When legislators in Virginia’s General Assembly take their seats at the Capitol Building in Richmond in a little more than a week, the little village of Chuckatuck will have some high-powered representation.

Delegate S. Chris Jones (R-76th), a Chuckatuck native, will spend his 14th legislative session representing Suffolk in the House of Delegates. Jones has become a darling of Virginia’s Republican Party and a respected leader by members of both parties. That respect has translated into some choice committee appointments — Jones serves as chairman of the powerful General Laws house committee and is a member of the Privileges and Elections committee and the Appropriations committee. Last year, he was named as a member of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, which is the oversight agency of the Virginia General Assembly, established to evaluate the operations and performance of state agencies and programs.

In the House of Delegates, at least, Suffolk has powerful representation. This session, that representation will be bolstered by the presence of a 14-year-old from Chuckatuck.

Bailey Key, a freshman at Isle of Wight Academy, will serve this year as the head page in the House of Delegates, a position for which she was tapped by the Speaker of the House after having submitted an application and letter in September. She came highly recommended by Delegate Jones and had made a good impression last year, when she served the House as a regular page, running errands and performing odd jobs for legislators during the stressful session.

In her position this year, Bailey will be in charge of mentoring and leading the other pages and working to keep them on task and out of trouble during the nine weeks they’re in Richmond. It’s a big job for a high school freshman, but she will be following in the footsteps of her brother, who had the same job in 2009.

It’s good to know that Suffolk’s able representation in Richmond is now entering a second generation. Whether Bailey Key or her brother Jackson ever decide to enter into state politics as adults, Suffolk is likely to benefit from their experience in Richmond. And Chuckatuck, in particular, has much reason to be proud for the people it has sent to the state capital.