sirens when entering an intersection against a red light or else yield to traffic. The bill had been written and sponsored by Puller after a young woman was killed in 2008 when her automobile was struck crossing US Route 1 in Fairfax County, Virginia by a speeding police vehicle whose driver had not activated the siren.[16]

Notes

  1. ^ Senate of Virginia bio
  2. ^ a b "About Toddy". Virginia State Senator Toddy Puller. Retrieved 2009-01-27.
  3. ^ "Virginia House of Delegates; Session 1999; Puller, Linda T. (Toddy)". Virginia House of Delegates. Retrieved 2009-01-27.
  4. ^ Richmond Sunlight » Senator Toddy Puller (D-Mount Vernon) retrieved: September 10, 2011
  5. ^ Seaberry, Jane (10/24/1991). "Redistricting Clouds Fill-Puller Rematch". Washington Post. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?042+vot+SV1187SB5005+SB5005
  7. ^ http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?042+vot+SV1182HB5018+HB5018
  8. ^ http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?042+vot+SV1182HB5018+HB5018
  9. ^ http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?081+vot+SV0447SB0713+SB0713
  10. ^ http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?111+vot+SV0248SB0972+SB0972
  11. ^ http://va.aflcio.org/vaaflcio/index.cfm?action=article&articleID=549abf97-0771-4d27-a3f6-32a9b8602772
  12. ^ http://www.fairfaxchamber.org/index.php?src=news&srctype=detail&category=Chamber%20Press%20Release&refno=291
  13. ^ http://www.nfib.com/nfib-in-my-state/nfib-in-my-state-content?cmsid=58309
  14. ^ http://familyfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/2010-2011-Report-Card-for-web1.pdf
  15. ^ http://www.conservative.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/ACURatingsVAGENASSEMBLY.pdf
  16. ^ Jackman, Tom. In Mt. Vernon, Gov. McDonnell signs ‘Ashley’s Law. Washington Post, Post Local 07/26/2011.

References

Template:Northern Virginia Politicians

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