Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Candidates start to queue for Fralin's House seat
Republican Melvin Williams and Democrat Gwen Mason launched their campaigns Monday.
Related
The latest from our Blue Ridge Caucus politics blog
- Va. Senate votes to restrict local government land grabs
- House advances “personhood” and abortion ultrasound bills
From The Roanoke Times
Political ambition was in the air Monday afternoon when hopefuls from the Republican and the Democratic side joined the race for the 17th District in the House of Delegates.
Melvin Williams, a Roanoke lawyer, declared from the doors of his Elm Avenue law office that he would seek the Republican nomination in the June 9 primary.
The announcement came two hours after Roanoke City Councilwoman Gwen Mason, a Democrat, formally kicked off her own campaign at the city's Higher Education Center.
Williams, in brief remarks, painted himself as a business-friendly conservative who emphasized family values and a minimal role for government.
Monday's announcement marks his debut in politics.
Williams, 36, is a litigator with the firm Grimes and Williams, and served as assistant commonwealth's attorney in Bedford County for three years. He has pastored at several churches and serves on the board of Local Colors.
Williams is the first Republican to declare his intentions for the seat, while several other Republicans are rumored to be interested, including former Roanoke County Supervisor Mike Wray.
The 17th District seat is currently held by Republican William Fralin of Roanoke, who said at the end of February that he was leaving office. Fralin's surprise announcement set off an immediate surge of interest in his seat, which included several Democratic members of the Roanoke City Council.
Mason jumped in the race first, and one other potential candidate, Councilman David Trinkle, decided over the weekend he will not run because "having two city council members running against each other in a difficult race would be a distraction to the many issues facing our city."
On Monday, Mason, 49, vowed to work for closer cooperation between local governments and the state, particularly in budget matters.
"Sound investment of public money is critical," she said, adding that she would push for "making wise fiscal decisions."
She also thanked Fralin for his service, and spoke of her admiration for two of the area's most prominent Democratic state legislators, the late Del. Vic Thomas of Roanoke and former state House Majority Leader Richard Cranwell of Vinton.
At the same time, Thomas' son Eric is considering challenging Mason for the Democratic nomination. Cranwell's son Rich has bowed out.
Mason once served as a federal government manager and has served on the city council for slightly more than two years, where she's spearheaded its environmental efforts. Despite her short time in office, she said, she has the work ethic and the experience to be in the House of Delegates.
Eric Thomas, a Roanoke County real estate broker, said Monday he would make a decision on running this week.
pete.dybdahl@roanoke.com 981-3376 david.harrison@roanoke.com 981-3523
