Good afternoon everyone. Today I would like to announce that I have decided not to seek the open House of Delegate's Seat in the 17th district. I want to thank everyone for all of the phone calls and e-mails encouraging me to seek the Democratic nomination. Your encouragement means a great deal to me, however, as we all know in politics--timing is everything-and right now the timing is just not right for me to enter this race. I've been focusing on my family and business since last year's city council race and I need to continue this.
What I would like to do this afternoon, ladies and gentleman, is post a sincere and heartfelt thanks to Delegate Will Fralin--our delegate from the 17th district, and also a good personal friend of mine. Will has always been across the aisle from me and we certainly have not agreed on everything. One thing I believe Democrats and everyone can appreciate about Will, though, is his willingness to reach across the aisle and work with our party, and everyone, for what is best for the district, and our Commonwealth.
Will withstood great pressure from Morgan Griffith and the republican majority when broke with his party to support Mark Warner's budget in 2004. He did this at great peril to his own political future however, this was a monumental vote, and something those of us in his district, and across this commonwealth, will always appreciate. Our budget in Virginia and nationally is in dire straits--I can only imagine what our life would be like in Virginia had we continued the mass deficit politics of the Gilmore administration. This vote was a bold move to put into place some long term budget measures and his district, and our commonwealth, owe him a great debt of thanks for being a thoughtful and forward thinking legislator. Will Fralin votes his conscious and looks to the future which is very much commendable. Many of his colleagues like Morgan Griffith--or folks like Bob Goodlatte on the national level--seek band-aid reform: solutions that provide a temporary quick fix, but do not solve any long term problems. As I have stated many, many times to many, many people Will Fralin is a Statesman and not a politician. Will demonstrated this, as well as his ability to lead, by the actions stated above. He put people before politics and that is what makes him a great leader.
Will has always been thoughtful and has focused much of his time as a delegate on our children, which means a lot to this father of one. One of Will's final contributions to the legislature was his successful bill allowing schools to seize the drivers licenses of truant students. This is something Roanke City Schools asked for to help them reach out to students in jeopardy, and make progress towards decreasing Roanoke's hefty drop out rate.
These are just a couple examples of Will's contributions as a legislator and his time as our delegate has been extremely productive. As I said, there are many occasions where myself and my party definitely did not agree with Will, but his willingness to work with others and his priorities have always been clear. This is something he deserves our gratitude for no matter where you lie on the political spectrum.
I have already put a plug in for Eric Thomas as a candidate to succeed Will in the 17th district, should he decide to run. He is well known, hard working, and would continue this spirit of bipartisanship and forward thinking. I realize we have at least one declared candidate and I pledge to support whoever secures the Democratic nomination. As of now, the Democrats need just six House Seats to win back the House of Delegates and this is a golden opportunity for us! I will be working towards helping this seat and others in Southwest Virginia go to Democrats, and I hope you will join me in that effort!
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Goodlatte Puts Politics Before The People
This is a particular aggravation to me--when we have an economic crisis like none that our nation has seen, several wars going on and our men and women in uniform in harms way every day, and a new Congressional session and General Assembly session starting to make legislation that will affect all of our abilities to make ends meet for our families, Bob Goodlatte and his GOP colleagues chose to skip a critical annual meeting with Governor Kaine. This is not about liking Tim Kaine or the Democrats--this is about being adults, and being willing to work with each other regardless of party or ideology. All I have to say is that I hope Congressman Goodlatte and his colleagues will be more willing to work with their colleagues across the aisle as the session goes on.
Here is a piece I had sent into the Roanoke Times outlining the many reasons why skipping out on this meeting was a major disservice to everyone the Commonwealth. Is anyone else as disappointed as I am?
From the Roanoke Times
http://www.roanoke.com/editorials/commentary/wb/195005
Goodlatte put politics above the people
I am disappointed that Rep. Bob Goodlatte and the other Republican members of the Virginia congressional delegation chose to boycott the congressional delegation meeting with Gov. Tim Kaine Feb. 9.
