Monday, November 07, 2005

My Two Final Endorsements

As those of you who have been following this series know I have been having some fun with the Roanoke Times and putting out some serious endorsements of my own.

My Governor endorsement can be found here.
Lt. Governor and Atty. General here.
And probably the most serious to date, at least for my Henry and Patrick County readers,
My 10th District choice here.

Now, at this late time, (sorry, but I am busy during the day), my choices for the local races where I actually live.

Collinsville seat on the Henry County Board of Supervisors;

My choice and recommendation has to be David Davis. Mr. Davis has experience not only on the Board of Supervisors, but also in the "real world" of business management. He has served well during his tenure, and I see no reason not to continue our community's relationship with him. (Note to Wendy and Tommy. I assume Mr. Davis is a Democrat, he has campaign literature picturing him with Mark Warner. Ain't you guys on Campbell Ave. proud of me?)

His opponent, Jim McMillian, on the other hand has consistently refused to state an opinion on any issue likely to face the County. He instead prefers to hide behind the statement that he would vote as the Collinsville District voters as a majority prefered.

This sounds good to those that give it no further consideration, but. And that is one big but.

How does one know what the majority of the Collinsville District actually prefers? Would Mr. MacMillian actually canvass the town before each meeting, with an agenda in hand? Or would he rather have us all come in to each meeting and individually whisper into his ear before each vote. You can see that this campaign position is not only deceitful, it borders on (if not surpassing) stupidity. I urge you all to vote for David Davis instead of this charlatan.

Next, Henry County School Board, Collinsville District.

I know John Anders. Or rather I knew John Anders. But that was two wives ago. (My wives, not John's. As far as I know he is still married to the lovely and gracious Barbara.) The John Anders I remember was an intelligent, dedicated teacher of Spanish, with a great sense of humor. John, if you happen to read this, I finally learned some Spanish. Dos cervezas mas , por favor!

John would make a fine School Board Member, but I'm getting ahead of myself. I haven't endorsed him yet.

I do not know his two opponents, Juanita May and Kathy Rogers.

Both Anders and May have made the basis of their platform improved pay for teachers. That ex-wife I alluded to in an earlier paragraph was a teacher. I know first-hand just how much hard work, especially after hours and weekend work, goes into being an educator. However, that coupled with smaller class sizes seems to be the extent of each candidates ideas.

Ms. Rogers, however, has presented some interesting ideas regarding the follow-up on the recent consolidation of County Schools. Regardless of how one felt concerning consolidation, it's been done. Now we have to make it work. There are still several elementary schools in the County that need to be either replaced or renovated. Ms. Rogers, unlike her counterparts in the Blackberry district, has not jumped to any politically expedient conclusions in this regard.

My choice for Collinsville District School Board seat is....

A toss-up. Because I know John, and am certain that he stands for more than just teacher salaries, I feel he would be a good choice. Again, the John I knew would not be extremely comfortable with a Bulletin reporter and may not have expressed his full thoughts on the office. Vote for either John Anders or Kathy Rogers. I would be comfortable with either one taking over from the extremely dedicated Katherine Wickline.

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