Serving the counties of Halifax and Mecklenburg, Virginia
|
Home •
News •
Sports •
Classifieds •
Community •
Health •
Entertainment •
Obituaries •
Opinions •
Weather
|
News Two crashes in Virgilina investigated09/02/10 - 6:47 am
First Lady visits VIR for a taste of life in the fast lane09/02/10 - 6:47 am
Virginia’s first lady came to Virginia International Raceway to run in some very fast company Monday afternoon.
ROCHICHI reunion stirs fond memories09/01/10 - 7:52 am
Former campers and their counselors who packed memories of outdoor fun and misadventure into their duffle bags each summer at Rochichi Point during the ‘70s unpacked and relived those memories…
Sports Comets look to rebound09/01/10 - 3:03 pm
Comet officials said yesterday the varsity football game with North Stafford remains on schedule for Friday night.
Community
Opinion A&E
- More A&E
|
News Signer brings Lt. Gov. campaign to town
SoVaNow.com / April 13, 2009
One of the three Democrats vying to run for lieutenant governor this fall visited South Boston Friday with a self-proclaimed “playbook” for winning the office away from incumbent Bill Bolling, a Republican.Mike Signer, former deputy counselor to Gov. Mark Warner and a national security consultant, told a crowd of about 20 local Democrats that he would focus his general election campaign around five themes: job creation, extending the legacy of Warner and current Gov. Tim Kaine, building on last year’s victory in Virginia by Barack Obama, strong national security and “staying on offense and knowing how to win.” He dived straight into a political controversy that unfolded late last week — a vote by the Republican-led House of Delegates to reject $125 million in federal stimulus funds to expand unemployment benefits for idled part-time workers and individuals who are training for new jobs. “They just took money out of this economy when we needed it most,” said Signer, who called the vote “disgusting.” “They do a lot of things that have nothing to do with improving the lives of ordinary people,” he said of Republican delegates, noting that all but two — Donald Merricks of Pittsylvania and Danny Marshall of Danville — voted against the unemployment benefit expasion. Bolling, Signer said, refused to take a stance on the issue until the debate was almost settled. The State Senate, over which Bolling presides as lieutenant governor, approved the expanded benefits by a party-line 21-19 vote with Democrats voting yes and Republicans no. Bolling “is a real knuckledragger of a Republican,” Signer told local Democrats. Signer, an Arlington native, is seeking the party’s nod to run against Bolling in the upcoming June 9 Democratic primary. The other candidates in the primary are Jody Wagner of Norfolk, Kaine’s former finance secretary, and Russell County businessman Jon Bowerbank. A fourth candidate, Virginia Beach school board member Pat Edmondson, dropped out last week and endorsed Signer. Signer said that recent victories by Democrats in Virginia show the state is “at a crossroads” but said progress depends on Democrats continuing to win at the statewide level. He called the Democrats “the party of social progress and economic justice” and he added that the House’s rejection of jobless benefits, at a time when people’s jobs are at risk due to a weak economy, shows the difference between the two major parties. Signer said Republicans offered changing rationales for their vote in the legislature—at first, arguing that expanded benefits would be too expensive to maintain once the stimulus funds ran out. But Signer pointed out that the costs amount to an extra 38 cents per worker per month for businesses that pay into the unemployment insurance fund. Signer said Virginia’s unemployment tax is 49th lowest out of 50 states. The real reason Republicans turned down the money, said Signer, is “because of some ideological problem they have with the federal government being involved.” But when it came time to pay for other state budget priorities, Republicans “had no problem” spending federal stimulus funds, he said. Signer touched on a number of issues during a half-hour talk to local Democrats at Italian Delight — including restoring the voting rights of felons after they have served their time in prison. He noted that Virginia and Kentucky are the only two states that require the ex-cons to petition for restoration of their voting rights, and he pointed out that Texas changed its law with George W. Bush’s support back when Bush served as governor a decade ago. Signer said he also would work as lieutenant governor to elevate more African-Americans to the judiciary — and he singled out the 10th District Circuit Court seat that has opened up with the retirement of William Wellons. Signer called for the appointment of local General District Court Judge Joel Cunningham to the seat, calling Cunningham “distinguished” and highly qualified for the Circuit position. The General Assembly so far has deadlocked on the appointment, with Cunningham emerging as the favorite of the Democratic-controlled State Senate while the GOP-led House has been unable to come up with a consensus pick. Pointing out that the district has no black Circuit judges despite a large African-American population, Signer told his listeners, “I think with this particular circuit, with the history of this area, it would be very good to have an African-American judge” taking the open seat. Signer, a 1995 magna cum laude graduate of Princeton University, earned his law degree at the University of Virginia and a Ph.D. from University of California-Berkeley. In addition to his involvement in statewide politics, he was a foreign policy advisor to presidential candidate John Edwards and later a national security consultant at the Center for American Progress, a center-left think tank. He is the author of a new book, “Demogogue: The Fight To Save Democracy from its Worst Enemies,” which was published in February. Tell-a-Friend | Submit a Comment Halifax News
Mecklenburg News
|
Classifieds REAL ESTATE Lake Gaston VA/NC 350 miles shoreline, FREE LAKE MAP/BUYERS GUIDE. Tanglewood Realty, Box 116, Bracey, VA 23919, http://www.TanglewoodRealty.com 1-800-338-8816.
MOUNTAINS EAST AND WEST 3-acre homesite with fantastic ridge-top views, nearly level. Between Staunton and Lexington in excellent neighborhood. $99,900 owner financing. 540-294-2839.
RV delivery drivers needed. Deliver RVs, boats and trucks for PAY! Deliver to all 48 states and Canada. For details log on towww.RVdeliveryjobs.com
vnc |
