This is important Virginians, there is a race for Lt. Governor, and as we've seen this year, this primary maybe the nominating primary for our 2009 Governor candidate, and it is important we put a progressive in.
For this reason, I urge you to vote in the primary today for Leslie Byrne, the number one progressive candidate in the state. She is running a tough campaign against three moderates, and she needs every vote she can get. Your vote will count, as I voted on my lunch break, I was only the second person in the precinct to vote.
An example of policy from here website:
Whether you are stuck in traffic, or your child's classroom is a trailer, or those scenic vistas are now strip malls, you know something is wrong with land use planning in Virginia. Growth is inevitable as it is desirable when you live in a vibrant community. What is not desirable is poorly thought out infrastructure needed to support more people, buildings and cars.
The greater issues of clean air and water impact our health and well-being. I believe we can still protect our communities and have sustainable growth. To accomplish this goal Virginia needs to give localities the tools they need to effect growth patterns and encourage smarter development.
In Virginia, local governments can only take actions that the General Assembly allows. This is called the "Dillon Rule". In 1991 after a two year study I proposed legislation that would have allowed localities to synchronize their growth with their infrastructure needs. It was narrowly defeated. I am so committed to this concept, I re-introduced it in the Virginia Senate in 2002. This time the legislation was referred to another study committee along with a similar proposal by Senator John Chichester (Rep.). As your Lieutenant Governor I will continue to build a bipartisan coalition of "smart growth" Democrats and Republican to pass this needed legislation.
There are too few incentives for localities to plan their land-use more wisely. There is almost a "Field of Dreams" mentality--"build it and they will come." More sprawl engenders a greater need for more roads, which in turn requires more state transportation money and more local taxes for schools, police, libraries, parks and firehouses. As your Lieutenant Governor, I propose giving localities incentives through the budget process to reward smart planning. This makes sense because now the incentives are to those who do the least planning without regard to future costs to Virginia taxpayers. These incentive grants would give localities additional tools instead of always seeking remedial funding after poor planning.
Some who have benefited from the status quo will label any effort to address land planning as "no growth". Businesses suffer along with the rest of us as a result of poor planning. Taxes go up and the employment pool shrinks when communities become too stressful and expensive. Smart citizens want smart growth.
I urge you to visit her website www.lesliebyrne.org and go out and vote today. The polls close at seven, you have approximatly 5 and a half hours from the time of this posting to vote. Make your voice heard, this one is important.