Assembly candidates focus on economy

Del. Rob Bell, R-Albemarle County, said his priority — if he wins re-election Nov. 3 — would be to preserve Virginia’s ranking as the No. 1 state to do business.
That means, Bell said, preserving Virginia’s right-to-work law, prioritizing funding for education and transportation, ensuring that energy costs are affordable, and keeping taxes as low as possible. Such policies, he said, would best position Virginia as it emerges out of the economic downturn.

“The biggest issue is the economy,” said Bell, who has served in the House since 2002. “We had a foreclosure on my street. I’m certainly aware of the impact of the economy.”
Bell’s challenger in this fall’s election, Democrat Cynthia Neff, said she wants to implement mandatory energy-efficiency standards, tax credits for renewable energy and more economic development incentives to convince companies to relocate to Virginia.
“We need better jobs in Virginia,” said Neff, a former IBM executive. “Does everybody know the top five jobs in Virginia? Retail, office clerk, waitress, food prep and janitor.”
Neff said she wants the state government to do more to promote clean energy research and generation in an attempt to create green jobs in Virginia while also cleaning up the environment.

“There’s some sexy stuff going on in alternative energy,” Neff said.
Bell and Neff outlined their views on a long list of issues Wednesday at a candidate forum sponsored by the Senior Statesmen of Virginia.
Also appearing at the forum were Del. David J. Toscano, D-Charlottes-ville, and his challenger, Robert Bran-don Smith III, an independent, and Del. R. Steven Landes, R-Weyers Cave, and his challenger, Democrat Greg Marrow.
The six candidates are running in the Charlottesville area’s three contested House of Delegates races. All 100 seats in the House are up for election in November.

Toscano, who has served in the General Assembly since 2006, said his priority is improving Virginia’s economy and helping those hurt by the economic downturn. Toscano wants to preserve funding for the University of Virginia and its capital projects, which he said would help job growth in Charlottesville. And he aims to continue supporting scientific research and development at Virginia’s colleges and universities, which could further the commercialization of research and lead to more economic growth.
“We intend to put Virginia in a place that when we do come out [of the recession] we’ll be stronger for it,” he said.
Toscano added that he wants to continue implementing measures that promote clean energy and encourage development of green jobs. During the 2009 legislative session, Toscano sponsored and saw the approval of a bill that encourages the use of renewable energy by expanding net metering, which allows consumers to sell excess energy generated by solar and wind back to utility companies at a retail rate.

“There are a lot of people that want to leave things the way they are, not recognizing that the world is changing,” Toscano said. “If we don’t figure out a way to change in advance of the world changing, we will be left behind.”
Smith, Toscano’s challenger, who is also known as RBS3, said he is running for the House to advocate against the Meadowcreek Parkway project, demolish the Friendship Court public housing complex while building a ring of public housing options around Charlottesville, and to “outlaw and abolish homework in public schools forever.”

“I’m running partially because I’ve always wanted to, partially because I could use the job, partially because I’m dissatisfied with what I see in American society,” Smith said. “I’ve been a malcontent all my life.”
Smith is often seen on the Downtown Mall and noted that he has been “basically homeless” and an “urban camper.” Smith said he is a longtime fixture at Charlottesville public meetings, advocating for such issues as more bicycle lanes in the city.
“I’m used to standing at the back of these forums and directing my voice toward the front,” Smith said, sitting on stage.
In his opening statement, Smith read the audience the fortune he found in the cookie that came with his Chinese lunch. “Do not worry about holding a high position,” it said. “Worry about playing your proper role.”
Landes, who is serving his seventh term as a member of the House, represents a district that is primarily made up of Waynesboro and Augusta and Rockingham counties but also includes three precincts in the Crozet area of Albemarle.
Landes said he has proven experience and leadership in the legislature, most recently winning passage of a bill that establishes the Virginia Natural Resources Commitment Fund, which lets farmers and the state contribute money toward cleaning up streams and waterways, as well as a bill that requires the Board of Pharmacy to establish a program that collects unused medication and distributes the drugs to free clinics.
“Experience is important,” Landes said.

Marrow, Landes’ challenger, pointed to his own experience serving in the Navy, operating an optometry practice and owning a small alpaca farm.
“I’m very concerned and aware of our community,” Marrow said. “I want to see it prosper and get better.”
Marrow said he is particularly interested in helping veterans and people without health insurance.
“We have a great health care system, folks,” he said. “It’s not the health care system that’s broken. What’s broken is our health insurance system.”
The six candidates took a couple questions from the audience Wednesday at the Senior Center on Pepsi Place.
When asked if they support drilling for oil and natural gas off Virginia’s coast, Neff, Marrow and Smith said they are opposed to the idea. Bell and Landes said they support offshore drilling as part of a comprehensive energy strategy.
Toscano said no one is sure how much oil is actually off Virginia’s coast, no one is sure when it could be obtained and no one is sure what the benefits would be for Virginia. Toscano added that he supports energy-efficiency measures, which he said are a more certain “bang for our buck.”

The candidates were also asked if they believe in same-sex marriage.
Neff said she supports the idea. “Gay people’s love is as valuable as anybody’s love,” she said.
Bell said that he voted in favor of the constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage and civil unions and does not support a repeal of the amendment.
Landes said he does not support the notion of same-sex marriage. “I’m a member of the Christian faith. That’s part of my belief,” he said.
Marrow said he supports the idea of civil unions, as he believes same-sex partners should be allowed to have the same legal, financial and medical rights as heterosexual married couples.

Toscano said he voted against the constitutional amendment, but it would be extremely difficult to get it repealed. The question now, he said, is if the General Assembly will move forward with a proposal to ban discrimination against gays and lesbians in the workplace.
Smith, who said he has been declared an “honorary lesbian,” pointed out that not many couples — gay or straight — are happy in their marriages. “The question to me is, why do people want to mimic something, if people tell the truth, that isn’t all that great?”
Smith added that he supports civil unions. “This is an inalienable right and I regret the state and the churches sticking their noses in it.”