Fluvanna voters are urged to participate in the Republican primary election next Tuesday, Aug. 23, when one of five regional hopefuls will be chosen to run for Virginia’s 22nd Senatorial District. This choice will have an influence on government policy for the region, affecting employment, small business, education, and many other aspects of rural life.

Brian Bates of Buckingham hopes to be elected in the upcoming primary. He has served on the Buckingham Board of Supervisors for 12 years and he believes “the economy and jobs,” are priority one. “I have a proven record of accomplishment in job creation and economic development,” he says. Bates sites the Dominion Energy/Bear Garden power plant in Buckingham, Virginia as a prime example. “A $620 million project (which) created over 700 jobs at the height of the recession.” Bates recruited the energy program to Buckingham County and “helped shepherd it through the intricate approval of permitting process at the local and state levels.”

The volunteer firefighter would most like to state government “get back in check” and stop issuing regulations and conditions that impose cost on local government and private individuals. “I’ve seen unfunded mandates from Richmond hurt local people and local government,” he says. Visit http://brianbates.us/ for more information about Bates.

Tom Garrett of Louisa would like your vote because “the whole district, whether it’s in Richmond or Washington, we’ve gotten away from the foundational principles of our founders. I think it’s important to look at the core functions of government at each level.”

For instance, when Gov. Bob McDonnell was scolded, “because [McDonnell] vetoed a bill that would have mandated a certain amount of [physical education] in Virginia schools, his response was ‘Sure it’s a good idea to have a certain amount of P.E., but is that more appropriately determined by the schools in Fluvanna?’”

The commonwealth’s attorney wants local government to remain local. “Mandates sent from Washington, D.C., and Richmond—those folks don’t know what’s important to Palmyra as well as the people in Palmyra do.” Garrett says he will spend time “reining in non-essential spending and then moving away from state and federal mandated spending to localities and remembering what Thomas Jefferson said which was ‘Government closest to home is most responsive.’” Visit http://votetom.net/ for more information about Garrett.

For Mark Peake of Lynchburg, “it’s really all about jobs and so we’ve got to make sure and keep and create a job-friendly environment in the state of Virginia. We’ve done well, but we need to be better with tax incentives or worker-hiring incentives,” he says.

“We need to do that through less government. We’ve got a lot of regulations out there that are strangling existing business.”

The small business owner says we need to look at all the regulations business owners have to go through just to “get permits for this and permits for that, over-regulation, regulating amt of water that can be used, types of light bulbs, enviro-friendly buildings. I believe strongly that we need to preserve the beauty of the commonwealth but that doesn’t mean over regulate to the point that we’re not competitive with other businesses, other states or other countries.”

Peake promises to “work hard to represent voters in Fluvanna. I understand rural issues as well as city issues.” Visit http://peakeforsenate.com/ for more information about Peake.

Bryan Rhode of Goochland agrees that the number one priority in the 22nd District is the creation of jobs and economic development. “I think that is clearly the most pressing issue. Rural Virginia has been especially hard hit by the economic downturn. I’ve literally talked to thousands of voters in the 22nd District—numerous ones who have lost their jobs or have been forced to retire early, or have businesses closing…people are really hurting out there.”

The former U.S. Marine says he will make “concrete steps to make sure we all have a sustainable environment. We need to make sure we improve the business environment, eliminate the corporate income tax. We also need to make sure that we keep regulation low, particularly environmental—a burden particularly when you look at small farms,” he says.  Visit http://rhodeforsenate.net/ for more information about Rhode.

Claudia Tucker was not available for comment, visit her website at http://www.claudiatucker.com.
The Member Senate of Virginia, 22nd District is to be held Aug. 23. The Registrar’s office will be open on Aug. 20 for the purpose of in-person absentee voting from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The polls will open at 6a.m. on Aug. 23 and close at 7 p.m.
The new District 22 encompasses Amherst, Appomattox, Buckingham, Cumberland, Fluvanna, Goochland, Prince Edward, and parts of Louisa counties and Lynchburg. For questions, call the Fluvanna County Registrar’s Office (434) 589-3593.