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Regional & State
Briefing
Election Update
Botetourt
County
In the race for
the Valley District seat on the Botetourt County Board of
Supervisors, incumbent Don Assaid announced that he will conduct
a write-in campaign. Late last week, a judge denied an
injunction filed by Assaid to stop the mailing of absentee
ballots but the case was subsequently dismissed. Circuit Court
Judge Bo Trumbo recently named a special prosecutor to examine
Assaid's claims that the electoral Board had improperly
disqualified his candidacy.
Assaid fell short of the 125 signatures needed for certification
after the electoral board ruled that one of his petition
gatherers did not live in the Valley District. See more
here.
Big Money in Virginia Senate Races
According to a recent article in The News & Advance,
Democratic Senate candidates hold an edge in the number of
campaign contributors in several key races. However, the state
Republican party is well-positioned to bankroll their candidates
as they attempt to retake the majority in the Virginia Senate.
In fact, Governor McDonnell has already contributed nearly
$300,000.00 in five key races. In addition, Citizens United, a
conservative advocacy group, has already expended $100,000.00 to
aid Republican candidates. See more
here and
here.
Updated fundraising information can be found
here
Races in the Region
Roanoke
County-Catawba Magisterial District
Chairman of the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors,
Joe
"Butch" Church will face two opponents in this year's
election:
Carter
Turner (I)
David Drake (R)
Roanoke County-Cave
Spring Magisterial District
Incumbent
Charlotte Moore (I) is being challenged by Republican
George Assaid and Independent Stan Seymour.
Virginia House of Delegates
7th District - Nick
Rush (R)
8th District -
Greg Habeeb (R) (Incumbent)
9th District -
Charles Poindexter (R) (Incumbent) vs.
Ward Armstrong (D)
11th District -
Onzlee Ware (D) (Incumbent)
12th District - Joseph
Yost (R) vs. Don
Langrehr (D)
17th District - Chris Head
(R) vs. Freeda Cathcart
(D)
18th District -
Lacey E. Putney (I caucuses with GOP) vs.
Lewis
Medlin (D), Jerry Johnson (R)
Virginia Senate
19th District
Ralph Smith (R) vs.
Brandon Bell (I)
20th District
Roscoe Reynolds (D) (Incumbent) vs.
Bill Stanley (R)
21st District
John Edwards (D) (Incumbent) vs.
Dave Nutter (R)
23nd District
Steve Newman (R)
Roanoke College Poll
Earlier this week, The Institute for Policy and Opinion
Research at Roanoke College released their latest poll on voter
sentiment in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Virginians remain
somewhat positive about the direction of the state (49%) but
highly skeptical about the direction of the country, with an
alarming 81% believing the country is on the wrong track.
According to the poll, President Obama faces an uphill climb to
win the state in 2012 with 54% disapproving of the job he is
doing as President. Like several national polls, approval of
Congress remains in the basement, polling at an abysmal 11%.
Both Governor Bob McDonnell and Senator Mark Warner remain
popular with voters. For a summary of poll results, click
here.
Kaine-Allen Schedule First
Debate
In a race no one should be paying attention too (yet),
former governors George Allen (R) and Tim Kaine (D) will meet in
their first debate on December 7th in Richmond. The debate is
being sponsored by
the Virginia AP Managing
Editors, the
Virginia Capitol Correspondents Association and other
statewide organizations. Lesser known
candidates vying for the Republican and Democratic nominations
in next year's Senate race are crying foul about being excluded.
For more information, click
here,
here, and
here
Recent
polling shows a close race is brewing. The Roanoke College
poll released on September 27 has Allen leading Kaine by a
slight margin, 42 to 39%.
Anita Kumar of The Washington Post recently profiled
former Senator Allen's connections to and previous work with the
energy industry. See more
here.
Slot Swap Waiting Game Continues
The proposed 'slot swap' between Delta and US Airways that
would potentially eliminate air service between the Roanoke
Regional Airport and New York's LaGuardia airport remains in
limbo as federal regulators continue their review of public
comments. Earlier this year, federal regulators gave tentative
approval to Delta's bid to acquire US Airways' landing/takeoff
rights at LaGuardia. In exchange, US Airways would receive
Delta's slots at Washington Reagan National Airport. A number of
other airliners, including Southwest, Jet Blue, and Virgin
America have all filed objections citing the negative impact
such a proposal would have on competition. See more
here.
