Sunday, November 01, 2009
Editorial: Endorsements for 2009
Virginia voters will decide the direction of the state for the next four years. Choose wisely.
From the RoundTable blog
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Citizens of Virginia will elect a new governor and attorney general Tuesday and decide whether the House of Delegates will continue to be controlled by Republicans who have refused to take real action on the transportation crisis facing the state.
Many national pundits want to make this campaign a referendum about President Obama a year after his historic election.
A recent poll showed that Virginia voters are smarter than that. Only about 30 percent said Obama would factor in their decision in any way. Most Virginians know Tuesday's vote is about their home state, not the nation.
The direction Virginia could take in the next four years is certainly what weighed most heavily on members of The Roanoke Times editorial board as we deliberated our endorsements.
The top of the Republican ticket is an extremely conservative slate of unyielding ideologues. Virginians, who have long prided themselves on embracing a moderate, pragmatic conservatism, should understand that is most certainly not what Republicans offer this year.
The ongoing obstructionism of the Republican-controlled House of Delegates in dealing with Virginia's mounting transportation crisis guided our thinking to a great extent in deciding who to endorse in the various delegate races in the region.
Here are our endorsements for the 2009 general election:
Governor: Creigh Deeds
Democrat Creigh Deeds is not the most articulate candidate, but he has a clear vision for Virginia. He has the knowledge of the legislative process and the relationships in the General Assembly necessary to actually bring leaders together to accomplish something on transportation.
Republican Bob McDonnell has a 21-page plan for transportation that is little more than a compilation of rejected ideas and thinly disguised raids on the general fund. All his talk about jobs and the economy cannot obscure his extreme record of social conservatism.
Deeds is the better candidate for the job.
Lt. Governor: Jody Wagner
Though the office of lietenant governor is largely ceremonial and mostly considered a placeholder for a candidate angling for a run for governor in four years, Democrat Jody Wagner is brimming with ideas and ambitions for things she believes she could actually accomplish. She would build on relationships she's developed working with the General Assembly on budget and finance issues as state treasurer and secretary of finance during the terms of Govs. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner.
Republican Bill Bolling has done little but mark time in the office, and he appears to be asking voters for four more years mostly out of the political realization that a run against McDonnell in the primary would have been fruitless.
Attorney General: Steve Shannon
While McDonnell has attempted to portray himself as a pragmatist interested in jobs and economic development, Sen. Ken Cuccinelli, the Republican candidate for attorney general, has not hidden from his record as one of the most ultra-conservative legislators in the state. As attorney general, he promises to take the federal government to court if he doesn't like laws passed by Congress. He admits he would refuse to defend legislation passed by the General Assembly if he deems it unconstitutional -- never mind that deciding the constitutionality of duly passed laws is the job of the courts, not the attorney general.
Del. Steve Shannon, on the other hand, has a far more moderate agenda for the office. The former prosecutor would further his longtime efforts against Internet predators and others who endanger children. Shannon has stressed his record of bipartisan achievement in the General Assembly.
Shannon would do the job better and with far less ideological baggage to hinder Virginia.
House of Delegates
6th District: Carole Pratt
Pratt, a retired dentist, would be a strong advocate for rural health care in the General Assembly.
7th District: Peggy Frank
Frank would bring a bipartisan sensibility and openness to real solutions to the House.
8th District: Carter Turner
Turner would be thoughtful and independent.
9th District: Charles Poindexter
Poindexter has been a reasonable delegate who understands his district.
11th District: Onzlee Ware
Ware has worked to benefit his district.
12th District: James Shuler
Shuler is a successful incumbent.
17th District: Gwen Mason
Mason, a moderate, has experience cutting budgets.
19th District: Lacey Putney
Longtime legislator Putney is independent and knowledgeable.
Local races
Roanoke County Board of Supervisors
- Hollins District: Richard Flora
- Windsor Hills District: Sarah Goodman
- Vinton District: Michael Altizer
Roanoke County School Board
- Vinton District: Jason Peters
Roanoke City Sheriff
- Brian Keenum
Botetourt County Board of Supervisors
- Buchanan District: Terry Austin
Botetourt County School Board
- Buchanan District: Kathy Graham Sullivan
New River Valley races
For a roundup of our endorsements in the New River Valley, click here.
