Bob Fitzsimmonds responds to Chuck Colgan's announcement:
Senator Colgan announced today that he is running for a 9th term. While most incumbents cruise to re-nomination, Colgan faces discontent in his own party and a potential primary challenge from fellow Democrats. Assuming he is able to win the Democratic nomination, he appears ready to run on his record. I look forward to the opportunity to contrast my plans for the future with Senator Colgan’s failed record of higher taxes and runaway development.
While he is quick to cite his 30 plus years in office and list his important positions, Colgan is completely silent on transportation solutions and on growth controls. This is consistent with his record and among the reasons I believe we need new representation in Richmond. Senator Colgan notes that he has been a budget conferee for 16 years and a member of Senate Finance for even longer. What he does not explain is why in all that time, he has allowed our transportation crisis to grow completely out of hand. He, in fact, does not think that the transportation crisis is even worthy of mention in his press release.
Nor does Senator Colgan mention his consistent drum beat for higher and higher taxes. Today, while the rest of the General Assembly is working out a compromise that does not include a statewide tax increase, Senator Colgan continues to demand that taxes go up to fund any solution for Northern Virginia. This is in spite of a doubling of the cost of government in the last decade, a current budget surplus, and the recent record increase in Virginia’s taxes. While others are working to adjust the unfair funding formulas, that leave the 29th District chronically underfunded, Senator Colgan has declared that he “would be ashamed to ask for one more penny.”
The citizens of the 29th District are desperate for controls on growth, but Senator Colgan has contributed to this crisis by opposing common sense restraints on residential development.
Senator Colgan may believe that he deserves another chance to fix the growing transportation nightmare that we face every day in this district, but I believe that 32 years is enough. With all due respect to this fine gentleman, it is time for new, fresh leadership for the 29th District and I look forward to providing that leadership as part of a Republican majority in the Virginia State Senate.
You, sir, are grasping
Posted by: | March 30, 2007 at 06:03 PM
Give me a break. What a bunch of garbage. Don't forget that Gary Friedman is no Democrat. He actually works in Corey Strewart's office and is on his payroll.
Posted by: | March 30, 2007 at 06:11 PM
More spin coming out of Gillespie's shop. Colgan wins in a competitve race.
Posted by: asmith | March 30, 2007 at 06:20 PM
I'm a Republican in the district and I'm definitely not voting for the extremist Fitzsimmonds - he's just a drone of the anti-tax puritans. I'm supporting Colgan all the way. Colgan will pull a large GOP crossover voter and win again.
Posted by: anonymous | March 30, 2007 at 06:49 PM
Yawn.
Posted by: Doug in Mount Vernon | March 30, 2007 at 08:21 PM
Bob who? What a nobody.
Posted by: | March 30, 2007 at 08:42 PM
Fitzsimmonds is trying to turn lemons into lemonade. Unfortunately he has no sugar, water or lemons.
Posted by: | March 30, 2007 at 10:06 PM
Colgan loses...Stewart draws tons of reps out in PW and Fitz's loves him for it.
Posted by: webb slinger | March 30, 2007 at 11:30 PM
I love anonymous weasels who claim to be the member of a political party, but provide no basis for determining the veracity of that claim.
This is a good response. It juxtaposes policy with Colgan's actual record, and lack of accomplishment. Time in grade is not an accomplishment.
Posted by: James Young | March 31, 2007 at 12:09 AM