As reported in The Roanoke Times, the Roanoke Regional
Airport along with the Virginia Tech-Montgomery Executive
Airport and New River Valley Airport provided over $230 million
in economic activity in 2010. According to a recent Virginia
Department of Aviation study, Virginia's airports produced $28.8
billion in economic impacts in 2010. See more
here.
Position:
The Chamber
believes that daily air service to New York City, a gateway to
the global economy, is vital for economic development and has
encouraged federal regulators to remain cognizant of the
potential impact the proposed slot swap could have on Southwest
Virginia.
Unemployment Tics Up
In yet another sign that the economic climate remains
tenuous, Virginia's unemployment rate nudged upward for a second
straight month. While the national unemployment rate remains
above 9%, the state's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in
August was 6.3%. According to the Virginia Employment
Commission, August is considered a transition month between
summer and fall labor markets where the unemployment rate
typically increases. See more
here.
For the latest available statistics for our region, click
here.
Extra
Credit Reading
Could Health Reform Survive GOP Takeover?
Who has the Fastest Interned Speeds?
Crime and GDP
The Financial Crisis and Happiness
The Geography of Pain
Stat of the Month:
53% - The
U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)
projects world energy
use will increase 53%
by 2035. See more
here.
Local
Government Briefing
County
of Roanoke
On September
13th, the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors adopted a Large
Wind and/or Utility Wind Energy System ordinance.
Following a robust debate over several amendments and one
surreal moment when Board member Ed Elswick abruptly left the
meeting citing his own ineffectiveness, the remaining Board
members passed the ordinance on a 4 to 0 vote. Members of the
Board approved a key change in the draft language that reduces
the residential set back from a half-mile (2,640 feet) to 1000
feet. Although wind energy company Invenergy has expressed an
interest in constructing a wind farm on Poor Mountain, they have
not yet filed a special use permit with the County.
Roanoke County
maintains a website on wind energy resources and the minutes
from Planning Commission and Board meetings over the last two
years. Click
here.
Position:
The Chamber
supports a large scale and/or utility wind energy ordinance that
is consistent with similar ordinances in jurisdictions
throughout Virginia and neighboring states. The County should
avoid overly restrictive ordinance language that might inhibit its ability to
recruit alternative energy providers.
City of
Roanoke
At a recent briefing, members of Roanoke City Council were
told that additional austerity measures may be necessary,
especially as federal stimulus dollars begin to dwindle. Faced
with the threat of further reductions in federal aid and local
sources of revenues, City Council will likely consider
additional cuts to services, including Valley Metro. Earlier
this month, Finance Director Ann Shawver informed City Council
that revenues for fiscal year 2011 slightly exceeded budgetary
expectations for the first time since FY2008. See more
here
and here.
Quality
of Life Projects Briefing
One
of the Chamber's priorities is to monitor the development of
quality of life projects in our region. Enhancing our
region's considerable amenities is vital to attracting and
retaining young workers, fresh capital, and innovative thinking.
Below is a list of recent developments:
Gone to the
Chickens?
Planners in the City of Roanoke recently held a public
hearing on a proposal from the Roanoke Natural Foods Co-Op to
develop a 12-acre organic, urban farm on a portion of the former
Countryside Golf Course. In addition to growing a variety of
fruits and vegetables, representatives of the Co-Op unveiled a
plan to create a 1.75 acre chicken farm. Several residents of
the area expressed concerns over smell and noise. Any project
must be reviewed by the Planning Commission and approved by the
Roanoke City Council.
The City will
hold another public meeting on September 29th that will focus on
recreation improvements.
For more
information, click
here
and here.
Do
you have ideas on projects you'd like for us to follow? Send us
an e-mail. RSS feeds are available
for both the quality of life projects page and the legislative
blog.
If
you have questions about any of the blog features on the
Chamber's Web site, please contact Tori Williams at twilliams@roanokechamber.org
Upcoming
Events
State of the County Address, Thursday, November 3rd, 7:30AM to
9:00AM, Green Ridge Recreation Center.
For more information or to register, click
here.
For
a list of more Chamber events, click
here
and
to access the Chamber's Community
Calendar,
click here.
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