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Friday, November 2, 2007
By Kathy Still
NORTON, Va. – Democrat Jerry Taylor believes he is
the right person to represent Virginia’s 1st District in the House of Delegates
because he is willing to listen and work hard to bring jobs to far Southwest
Virginia.
"I know I can do a better job," the Lee County
teacher said. "I’ve seen our young people grow up, go away to college when
they turn 18, and then not have a job to come back to when they come
home."
Taylor is challenging Republican Terry Kilgore, a Gate City
attorney who has held the seat for 14 years.
The Ewing
resident challenged Kilgore 10 years ago. According to the Virginia Public
Access Project, Taylor
garnered just 27 percent of the vote in the 1997 race.
Taylor said Kilgore talks about bringing jobs to the region, but
empty industrial parks in Lee
County paint a different
picture.
"He talks about bringing in new jobs, but he
never talks about how many jobs have left," Taylor said. "We’ve got two industrial
parks in Lee County, and there are no jobs in any of
them. He’s been in office for 14 years. When will the jobs come forth?"
Taylor said he would actively recruit new industry, even if he
has to pay the costs of doing so himself.
Job creation and education are the major issues in
the region, Taylor
said. Veterans’ issues and health care are also priorities, he added. The
region also has the potential to develop tourism as a solid industry, he said.
"We’re wide open for tourism," Taylor said. "We
just need somebody to take the initiative."
He wants to establish good communication between
residents and local officials. He wants to attend meetings of local boards of
supervisors and school board sessions to see exactly what issues the region
faces.
"I can communicate with people," he
said. "I can listen to their concerns."
Taylor says Democrats and Republicans have told him they have
trouble getting in contact with Kilgore.
"We’re there to listen," he said of the
role of lawmakers. "We’re there to try to help people live their lives,
not tell them how to live their lives."
Taylor plans to hold a number of community meetings, if elected,
especially in areas he says are often ignored.
The only promise he said he has made during the
campaign is to hold the first meeting in Mendota.
"Small communities just get left out so
much," he said.
Taylor hammered Kilgore for voting on a bill during the last
session that established steep fees for Virginia
motorists who are cited for being abusive drivers. The controversial law has
been challenged in court in various parts of the state. The bill is designed to
help Virginia
raise money for transportation.
"I think it’s wrong," Taylor said. "I would not have voted for
that bill. I’m all for getting rid of drunk driving and taking action against
repeat offenders, but don’t put this on the back of the people of Virginia."
Lawmakers called it a fee, but it’s simply a tax, Taylor said. The
candidate also said legislators basically kept a tight lid on the bill until
its passage.
"We didn’t find out about it until it went into
effect," he said. "I teach history and government and tell my
students that delegates and senators cannot bring every bill they work on to
the people. However, there are some bills that should be brought before the
people, and this is one of them."
Taylor said he has received positive comments from people in both
political parties.
"People are tired of the same thing," he
said. "They feel left out, and they are upset with the abusive driver
fees. They also want more jobs so their kids don’t have to leave here."
Taylor has set a lofty goal for himself, if elected.
"I don’t want to go up to Richmond to be a good delegate," he
said. "I want to be the best delegate Southwest
Virginia has ever had. I want to do that by treating people
fairly, honestly and by treating everybody equally."
http://www.tricities.com/tristate/tri/news.apx.-content-articles-TRI-2007-11-02-0010.html
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