Independent Politico Seeks 44th House Seat

Joseph Glean isn't running to win the 44th District Virginia House of Delegates seat—he says he’s put himself on the ballot to give voters another option in a district that has been dominated by Democrats for decades.

"It's an uphill battle for me," says Glean, who is running as an independent candidate.  "I believe if the stars align I could win, but that that's not why I'm running.  I want to give voters a good, godly, moral choice.  I think it's a shame when someone is allowed to waltz into office without any opposition--especially [current Delegate Scott] Surovell and his predecessor."

This is Glean’s first run for public office.  Republican John Barsa is also challenging Surovell.

Glean is not impressed with either.  His door-to-door petition drive to secure the signatures necessary to put an unaffiliated candidate on the ballot only reinforced Glean’s view that both mainstream parties are out of touch with "the unheard majority," and that the incumbent is "at odds with the moral platform of most of northern Virginia."

"I'm available for people who want to vote with their conscience," Glean said. 

His top two priorities are abortion and same-sex marriage--he is opposed to both.  He is also against amnesty for resident illegal aliens and dependence on foreign oil. As for local transportation issues, Glean said he would like to extend the Virginia Railway Express hubs northward and bring light rail to his district.  Glean advocates for the ”right to bear arms” and supports “decent” home schooling of children.

Another major princple of his campaign is calling attention to what he sees as “excessive power that has been placed in the hands of organizations such as the FDA and the USDA.” 

Glean said the state income tax should be abolished, Christian stewardship encouraged and “moral sovereignty safeguarded against all forms of environmental radicalism, such as those which are being used to chip away at our sovereignty under the imaginary pretext of global warming concerns, or those which I see as being more principally intended to rob us—young and old alike—of our God-given right to life under the pretext of overpopulation."

“I advocate fiscal conservatism, personal responsibility, social justice and good old-fashioned common sense.  I am a strong believer in the notion that if we do not exercise our freedoms, we are doomed to lose them.”

Glean said he is endorsed by the Independent Green Party of Virginia.  He said the party chairman contacted him to run for office in 2009 but he wasn’t certain about entering politics and believed he was already behind in the process.  He became known to the Green Party while stumping for presidential candidate Alan Keyes.  Glean was the Virginia Campaign Chair for America’s Independent Party in 2008—when it was founded by Keyes’ supporters.

Glean said he was initially a “Reagan Republican,” but slowly became disillusioned with the GOP and then lost complete faith in their politics when they nominated John McCain for President in 2008.

“All the issues that matter most and that are indicative of the heart and soul of the Republican Party, he abandoned,” Glean said.

He views other Virginia Republicans in the same light, including Barsa.  When Barsa announced his candidacy, Glean noted, he discussed economics and business, but ignored moral issues.

Glean is a lifelong resident of Mr. Zephyr in Mount Vernon and still lives on the same street where he grew up. He works as a procurement agent for Fairfax County.  He and his wife Edina are the parents of four daughters ranging in age from 7 to three months. 

A member of Wesley United Methodist Church, Glean is also involved with Calvary Chapel of Manassas where he has been involved in mission work for both Habitat for Humanity and Harvest for Hope—the latter being a food collection group for the needy. 

Glean graduated from Mount Vernon High School in 1992 and attended Liberty University.  He studied Tae Kwon Do for ten years and earned a third degree black belt.

Glean also has a history as a recording artist, playing piano and keyboards.  He has recorded and played with groups such as the heavy metal band Stryper and contemporary rock group Maranatha Praise Band.  He said that the album “Reality in Focus” he recorded with Magnitude Nine deputed at Number 8 on the charts in Japan a decade ago.