Cline kicks off re-election bid with manufacturing tour
Del. Ben Cline (R-24) today officially kicked off his campaign for re-election to the House of Delegates this November with a focus on creating jobs and accelerating Virginia’s economic recovery. Del. Cline was joined by Congressman Bob Goodlatte as he toured three local manufacturers in the 24th House District.
“It has been an honor for me to represent the citizens of the 24th House District in the General Assembly,” said Cline. “I am proud of the successes that we have been able to achieve, including the passage of tax relief for families and businesses across Virginia and the establishment of community college branch campuses in Amherst and Buena Vista. But there is more to do, especially when Virginia families are hurting due to the economic downturn. Providing additional workforce training and economic incentives that help businesses like S&S Machines in Amherst, Advanced Drainage Systems in Buena Vista, and McKee Foods in Stuarts Draft create jobs will lead to a brighter future for families across our part of Virginia.”
Cline’s legislative accomplishments during his nine years in office focus mainly on improving the economy in three areas: Infrastructure, Instruction, and Incentives. Locally, Cline’s major infrastructure focus has been on securing funding to open and operate the aforementioned CVCC Amherst and DSLCC Rockbridge branches, fighting against the closure of the Central Virginia Training Center (Amherst County’s largest employer), and passing several bills that encourage safety, reduce congestion, and promote intermodal rail to improve the long-term viability of Interstate-81.
Cline’s focus on workforce instruction and job training resulted in the creation of the Community College Transfer Grant scholarship that enables students to transfer from community college to four-year state schools more easily (HB2168 – 2007). Cline also sponsored legislation in 2006 to save students and their families money by creating a school supply sales tax holiday (HB1125 – 2006), as well as legislation to provide instate tuition benefits to children of military personnel stationed in Virginia (HB 1135 – 2006). Cline has also focused as a member of the House Finance Committee on providing tax and regulatory incentives for employers and working families to locate and create jobs in Virginia.
“It has been an honor to represent the hardworking citizens of Amherst, Augusta and Rockbridge in Richmond, and I look forward to a positive campaign and asking for their votes this fall,” Cline said. “In addition, I look forward to getting to know folks across Bath County as I introduce myself to the newest parts of the 24th House district.”
The 24th House District includes the Cities of Lexington and Buena Vista, Bath and Rockbridge Counties, and parts of Amherst and Augusta Counties. Delegate Cline was elected in 2002 and re-elected to his fifth term in 2009. Cline is Chairman of the Joint Health Care Commission and a member of the House Commerce Committee, Public Safety Committee, Finance Committee, and Courts of Justice Committee. He lives with his wife, Elizabeth, near Lexington and is an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney for Rockingham County.
Campaign finance: GOP incumbents report cash totals
A look at campaign-finance numbers for the upcoming 2011 Virginia General Assembly elections shows long-time Republican State Sen. Emmett Hanger in the best money position among local incumbents.
Hanger reported $98,448 in cash on hand as of March 31, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. Hanger, R-Mount Solon, has a proven ability to raise money. The Mount Solon resident spent $286,217 on his 2007 re-election in the 24th Senate District, most of it – $259,619 – in a tightly contested May GOP primary, in which he defeated challenger Scott Sayre by less than 600 votes.
Rockbridge Republican State Del. Ben Cline reported $29,173 cash on hand as of March 31. The 24th House District representative spent $148,109 on his 2009 re-election campaign, in which he defeated Democrat Jeff Price, receiving 71.2 percent of the vote.
Weyers Cave Republican Steve Landes reported $5,706 cash on hand on March 31. Landes spent $140,472 on his 2009 re-election campaign in the 25th House District, in which he defeated Democrat Greg Marrow, receiving 73.2 percent of the vote.
Staunton Republican Dickie Bell reported $5,204 cash on hand on March 31. Bell spent $55,020 on his 2009 election in the 20th House District, in which he defeated Democrat Erik Curren, receiving 71.2 percent of the vote.
McDonnell backs local delegate on balanced-budget amendment
A resolution proposed by Rockbridge Republican Del. Ben Cline that calls on Congress to pass an amendment to the United States Constitution requiring it to adopt a balanced budget has the support of Gov. Bob McDonnell.
“Over the last two years, the federal government has added approximately $3.37 trillion to the national debt, making the total national debt an unsustainable $14 trillion. It is critical that Washington gets its fiscal house in order and reduces spending to ensure the future prosperity and security of our great nation,” McDonnell said in a statement on the resolution, which also calls for a constitutional convention for adoption of a balanced-budget amendment.
McDonnell has been under fire of late from Democrats and the Tea Party for his $4 billion transportation-improvements plan that relies heavily on the assumption of public debt for financing. Cline voted against the McDonnell plan in the House earlier this week, though it passed with largely Republican support by a 65-33 vote.