This annual meeting is held to give our congressional representatives an opportunity to work with state government officials to better serve all of us, and to give the people representing us a chance to work together for the sake of everyone in this commonwealth.
With a horrific economic crisis, multiple wars overseas, rising health care costs and many of our localities facing painful budget cuts to our schools and services, it is inexcusable that any member of our congressional delegation would deliberately boycott this meeting. Not only that, it is childish, irresponsible, and alludes to an adherence to the partisan style of politics that has paralyzed our nation and our commonwealth for the last eight years.
It is one thing to disagree, but it is entirely another to be an obstructionist based on ideology. For whatever reason, the Republican congressional delegation chose to put partisan politics before the needs of the people, and I would like to know why they felt the need to behave in such a manner.
Goodlatte cited a scheduling conflict as his reason for not attending this meeting. If that was the case, it was Goodlatte's responsibility to make sure he was represented and contributed at that meeting. Rep.Rick Boucher also had a scheduling conflict, but managed to send his chief of staff to the meeting, and also talked with Kaine the day before to ensure that he was included in the discussion.
It concerns me that Goodlatte will often send a staff surrogate to fairs, fundraisers and other events he cannot attend, yet he was unable to send a representative to a discussion with our state's governor and his congressional colleagues, whom he will need to work with to help represent all of us better.
Goodlatte had a golden opportunity to set himself apart from his partisan colleagues and attend the meeting. If he truly cared about Southwest Virginia and the 6thDistrict he just won re-election to represent, he would have stood on his own and, at the very least, sent a representative to that meeting. The fact that he went along with the pack is further evidence that Goodlatte has become a career politician who cares more about following his party and the lead of other Washington insiders than serving the people of this district.
Now is not the time for partisan squabbling. We are in the middle of an economic crisis the likes of which this nation has not seen since the Great Depression. Yet Goodlatte chose to put allegiance to other politicians first, rather than meet with Kaine and his administration to seek out bipartisan solutions to the many problems we face.
Sen. Mark Warner noted that when he was governor, these annual meetings were some of the most important and useful meetings he held, and that the participation of the entire delegation was of the utmost importance. The fact that Goodlatte and his colleagues are not even willing to come to the table shows an arrogance and ideological point of view that are two of the main reasons we find ourselves in this current situation.
I do not seek Democratic or Republican solutions, and neither should any of our elected officials. Rather, we should seek solutions that will work for all Virginians.
Goodlatte's lack of participation and that of his GOP colleagues is both reckless and dangerous. While our state is affected every day by decisions made in Washington, while thousands of Virginians are suffering and the economic crisis deepens, it is more important than ever that the people representing us on both sides of the aisle work together.
Goodlatte is using as his road map partisan ideology, the same ideology that has not worked in the last eight years and which prefers confrontation over consensus-building. Combine this with the special interests he relies upon to keep him inside the Beltway, and you have a recipe for ignoring the voters.
This unbending attitude and tunnel vision is not what the citizens of the 6th District, the commonwealth of Virginia and the United States need in this hour of uncertainty.
Here is a piece I had sent into the Roanoke Times outlining the many reasons why skipping out on this meeting was a major disservice to everyone the Commonwealth. Is anyone else as disappointed as I am?
From the Roanoke Times
http://www.roanoke.com/editorials/commentary/wb/195005
Goodlatte put politics above the people
I am disappointed that Rep. Bob Goodlatte and the other Republican members of the Virginia congressional delegation chose to boycott the congressional delegation meeting with Gov. Tim Kaine Feb. 9.
This annual meeting is held to give our congressional representatives an opportunity to work with state government officials to better serve all of us, and to give the people representing us a chance to work together for the sake of everyone in this commonwealth.
