Frank Hall on "forging sound public policy"

Frank Hall (D) representing the 69th District in the General Assembly House of Delegates has a very interesting piece in the latest issue of the Chesterfield Observer regarding the role before the newly elected legislature in Richmond.

Frank Hall has served the greater Richmond area for some thirty years and though he is affiliated with the Democrats has always garnered much local support from moderate Republicans. Earler this week he won re-election in the 69th by securing 65% of the vote over his Republican opponent, who probably put in the best campaign result against Hall in many years. That said a mere 16% of the registered voters in the 69th turned out to cast votes on Tuesday resulting in a 844 to 449 victory for Hall. Thats only 1,274 out of 7,837.

By now much of us already know the result that came about up in Northen Virginia and Fairfax County in particular, where Democrats upset Republican incumbants as Fairfax trends further toward establishing itself as one it not the most influential Democratic county in Virginia politics. Fairfax to a large extent is what has contributed to the Democratic Party securing the Senate in the General Assembly. Its neighbors still are hanging on the a mix of Republicans and Democrat leaders with Stafford and Prince William more closely aligned with Republicans and Loudon closer to the Democrats in both State and local positions. That said though, Fran Hall does not and has never stiken me as the same sort of Democrat as those we see coming up through the ranks of the Party and running in these Northern Virginia races.

Frank Hall stated in the Observer that he believes "the last thing constituents want to see and hear from their elected represemtatives is more partisan finger pointing or passing the blame. The old saying may be true: all this talk may be cheap. But for our inaction, we are about to pay a very high price- a permanent erosion in the people's faith in representative government" . Amen Mr. Hall.

We have seen our legislature get caught up in too much "gotta politics" and too much focus on bitter social issues that keep our leader from solving in the most basic necessities of the day; transportation. Partisanship is swelled over issues that are meant to divide our "house" and the result is we have no currency at the end of day with one another to make serious headway on the real issues that are impacting our Commonwealth.

If you think that a Marriage Amendment or Smoking Bans are more important than solving our very basic needs that will secure our future quality of life like our transportation crisis, solving our educational areas of opportunity, dealing with the aging populations, upgrading our infrastructure, dealing with illegal immigration and securing continues growth in higher paying jobs than I am sorry to have to say you are on the outside looking in. The marriage and smoking issues are meant to be divisive in such a manner to deflect our attention from our leaders inability to solve issues in bi-partisan manners which is what Virginians want out of the General Assembly.

Frank Hall believes that "a legislative body works best when it consists of individuals of good will who recognize their differences-political as well as regional-and yet are willing to work together to hammer out viable compromises that address the needs of all Virginians." I just hope that those in the position of influence whom Hall refers to as "highly motivated special interest" will heed Mr. Halls words.

It makes no difference to me whether Frank Hall is a Democrat or not because not only do his words but his actions in the House of Delegates ring true. He conducts his leadership first and foremost in attempts at "forging sound public policy" in the interests of all Virginians.

I just hope these new Fairfax Democrats as so inclined to agree with Frank Hall.