Tom Gear
Encyclopedia
Thomas D. "Tom" Gear is an American politician of the Republican Party
. He was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates
from 2002 until 2010. He represented the 91st district on the Virginia Peninsula
, made up of the city of Poquoson
plus parts of York County
and the city of Hampton. He resigned his seat on December 31, 2010 citing health problems.
Gear is a graduate of Kecoughtan High School in Hampton, Virginia. His father (also named Thomas Gear) was Mayor of Hampton, Virginia from 1980 to 1982. Gear was a commercial printer; the owner of Gear Up Printing. He was on Hampton City Council from 1998 to 2001.
. and Democrat
Samuel L. Sam Eure, Jr. (a Social Studies Teacher in the York County School Division) of York County, Virginia, As of August 31, 2009 the State Board of Elections website reported that Gear had raised $25,976.00, Helsel had raised $65,261.00, and Eure had raised $5,076.00. Helsel has run on the Republican ticket in the past, but did not secure the Republican nomination for this election.
Republican Gear captured 9,576 votes (48 percent). Independent Helsel finished in second with 6,463 votes (about 33 percent). Democrat Eure finished third in the race with 3,757 votes (19 percent).
members representing Hampton reached a tentative deal to fill nominations for several Hampton judgeships that have been vacant for six years. Gear's insistence that his sister, Kathy Gear Owens, an attorney and substitute judge, be appointment to Hampton's Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court was one of several issues raised by Gear to hold up the appointment of the judges. Because the tentative deal included the appointment of his sister, Gear's fellow Senate Republicans walked off the floor in protest when the selections came up for a vote. Several democrats also voted against the resolution. During the 2009 General Assembly Session Gear Owens finally removed her name from consideration.
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
. He was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates
Virginia House of Delegates
The Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbered years. The House is presided over by the Speaker of the House, who is elected from among the...
from 2002 until 2010. He represented the 91st district on the Virginia Peninsula
Virginia Peninsula
The Virginia Peninsula is a peninsula in southeast Virginia, USA, bounded by the York River, James River, Hampton Roads and Chesapeake Bay.Hampton Roads is the common name for the metropolitan area that surrounds the body of water of the same name...
, made up of the city of Poquoson
Poquoson, Virginia
Poquoson is an independent city located on the Virginia Peninsula, in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 12,150 according to the 2010 Census...
plus parts of York County
York County, Virginia
York County is a county located on the north side of the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of the Commonwealth of Virginia, a state of the United States. Situated on the York River and many tributaries, the county seat is the unincorporated town of Yorktown...
and the city of Hampton. He resigned his seat on December 31, 2010 citing health problems.
Gear is a graduate of Kecoughtan High School in Hampton, Virginia. His father (also named Thomas Gear) was Mayor of Hampton, Virginia from 1980 to 1982. Gear was a commercial printer; the owner of Gear Up Printing. He was on Hampton City Council from 1998 to 2001.
2005
Gear was re-elected in the November 6, 2005 General Election with 11,057 (59.43%) votes, versus 7,419 (39.88%) votes for Independent candidate Randy A. Gilliland, with 128 voters casting write in votes. Voter turnout was 47.69%.2007
Gear was re-elected in the November 6, 2007 General Election with 9,156 (93.15%) votes, with 673 voters casting write in votes. Voter turnout was 24.06%.2009
Gear was up for re-election in a three way race with Independent Gordon C. Helsel, Jr. the then-current Mayor of the City of Poquoson, VirginiaPoquoson, Virginia
Poquoson is an independent city located on the Virginia Peninsula, in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 12,150 according to the 2010 Census...
. and Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Samuel L. Sam Eure, Jr. (a Social Studies Teacher in the York County School Division) of York County, Virginia, As of August 31, 2009 the State Board of Elections website reported that Gear had raised $25,976.00, Helsel had raised $65,261.00, and Eure had raised $5,076.00. Helsel has run on the Republican ticket in the past, but did not secure the Republican nomination for this election.
Republican Gear captured 9,576 votes (48 percent). Independent Helsel finished in second with 6,463 votes (about 33 percent). Democrat Eure finished third in the race with 3,757 votes (19 percent).
Teddy Thompson controversy
Tom Gear sponsored and fought for legislation giving Teddy P. Thompson $270,000 for spending seven years in prison for a robbery he did not commit. Since the legislation passed, Thompson has committed three misdemeanors, including two assault charges and a breach of peace count, and on August 17, 2009 Thompson faced revocation of a suspended sentence on an older robbery charge, for which he received a suspended sentence.Hampton judicial appointment controversy
In the 2007 session, Virginia General AssemblyVirginia General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere, established on July 30, 1619. The General Assembly is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Virginia House of Delegates, with 100 members,...
members representing Hampton reached a tentative deal to fill nominations for several Hampton judgeships that have been vacant for six years. Gear's insistence that his sister, Kathy Gear Owens, an attorney and substitute judge, be appointment to Hampton's Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court was one of several issues raised by Gear to hold up the appointment of the judges. Because the tentative deal included the appointment of his sister, Gear's fellow Senate Republicans walked off the floor in protest when the selections came up for a vote. Several democrats also voted against the resolution. During the 2009 General Assembly Session Gear Owens finally removed her name from consideration.