With a horrific economic crisis, multiple wars overseas, rising health care costs and many of our localities facing painful budget cuts to our schools and services, it is inexcusable that any member of our congressional delegation would deliberately boycott this meeting. Not only that, it is childish, irresponsible, and alludes to an adherence to the partisan style of politics that has paralyzed our nation and our commonwealth for the last eight years.
It is one thing to disagree, but it is entirely another to be an obstructionist based on ideology. For whatever reason, the Republican congressional delegation chose to put partisan politics before the needs of the people, and I would like to know why they felt the need to behave in such a manner.
Goodlatte cited a scheduling conflict as his reason for not attending this meeting. If that was the case, it was Goodlatte's responsibility to make sure he was represented and contributed at that meeting. Rep.Rick Boucher also had a scheduling conflict, but managed to send his chief of staff to the meeting, and also talked with Kaine the day before to ensure that he was included in the discussion.
It concerns me that Goodlatte will often send a staff surrogate to fairs, fundraisers and other events he cannot attend, yet he was unable to send a representative to a discussion with our state's governor and his congressional colleagues, whom he will need to work with to help represent all of us better.
Goodlatte had a golden opportunity to set himself apart from his partisan colleagues and attend the meeting. If he truly cared about Southwest Virginia and the 6thDistrict he just won re-election to represent, he would have stood on his own and, at the very least, sent a representative to that meeting. The fact that he went along with the pack is further evidence that Goodlatte has become a career politician who cares more about following his party and the lead of other Washington insiders than serving the people of this district.
Now is not the time for partisan squabbling. We are in the middle of an economic crisis the likes of which this nation has not seen since the Great Depression. Yet Goodlatte chose to put allegiance to other politicians first, rather than meet with Kaine and his administration to seek out bipartisan solutions to the many problems we face.
Sen. Mark Warner noted that when he was governor, these annual meetings were some of the most important and useful meetings he held, and that the participation of the entire delegation was of the utmost importance. The fact that Goodlatte and his colleagues are not even willing to come to the table shows an arrogance and ideological point of view that are two of the main reasons we find ourselves in this current situation.
I do not seek Democratic or Republican solutions, and neither should any of our elected officials. Rather, we should seek solutions that will work for all Virginians.
Goodlatte's lack of participation and that of his GOP colleagues is both reckless and dangerous. While our state is affected every day by decisions made in Washington, while thousands of Virginians are suffering and the economic crisis deepens, it is more important than ever that the people representing us on both sides of the aisle work together.
Goodlatte is using as his road map partisan ideology, the same ideology that has not worked in the last eight years and which prefers confrontation over consensus-building. Combine this with the special interests he relies upon to keep him inside the Beltway, and you have a recipe for ignoring the voters.
This unbending attitude and tunnel vision is not what the citizens of the 6th District, the commonwealth of Virginia and the United States need in this hour of uncertainty.
My new blog--continuing the dialogue
Good day ladies and gentlemen,
I have finally got around to putting my blog together--something I have been wanting to do since last year! How fast time flies. After my city council run last year, I have been looking for a way to continue the dialogue I started with so many of my fellow citizens in Roanoke and beyond. One of my favorite parts about the campaign was talking to all of you, and I am starting this blog as a way to continue that conversation. I'll be posting thoughts every so often and am interested to see what you all think about the issues that are affecting all of us every day. Be sure to check back for new posts--I am looking forward to the dialogue, and looking forward to the statewide and general assembly races set to begin shortly in our Commonwealth.
I have finally got around to putting my blog together--something I have been wanting to do since last year! How fast time flies. After my city council run last year, I have been looking for a way to continue the dialogue I started with so many of my fellow citizens in Roanoke and beyond. One of my favorite parts about the campaign was talking to all of you, and I am starting this blog as a way to continue that conversation. I'll be posting thoughts every so often and am interested to see what you all think about the issues that are affecting all of us every day. Be sure to check back for new posts--I am looking forward to the dialogue, and looking forward to the statewide and general assembly races set to begin shortly in our Commonwealth.
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