Posted on 01/05/2011 1:11:08 PM PST by Gopher Broke
Editorial: Greg Habeeb in the 8th District
The Republican angling to replace Morgan Griffith in the House of Delegates says he'll work for the good of the Roanoke Valley.
If Salem attorney Greg Habeeb succeeds in his effort to replace Morgan Griffith in the House of Delegates, we don't expect to cheer many of his votes.
Habeeb is a deeply conservative individual who believes that, even after years of punishing budget cuts, state government remains too large.
He believes, as he put it when he announced his intent to run for the seat left vacant when Griffith beat Rep. Rick Boucher, that, "Government isn't always the problem, but it is rarely the solution."
We disagree with him vehemently on both of those fundamental notions and, we suspect, on many other issues he would face as a delegate.
Despite that, we believe he is the better candidate in the Jan. 11 election, and we are recommending that voters of the 8th District send him to Richmond.
During his endorsement interview with The Roanoke Times editorial board, Habeeb did not attempt to hide who he was.
"I am a conservative Republican," he said. But he also stressed that "most of my life is not partisan."
He promised to make his priority advancing the interests of the Roanoke Valley, not the Republican Party.
Habeeb spoke at length about the need for liberals and conservatives to sit down and talk with each other and said he admired Del. Onzlee Ware, D-Roanoke, for his willingness to have substantive discussions with Republicans.
We appreciate that desire and hope that when he engages in such discussions on the important issues facing the state, he'll do so with a thoughtful approach and an open mind.
Habeeb also said that elected officials need to largely follow their conscience when deciding how to vote on tough issues rather than trying to determine what the majority of their constituents want.
"Politicians shouldn't vote by poll," he said.
There are several issues on which we do agree with Habeeb. He believes Virginia's process for restoring voting rights to ex-felons needs reform. He thinks redistricting should be far less partisan. Finally, he understands how fundamentally important it is that Virginia's education system gets the money it needs.
His opponent, Democrat Ginger Mumpower, failed to impress. She lacked specific answers on vital policy questions, such as transportation funding, and seemed ill-prepared to serve.
Her only experience in political office was on the Radford City Council back in the mid-'80s. She might have been better served by taking another shot at a local office before running for the General Assembly.
Though we fully expect we will have numerous and major disagreements with Habeeb if he is elected, we endorse him in the upcoming election.
It would take a pretty poor Democrat to NOT get this endorsement........her campaign is being run by Dickie Cranwell himself, or so I am told.
Uh huh. Punishing to whom, certainly not the bureaucrats running the State, much more likely those who depend on things like the library and other high visibility public services that are appropriate for government to provide.
I'll buy punishing when I see it starting to affect the salaries and bennies of those who are slopping at the public trough. Until then, it's little more than eye-candy, IMHO.
“She lacked specific answers on vital policy questions, such as transportation funding, and seemed ill-prepared to serve”
Heck that has never stopped the liberal press in the past. She must really be a dunce.
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