Comment: Vote for Davis, jobs and no to job killing uranium mining and milling!
By John Crane
Published: January 08, 2011
The chairman of Virginia’s Democratic Party kicked off a last-ditch Get Out the Vote effort in Danville Saturday for state Senate candidate Hank Davis.
“We’re here because we believe he can and will win,” Brian Moran, chairman of the Democratic Party of Virginia, said during an interview moments before he spoke on behalf of Davis. “He’s a proven vote-getter and more importantly, a job creator.”
About 50 people – including state politicos Moran and state Sen. Roscoe Reynolds, D-Martinsville - attended the start of the Get Out the Vote event at Davis’s Danville campaign office at 437 Main St.
The Get Out the Vote effort includes knocking on doors and making phone calls through Tuesday to encourage voters to choose Davis for state Senate. Davis, a Pittsylvania County supervisor, is running against Franklin County Republican Bill Stanley for the seat vacated by Robert Hurt. The election will be held at regular polling places from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Moran said Davis understands the challenges of the 19th senatorial district and recognizes what is important for attracting jobs to the region. Moran told supporters they’re backing someone who knows Southside Virginia.
Davis, alluding to his past experience running for the Board of Supervisors, told the crowd that going from there to campaigning in the state senatorial district “is a big step.”
Four big issues have been the drivers of Davis’s campaign, he said. The first is attracting jobs to the region.
“Jobs is critical to Southside,” Davis said. “We’ve lost so much. We can get those jobs back.”
“I will be a proponent for public education, my opponent would not,” Davis said.
Uranium, if it is mined and milled in Pittsylvania County, “it is going to be devastating to this community,” Davis said. It would cost jobs because companies will not locate to a region known for uranium mining, Davis said.
“I don’t care what the study says,” he said.
Davis also reiterated his opposition to “gambling dens,” such as Internet sweepstakes cafes, and privatization of ABC stores.
Supporters who attended the event gave a variety of reasons for their intentions to vote for Davis.
“He knows the area and he’s trusted,” said Andrew Lester.
Davis possesses good knowledge of budgets and finance and opposes uranium mining, Lester said.
“I think that’s (uranium) a key factor here,” Lester said.
Also, Davis received endorsements from former Rep. L.F. Payne, Virginia Firefighters, the Virginia AFL-CIO and Local 831 of the United Steelworkers of America, which represents the hourly workers at Goodyear.
“Hank Davis has helped bring thousands of good jobs to Pittsylvania County and Danville,” the AFL-CIO said in a release. “Hank knows that right now our number one priority is jobs.”
Read more:
http://www2.godanriver.com/news/2011/jan/08/davis-campaign-hits-streets-ar-762431/
