Fighting Green

Three Democrats - Gene Hart, Greg Marrow, and Erik Curren - joined nearly 50 Staunton and Augusta residents to discuss a variety of environmental and jobs issues at the Staunton Public Library on Tuesday night. Responding to questions, the candidates for House of Delegates laid out a forward looking vision for making sure the central Shenandoah Valley harvests green - both in our beautiful scenery and in our wallets - as our nation transitions from a fossil fuel to a renewable energy future. There is more at The News Leader and WHSV.

Another clear message came out of the forum - these guys will fight and will hold the incumbents accountable for their actions, or the lack thereof, in Richmond. In response to an audience question, they totally dismantled the backward looking GOP mantra of "drill here, drill now." While they don't agree on every issue, Democratic candidates in the region have shared values to present to voters. 2009 promises to be a bruising campaign where once-comfortable incumbents will need to dig deeper and get beyond simple sound bites. Game on!

Gene Hart is running in District 26, Greg Marrow is a candidate in District 25, and Erik Curren is running in District 20. They promise future forums on transportation, education, and other issues important to Valley voters.

Green jobs, green candidates

There has been a lot of talk about "green jobs" and moving toward a "greener economy." Those terms are sometimes used pretty loosely and I often think we talk past each other, not really understanding exactly what each other means. Then there are those who deny global warming and who only want to "drill here, drill now."

While I don't expect many of that latter group to attend, the rest of us can learn a little more about green issues at a forum tonight. Perhaps we'll communicate better about issues that will affect our future. I hope to attend. Here are the details:

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

7:30pm - 9:00pm

Staunton Public Library Public Meeting Room

The emerging Green Economy offers the Shenandoah Valley one of the strongest ways to create new jobs and build local prosperity while preserving our area’s unique assets. Valley Democratic delegate candidates expected to discuss their ideas and answer questions include:

Erik Curren, 20th district

Gene Hart, 26th district

John Lesinski, 15th district

Greg Marrow 25th district

Jeff Price, 24th district

Oh yeah, I hear there will be a few refreshments, too.