“Families must make tough decisions every day to balance their checkbooks, and states like Virginia have balanced budgets every year — the federal government should be no different,” Cline said. “The resolution I am introducing today requesting a constitutional convention on a balanced budget amendment is a step in the right direction toward reining in federal government spending and tackling the federal debt. A balanced budget amendment in the U.S. Constitution will set us on a path toward fiscal responsibility in Washington.”
Story by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at freepress2@ntelos.net.
Cline: ‘Skins suite seats misused by Lottery staff
State Del. Ben Cline, R-24th District, announced today that he had received confirmation of recent actions by Virginia Lottery employees in which luxury skybox suite seats reserved for winners of the Redskins Legacy game were misused by Lottery staff. Cline also announced that he would be asking for an independent audit of the Virginia Lottery at the next General Assembly session.
“For years, the Virginia Lottery has been playing fast and loose with millions of dollars that should go toward education but instead are spent on layers of administrative bureaucracy and private licensing agreements,” Cline said. “Now we learn that these agreements, one of which includes luxury skybox seats at Washington Redskins games as prizes, are being abused by Lottery employees. Lottery revenues should be going to fund education, not to line the pockets of advertising executives or to provide perks for Lottery employees. Virginia’s school children deserve better.”
The issue regarding the Redskins suite tickets was first raised on the Not Larry Sabato politics blog in September with a report about the use of a luxury suite at the Redskins’ season opener this year by Virginia Lottery officials. Cline wrote to the Lottery to request details about the Redskins Legacy game, and said he was informed in an e-mail response from Lottery Director Paula Otto that one of the prizes was in fact the use of a luxury skybox for a Redskins home game. When questioned in more detail about the use of the luxury skybox, Otto also confirmed that the suite was not occupied during the Redskins home opener by a Redskins Legacy game winner, but instead by Lottery staff.
“At a time when we are being forced to make difficult decisions about funding for education in Virginia, it is disheartening to learn that Lottery revenues intended for our schools are being misused by the staff of the Lottery Department,” Cline said. “I plan to file a budget amendment in the upcoming General Assembly session for a full and independent audit of the Virginia Lottery, and I hope it will receive bipartisan support as we strive to fully fund our public schools in Virginia.”
Virginia Lottery spokesman John Hagerty disputes Cline’s characterization of Otto’s e-mail to Cline. Hagerty said today that Otto informed Cline in her e-mail that the box was indeed used by Lottery staff, but the use was as a staging area for an on-field presentation at halftime of the football game that highlighted the $4.8 billion the Lottery has generated for K-12 public education since 1999.
“We believe that was a logical use of the box, which would otherwise have been empty,” Hagerty said in an e-mail to AugustaFreePress.com.
Scratcher games using licensed properties, such as Redskins Legacy, routinely perform an average of 17 percent better than other games, Hagerty said. Redskins Legacy has generated $14.6 million in sales this year to date, Hagerty said.
“The Lottery is audited each year by the independent Auditor of Public Accounts, as required by statute, as well as by its internal audit department. We would welcome a further audit if the General Assembly deems it appropriate,” Hagerty said.
Story by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at freepress2@ntelos.net.
Legislative breakfast
The Greater Augusta Regional Chamber of Commerce invites you and your guests to attend the Legislative Breakfast on Wednesday, Dec. 15, from 8-9 a.m. at Bentley Commons of Staunton.
Our area legislators, State Sen. Emmett Hanger and State Dels. Steve Landes, Ben Cline and Dickie Bell, will be briefing members on hot issues and bills coming before the 2011 General Assembly session in Richmond.
The floor will then be opened up for a question and answer period following their remarks.
Enjoy a delicious breakfast at a cost of $15 per person.
RSVP to chamber@ntelos.net or call 540.324.1133.
Cline gives thumbs-up on rail news
State Del. Ben Cline, R-24th, today applauded the elimination of a critical choke point with a reconfigured rail junction on Norfolk Southern’s Crescent Corridor near Front Royal.
This was the final of six capacity improvement projects in Northern Virginia that will help more trains travel at higher speeds and ease traffic congestion on I-81.
“Ensuring safety along the I-81 corridor is critical to our economic success here in Western Virginia, and by moving thousands of trucks onto rail, this project will help ensure that businesses, residents and visitors are able to travel more efficiently and safely within our region,” said Cline. “I was proud to offer the budget amendment in 2005 that funded this and other Rail Enhancement Fund projects, and I will continue working with my colleagues from other states as a member of the I-81 Corridor Coalition to improve intermodal freight transport and make our highways safer for Virginia families and businesses.”
Funded by $43 million from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation and nearly $20 million from Norfolk Southern, the projects lengthened or build new passing tracks between Manassas and Front Royal, installed five miles of double track near the Virginia Inland Port, improved signal and traffic control systems, and increased train speeds through Riverton Junction near Front Royal.
