Political Forum Covers Marijuana, Transportation, Gun Rights

The Brookneal Community Building played host to a political forum co-sponsored by the Red Hill Garden Club, Brookneal Woman’s Club and Charlotte County Women’s Club on Monday, October 20. This forum served as a means of helping voters make informed choices for the upcoming November 4th election.

In attendance was Virginia Senator Frank Ruff Jr., J. Paul Jones, Libertarian candidate for U.S. Congress in Virginia’s 5th district; Kenneth Hildebrandt, Independent Green candidate for U.S. Congress in Virginia’s 5th district; Lawrence Gaughan, Democratic candidate for U.S. Congress in Virginia’s 5th district; current Republican U.S. Congressman Robert Hurt representative, Josh Puccio; Republican U.S. Senate for Virginia candidate, Ed Gillespie, represented by Kathy Byron and  current Democratic U.S. Senate for Virginia, Mark Warner, represented by Shannon Valentine.

Each candidate was allowed five minutes to present their platforms and two minutes to answer a variety of pre-screened submitted questions with topics ranging from the legalization of marijuana, English as the official U.S. language, to Second Amendment rights and the transportation policy.

“Do you like the way things have been going in America over the last six years?” asked Gillespie surrogate Kathy Byron (R).  “Do you think Obama Care is just causing health insurance premiums to sky rocket and will result in 250,000 Virginians having their plans canceled this year alone is a good thing? Do you support the record higher electricity prices resulting from EPA regulations which make it a lot more expensive for you to heat and cool your homes and has put thousands of Virginians out of work?… {}…if you answered yes to all of these questions, maybe even if you answered yes to most of them, you agree with Mark Warner and ought to vote for him.”  After Byron presented the platform for candidate Ed Gillespie’s campaign, she left.  “I would like to point out that the representative for Mark Warner did stay through this entire evening and did her best to answer the questions, but would only do so if I felt confident I was really reflecting the positions of Senator Warner,” said Mark Warner Representative, Shannon Valentine (D).  Valentine explained that every day Senator Warner is out fighting for the issues most important to him as a business man, which include jobs in this economy, finding new ways to small business access, lowering corporate tax rates and standing for a comprehensive energy plan.

“My Incumbent opponent was swept in, in a low turn-out election in 2010,” stated Charlottesville native Lawrence Gaughan (D). “I am somebody who feels that I am running for Congress because I can represent the people better.”   When asked about what bill he’d like to see Washington pass, Gaughan stated that he’d like to close loopholes that allow jobs to be shipped overseas.

On the other hand, Independent Green Party candidate Kenneth Hildebrandt responded to the same question by saying it was close between legalizing marijuana and the use of industrial hemp.  “I’ll just cover them both with one stone and say legalize all plants.”

Libertarian candidate J. Paul Jones took his stance by saying that he’d like to pass a budget balance, because the stewards in charge of our money spend it too freely.  “They’re like college kids in a bar on their first night away from home.”

Representative for U.S. Congressman Robert Hurt, Josh Puccio, stated that he could answer for Hurt regarding what bill he’d like to see Washington pass; however, he would like to see the president’s affordable care act repealed.

The political forum was held in an effort to introduce and educate voters on the candidates for the upcoming election as well as hear how they fare on various issues.  Refreshments were served during the event and attendees were given the opportunity to get up close and personal with the candidates to ask questions that may not have been addressed during the formal program.