Meet Joe McNamara
Family Man
Joe McNamara is married to his lovely wife Cheryl and together they have five children – Josh, Patrick, Joey, Corey, and Colleen. We also can’t forget Tibs (a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel).
Small Business Owner
Joe is best known as the Ice Cream Man. He owns Katie’s Ice Cream and Chocolates and the Salem Ice Cream Parlor. As a small business owner, Joe knows how to create jobs and understands the dignity of work. He is proud to fight for small businesses in Richmond.
Tax Expert
Joe graduated from the University of Virginia with a B.S. in Accounting and a B.S. in Finance. He is a Certified Public Accountant — the only one in the General Assembly. Joe also took Master’s classes in Taxation with Virginia Tech. Joe’s colleagues from both sides of the aisle have complemented his strong understanding of tax policy.
Effective Public Servant
Elected to the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors in 1996, he successfully reduced the Roanoke County budget and never raised a tax.
Joe was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2018. He has since built a strong voting record while fighting for conservative principles of fiscal integrity, individual rights, and family values.
He helped to deliver the largest tax cut in 30 years, voted against harmful gun control measures, and stood up for the right to life. In the 2021 legislative session, Joe worked in a bipartisan manner to secure Full PPP Loan Forgiveness for 81% of Virginia’s businesses. In 2022, Joe passed legislation repealing the state’s 1.5% tax on groceries. He was also instrumental in a near-doubling of the standard deduction — cutting taxes for more than 80% of Virginia taxpayers.
Joe currently serves on the House committees on Finance; Commerce and Energy; Counties, Cities, & Towns; and Communications, Technology and Innovation. Joe is the chairman of Finance Subcommittee #1, which deals with all state tax legislation. Additionally, he chairs Counties, Cities, and Towns Subcommittee #1, which deals with local government charters.