Thursday, June 11, 2009
Deeds supporters confident of victory
People cite Creigh Deeds' sincerity and hard work, and say he won't show favoritism for Bath County.
MELINDA HOOKER
a band director at Bath County High School "We're fighting for the same things that the rest of the state is fighting for, money for schools, money for education, money for small communities as well as large communities he really knows what Virginians want."
SHERRY AYERS waitress at Cucci's Pizzeria in Covington.
"This area has been plagued with a loss of jobs in the past couple of years. Thousands of jobs have been lost in this area. We have high hopes that he'll bring employment to the area which will benefit everybody."
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roanoke.com/politics
WARM SPRINGS -- It seems that everyone in Bath County has direct experience getting to know state Sen. Creigh Deeds and his family.
Commonwealth's Attorney Chris Singleton practiced law with him for 15 years. Gene "Bugs" Phillips went to high school with him. Retired teacher Cliff Gilchrest taught Deeds' children at Millboro Elementary School, and band director Melinda Hooker has taught them at Bath County High School.
And while all of them were thrilled at Deeds' come-from-behind win to secure the Democratic Party's nomination for governor Tuesday, none seemed particularly surprised. And they all seem pretty confident he'll beat Republican nominee Bob McDonnell in November's general election, too.
"I'm not saying 'if' he's governor, I say 'when' he's governor -- because I think he'll win. I really do," Phillips said. "I think the more he gets out there and the more people come to understand him and know him and realize what kind of character and what kind of person he is, he'll only gain more votes throughout the commonwealth."
It's clear that people in Bath County -- which went 96 percent for Deeds -- and those in the rest of the Alleghany Highlands -- which somehow carried him by even greater margins -- are proud of their native son. But it's a quiet pride. There are no victory banners at the high school or courthouse.
And though a general election victory would no doubt boost the region's collective morale, there are few if any expectations that Deeds would play favorites -- even to a region where three of the four localities suffer unemployment rates at least 1 percent higher than the state average.
"This area's been plagued with a lot of job losses the last couple of years. Thousands of jobs," said Sherry Ayers, a waitress at Cucci's Pizzeria in Covington.
Ayers said she thought Deeds could help bring more employers to the Alleghany Highlands. But she suggested that he would do it not by favoring the region but by using his firsthand experience with its economic problems to push policies that would be good for the entire state.
Singleton echoed that thought: "He is a consummate representative to the people he represents, so I don't think he's going to do any favors for Bath County or Alleghany County that he doesn't do for the entire state."
When asked what most contributed to Deeds' victory, most Bath County, Alleghany County and Covington residents seemed to cite the same two qualities:
n Sincerity.
People repeatedly said that Deeds has stood by his beliefs.
"When Creigh first started out, he was so nervous and so self-conscious, but he always had the fire in his belly and the fire in the heart," said Carol Lee McGuire-Bishop, who taught social studies in the Alleghany County school system for 31 years. "When you see him over TV or out with big crowds, you don't understand how much he feels what he says. His grandparents were poor. He still lives in the same house his grandparents used to live in. His mother still carries the mail. I bet he's the only candidate whose wife works. He is just true to his values. I don't think his basic values have changed one bit."
Hooker said that in a time when many people distrust the government, sincerity means more than ever: "It means something to people nowadays."
n Hard work.
Singleton said that if McDonnell wants to beat Deeds in the rematch of their close 2005 race for attorney general, "he'll have to bring his lunch."
Singleton tells a story from 1987, when Deeds won election as Bath County commonwealth's attorney. The county Democrats used a mass meeting to nominate their candidate.
"In outlying areas, you'd be lucky if you get 10 or 12 people at these mass meetings," Singleton said. "His opponent, Mike Collins, was also trying to get the nomination. The mass meeting was up here at the courthouse. Mike had rounded up 30 people. That's a tough number. But when we locked the doors up to get a firm count, Creigh had over 300 people. It was just amazing. That was the beginning."
Singleton said that Deeds' supporters that night were identified by using armbands.
"My wife told Creigh that night that she was going to wear that band to the governor's mansion. I think that's kind of neat. She just might do it."
