A Democratic challenger has emerged to take on Republican Phil Hamilton in the 93rd House of Delegates district. Robin Abbott, a consumer protection attorney, will be filing Wednesday for the seat. I had a chance to chat with her Sunday evening.
Abbott, a graduate of William and Mary School of Law, is making her first run for political office. For the past five years, she has represented consumers in auto fraud, sales contracts, debtor defense, identity theft, predatory mortgage lending, Consumer Protection, Fair Credit Reporting and Fair Debt Collections Act violations, and is a nationally recognized speaker on these topics.
She started her legal career 25 years ago as a paralegal, taking a class here and a class there as she took care of her three children, the eldest of whom is a special needs individual. That all changed when she had what she calls a life-altering experience in 1992. She became very ill and almost died three times. During her illness, the community took care of her family, making sure that they had food to eat and that the bills were paid. Upon recovery, she vowed to give back. Her three goals since then have been to complete law school, work in the community, and be involved in her church.
She accomplished the first and continues to work on the other two. In addition to her legal work on behalf of consumers, she has been active in Operation Smile, serves on the local college board of Thomas Nelson Community College, and on the Hampton/Newport News Community Services Board of Directors. She’s also active in her church, Our Lady Of Mt. Carmel (Hamilton’s church as well).
In perusing her resume, I noted that she had worked as a paralegal for former Republican Congressman and current Christopher Newport University president Paul Trible. She laughed – yes, she worked with Trible and even followed him to CNU, where she served as assistant to the president. She said she often joked with Trible that she was the only Democrat working for him. She worked the polls this past November as an election protection attorney.
Although we only spoke for a brief time, I get the sense that Abbott will be one heck of a candidate and, upon election, a tremendous asset to all of us in the General Assembly. I look forward to her campaign.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
You are not biased at all are you? Alot of those social services
and community resources she depended on have been championed and
funded by Hamilton. Funny, neither of you say why he needs to be
replaced.
Funded by Hamilton? Really? He must have a really big checkbook!
Seriously, dude, this was just an intro piece on Robin. More to come later.
Karl, Vivian apparently has a “viewpoint” but there’s nothing wrong with that unless the person misrepresents it (e.g. pretends falsely IMHO to be “fair and balanced” like Fox News.) She didn’t say Phil was an ogre, just positives about Robin. OK, fine for Phil if he supported those programs, now we can see all the pros and cons of his record and polices versus someone else. Finally: aside from who is the better choice, isn’t it better for voters to *have* a choice at all?
PS: I know Robin.
Thanks, Neil. (Love the music sign ;))
I can give you ONE big reason why Hamilton needs to be replaced. HE VOTED FOR HB3202 THAT CREATED THE WHOLLY UNCONSTITUTIONAL REGIONAL TAXING AUTHORITIES. That means that Hamilton has violate his oath of office by supporting illegal government agencies!
Hamilton needs to go for the same reason that Williams needed to go! And the same reason that Oder should be booted from office. Lazy and living off the pork of the taxpayers!
She looks like she can do the job and all the pathetic Republicans can whimper, “why does he need to be replaced”?????
hahahahahahahahahaha
I think she would be more in tune to the general population. The fields she has worked in would give her great insight into the real world, unlike so many of our politicians, she could really make a difference. There is no greater way to understand what the economy needs and no better way to gain the needed foresight than what she has been doing. How many of our politicians were willing to put serious rate caps on lending institutions and how many were eager to stop predatory lending? She is just what this state and the country needs. The banks have needed to be put in check. The only problem is the politicians have given them too many loopholes. That is one of the reasons we are in the situation this country is in today. Thank goodness for people like her. Why is it the poorest of the poor get the highest rates of interest only to find themselves burdened to try to pay back and subsequently punished by the credit scoring industry? This is not just a lower income problem, this is a problem that has caused this country to be in the shape it is today. The lending practices are shameful and unfortunately the banks and small lending institutions are getting away with it. She deserves to be applauded for the work she has done. I know what I am talking about, I’ve done thousands of bankruptcies and I have seen this economic crisis coming. We need someone who can stomach working with dumbass politicians and make a difference.
Robin is a hard worker. More than being an advocate, she is a person who WORKS for the community. Her background is blue collar, and that gives her real insight into what the public needs, not what special interests need.
The grassroots that are there need people like her, protecting their interests from the big banks, and corporations that are there solely for the profit that they can make off the back of the poor. The working poor are the profit motive the the banks and corporations live off. She will be the sword of justice that stands between the working poor and the abusive policies and procedures of the big banks and payday lenders, and other predatory financial institutions, while protecting the financial institutions that do things right. You can pick those places out. She doesn’t need to sue them.
I’m an active duty military officer stationed in the local area. My wife and I were referred to Robin by a fellow pilot to take a case against a local contractor. Other attorneys we met with refused to help us because the case was “too small” and not worth their time. Robin, on the other hand, saw the facts and decided to engage. I believe her exact words were “I can’t let those people that are doing this to you get away with it.”
From the beginning Robin wasn’t ever concerned with getting more money for herself; she was with RIGHTING A WRONG. I doubt the fee we paid her can cover the time and effort she put into our case, and the fact that we knew we finally had someone on OUR side fighting for us made a world of difference. She is an individual of the highest character that can be taken at her word without question. A more dedicated public servant will be hard to find, I think.
Just what we need — another lawyer making laws. “Lawyers making laws are like doctors making diseases.”
Robin is honest, straight-forward, hard-working, and most importantly has a huge heart. Robin cares about people and that is why she will be a terrific addition to the General Assembly.
You Go, Girl! We are behind you!
Wow, I am really impressed by all the positive inputs coming in here about Robin! At first I just wanted to better frame what Vivian’s post was all about and see what kind of responses it got. (I’m a blogger myself but usually more interested in physics and general philosophy; visit mine if you’ve a chance!)
At this point, I can second the articulate and studied praise Robin has received on this thread in only about 24 hours. I’ve known her for many years and she went into law to serve the public and consumers. She could have made more money defending the other side. Robin and her husband took and won my case against an auto dealer that did not file the warranty they promised to. The transmission failed a few months later costing $1,500. This sort of thing happens frequently, especially I am sad to say, in Virginia.
BTW Anon E. Mouse, not only does the state not have enough laws about consumer protection, but the ones we have aren’t enforced vigorously enough. Yet VA seems to love nickel-and-dimeing its citizens with petty laws about neon lights on cars, etc.
Virginia has long been too much in the pocket of the kind of business interests that would rather see how much they can get away with, rather than how well they can serve their customers and reward their employees. We have so much of pay-day and title loan scams running around, many kinds of rip offs as frequently reported on Ten-on-your-side, abuse of overtime rules, etc. There’s one auto dealer in town that is so corrupt (e.g. wont’ send car titles to the DMV), the police drop by several times a month because the owner is threatened by angry customers! I just talked to some last week. Yet somehow they keep their dealer’s license year after year.
I want that to change. In most states that couldn’t happen. I want Robin to fight for the consumer in Virginia. It isn’t that Hamilton is some kind of ogre, but rather let’s pick someone so well suited to accomplish the task.
Here’s an argument for why strong and fair oversight is actually good for the well-behaved business operator: He or she doesn’t have to compete against the sort of competitor that cuts costs by cheating and breaking rules. For example, I wouldn’t want to see business at my quality restaurant slip away to another one down the street that saved costs by cheating on health inspections and workers’ overtime.
Go Robin!
Go Robin! Our family is very grateful for all you do. Keep up the good fight!