Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Gilmore, Warner court law officials' support
The U.S. Senate candidates were in Roanoke to tout their law enforcement records and win endorsements.
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roanoke.com/politics
The two former governors running for a seat in the U.S. Senate separately touted their law enforcement credentials to the Virginia Sheriffs' Association meeting in Roanoke on Tuesday.
Democrat Mark Warner and Republican Jim Gilmore each spoke to crowds of sheriffs and deputies, but their speeches were separated by a couple of hours, as well as a marked gap in enthusiasm and a news conference in which more than 30 officials endorsed Warner.
The two men are running to replace Republican John Warner, who is retiring from the Senate. Mark Warner is not related to the incumbent senator.
Warner's speech to a crowd of nearly 200 kicked off about 9:30 a.m., and it ended with a 30-second standing ovation. Gilmore started much later in the morning, when the audience had dwindled to about 150; the end of his remarks were greeted by about 10 seconds of polite applause.
Both men started out by citing what they'd done to boost law enforcement during their respective political careers before eventually reverting to their stock stump speeches.
Warner's speech was followed by a news conference in which he was endorsed by about 30 law enforcement officials as well as the Virginia Police Benevolent Association. Warner was endorsed last month by the Virginia Fraternal Order of Police.
Floyd County Sheriff Shannon Zeman, a Republican, said that despite his party affiliation, he's supporting Warner, calling him "a friend of mine, a friend of law enforcement."
And Washington County Sheriff Fred Newman credited Warner's 2005 executive order that required certain over-the-counter decongestants be placed behind the counter in stores with helping to slow the production of methamphetamine in Southwest Virginia.
Warner had mentioned the executive order in his speech, touting it as only one of many things he'd done to support law enforcement agencies.
"It's easy to stand up here and say I support you. The best evidence of that is not the talk, but the actions when you have the opportunity," Warner said.
He said he'd shown that support by helping initiate the statewide Amber Alert system, investing in a new radio system, toughening anti-drunken-driving laws and helping to fund salaries with the hard-fought 2004 budget.
Gilmore likewise touted his own accomplishments and experience as "what a real record is in law enforcement."
He cited his four years as Henrico County commonwealth's attorney. Gilmore said that as attorney general and governor, he reformed the juvenile justice system, helped put an end to a rash of black church burnings, provided money for more school resource officers and pushed a program to provide more substance abuse treatment for drug offenders.
Gilmore also went on the attack, suggesting that Warner's endorsements were motivated by his support for a bill that would allow public safety officers to unionize.
Gilmore warned law enforcement officers supporting Warner that "there will come a time if Mark Warner is elected to the Senate and we have public employee collective bargaining, when you will have to explain to your community why you supported a man who helped unionize your sheriff's department."
The legislation in question would provide a form of collective bargaining activity for public safety employees. But, according to Warner spokesman Kevin Hall, it "explicitly says there's no right for public safety workers to strike."
Four sheriffs, including Bedford County's Mike Brown and Radford's Mark Armentrout, endorsed Gilmore on Tuesday.
Gilmore and Warner will meet Thursday in McLean for a debate sponsored by the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce that will be broadcast on cable television in Northern Virginia. They've also agreed to appear Oct. 3 in a live televised debate in Roanoke to be hosted by WSLS (Channel 10).
