2009.10.17
Q&A with 8th House District candidate Carter Turner
All but three precincts in Southwest Roanoke County are in the 8th District, now represented by Del. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem. He's running for re-election against Democrat Carter Turner. We put the same five questions to both candidates, and here's what they had to say.
Here's a link to Griffith's answers; Turner's answers are below:
1. What is the most important issue facing Virginia during the next four years?
The drastic decrease in state revenue over the past year poses a grave threat to our state’s core functions. To keep our communities safe and our schools strong and affordable, we must increase revenue by creating jobs.
2. How do you propose to deal with this issue?
We must first find a designated funding source for our transportation needs. This will increase revenue by creating jobs through road and rail projects, and preserve the General Fund now used to subsidize transportation costs. Much of the additional money raised and saved should be used to attract large businesses to our state’s rural areas, and to promote high-tech jobs (particularly green jobs) through grants and incentives.
3. What is the best decision that the General Assembly has made in recent years, and why do you think this was the best?
Approving Mark Warner’s 2004 tax reforms. This decision kept Virginia’s core services operational, protected our state’s AAA bond rating, and required fiscal responsibility by our state agencies.
4. What is the worst decision that the General Assembly has made in recent years, and why do you think this was the worst?
The abusive driver fee law. With 8,000 Virginia bridges structurally deficient and approximately one third of our major roads rated in substandard condition, we must solve our transportation underfunding problem with real solutions and not gimmicks – especially unconstitutional gimmicks that target only Virginia drivers.
5. What else should voters know about you before casting their vote?
I do not accept campaign contributions from large corporations. The increasing political influence of large corporate interests undermines citizen’s confidence that democracy is still of the people, by the people, and for the people. I want voters to know that I’m not for sale.
Note: The precincts of Clearbrook, Hunting Hills and Ogden are in the 17th District, where Del. William Fralin is retiring and Republican Bill Cleaveland and Democrat Gwen Mason are running to succeed him. We're working on getting a Q&A with both of those candidates.