Edited by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at freepress2@ntelos.net.
81: Wait and see
Special Report by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
You might remember all the hubbub over what they were planning to do with Interstate 81. They were going to pave over the Valley! That was what people were saying, anyway, looking at the monstrosities of plans that we knew as the Star Solutions proposal and the Fluor proposal, not to mention what the Virginia Department of Transportation itself seemed to have in the works.
People came out in record numbers to public hearings up and down the Valley and Southwest Virginia to let officialdom know what they thought of the plans. The basic message: Thanks, but no thanks.
But there was also some ambivalence to our stand. After all, not many of us like having to deal with the truck congestion on 81, which is carrying twice the capacity of trucks that it was designed for – and considering the design flaws that any non-engineer can see with the long hills and windy curves that we’re somehow supposed to navigate to get to Roanoke or Harrisonburg or Winchester or Bristol, well, that’s saying something.
Those of us who had the time to give the issue some thought wanted to see the state look more at rail, which is to say, we wanted them to actually look at rail, as opposed to making it look like they were when we knew from reading their reports that they really weren’t. They eventually did, and released a report a few weeks ago on how increased rail capacity in Western Virginia could impact congestion on I-81.
Kudos also go out to the technocrats and their friends in the policy realm for getting to work on a new rail line connecting Manassas to Front Royal that will take some of the pressure off 81.
So we sort of got what we wanted on rail, and also sort of got what we wanted on the paving-over-of-the-Valley, because we’re now in the second decade of the 21st century, and the Valley hasn’t yet been paved over, and looking at the state’s finances, and multiple transportation-funding priorities, it’s not going to happen anytime soon, and anytime soon could be, 20 years, 30 years?
Which isn’t to say that there aren’t still issues with congestion that will need to be dealt with.
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What should it do?
Column by David Reynolds
Submit guest columns: freepress2@ntelos.net
That’s the multi-trillion-dollar question. It is that big a question because it is one that requires all of us to answer. Yet it is directed to only one segment of our economy, the one with an obesity problem. The “it,” of course, is government.
What should government do? And are we willing to pay for what it does? Or do we prefer to use our grandkids’ weekly allowance?
Please be consistent and logical, as the Greeks taught us. Those ancient Greeks were smart. They advanced civilization. But they might not make it in today’s America. Still, I will go along with them. After all, the Greeks thought of government as a fee for service operation, that whatever government wishes to do, it – meaning we – should pay the bill. Continue reading “What should it do?” »
Republicans sweep local House races
Not much to say about the four contested House of Delegates races in the AFP reader area. The Democrats got pantsed.
Jeff Price’s 28.8 percent showing in his 24th District challenge to Republican Ben Cline was actually the best showing of the four, if you can believe that. And Price wasn’t even able to get what a Green Party candidate, Eric Sheffield, was able to do in 2005 in the 24th against Cline.
Erik Curren got 28.3 percent of the vote against Staunton City Councilman Dickie Bell in the 20th District, even falling short in Staunton by 59.8 percent-to-40.8 percent margin. To put the defeat in Staunton in perspective, Barack Obama won the Queen City last fall. Continue reading “Republicans sweep local House races” »
Chris Graham | Where I am on local elections
I explained in a column today on our new sister website, VirginiaPoliticsToday.com, how much I loathe making endorsements.
That said, I get it that some of our readers are at the least interested in knowing where I am on local elections, assuming that since I do news and analysis for a living I might have some insights into what’s going on.
So … here goes. Continue reading “Chris Graham | Where I am on local elections” »
David Cox | The sad state we’re in
On Tuesday Virginians go to the polls for statewide and delegate races, never having heard what a serious mess we’re in.
Admittedly, I didn’t realize how bad things are until attending a conference for local officials last week. The data are grim. Though the information has been out for a long time, certainly for someone running for, say, governor, this clear and present crisis has gotten little or no mention in the present campaign, especially from those running on the level where it most matters–the statewide offices. Continue reading “David Cox | The sad state we’re in” »
The AFP on WREL: McDonnell for president?
Posted by afp on December 3, 2010 · 1 Comment
The segment begins with a discussion of an interview done by the Washington Post of Gov. Bob McDonnell in which McDonnell sidestepped a question on whatever interest he might have in a spot on the Republican national ticket in 2012. Chris speculates that McDonnell would be a solid pick for the #2 slot on the ticket with his political and policy successes in Virginia to date.
The segment wraps with a review of the investigation of the Virginia Lottery’s use of a luxury box at a Washington Redskins game initiated by Rockbridge State Del. Ben Cline. Was the use of the box an abuse of state funds? Chris breaks down the story from the perspective of Cline and the response of Lottery officials.
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