Chris Saxman: 'Making friends across the aisle'

 Dr. Kurt Michael (left), former Del. Chris Saxman (center), McDonnell Chief of Staff Martin Kent (right) at reception in 2010 hosted by Gov. and Mrs. Bob McDonnell at the Governor's Mansion.

Former Delegate Chris Saxman (R-20th House) was my delegate for close to a decade, making the annual trek to Richmond and the General Assembly session to stand up for issues and work with his colleagues for the good of all Virginians. I had volunteered on his campaign in 2001 when he won the newly-created House seat for Staunton, part of Augusta, part of  Rockingham, and Highland Counties and, through the years, we worked together and remained friends.

I was the Republican activist volunteer. Chris was the elected official who represented not only the Republicans who worked to get him into office but also the Democrats, Independents, Greens, and everyone else who lived within his District. His door was open to everyone.

During the years, Chris' demeanor, candor, and friendliness were contagious and he was extremely popular as he took part in local parades and town halls and fund raisers. Along the way, I learned from this gentleman whose example taught me to cut back on the partisan rhetoric and look at the political world from a different viewpoint. One lesson impressed upon me was that those who carry something other than the Republican "R" behind their names were not automatically the enemy.

I remember a barbecue at the Saxman home one summer day years ago. When I arrived and wandered around back to the patio where Chris was grilling, I was surprised to see Steve Sisson already there. Steve, who at that time was writing as the "Blue Dog" -- Blue Dog Democrat -- became someone who could be a friend even as we disagreed on policy and we remain friends to this day. His down-home writing style and tag line, "Amen, and pass the cornbread," were read by all sides of the political spectrum.

Today, Chris has posted a column at his website that emphasizes his governing style that proved very successful in politics and, now, in business. "Making friends across the aisle" is vintage Chris Saxman as he writes:

One of the things in politics that always made me just shake my head (while hearing in my head the Robot from the TV show Lost In Space – “This. Does. Not. Compute”) was when people within my political party would ask me what was I doing hanging out with Democrats.

What many people didn't know was that Chris' dad was Republican and his mom was Democrat, and so he noted:

In my family, if you didn’t agree to sit and eat with people from the other party, you went hungry during the holidays.

Witty, humorous, charismatic, personable, knowledgeable ... Chris' column shares words of wisdom and experience that hit home in today's extremely partisan political atmosphere. My gratitude to him for his part in my political journey, growth, and -- yes -- friendship. Thanks, Chris.

Chris Saxman represented the 20th District in the Virginia House of Delegates from 2002-09. A businessman, active member of the community, and a contributor to the Bearing Drift blog, he lives in Staunton, Virginia, with his wife Michele and four children. Catch more of his columns at ChrisSaxman.com.

Photo by Lynn R. Mitchell
Cross-posted at Va Political Pineapple

Monday's 20th HoD forum ... a long night

Two candidates had signs.
David Karaffa's signs said, "KARAFFA: Principles ~ Courage ~ Momentum"

Candidates listen as Del. Chris Saxman (left) addresses the audience. He received two standing ovations.

Augusta businessman Tom Sheets ("I Am Voting For The Chick" sign man) and Trixie Averill (RPV Western Vice Chairwoman/Bob McDonnell rep).

Del. Steve Landes (R-25th House District) was there as well as Del. Chris Saxman. Del. Ben Cline was not there nor was Sen. Emmett Hanger.

SWAC blogger Yankee Phil with his great camera taking photos of the event.

Chris Graham of Augusta Free Press.

Photos by SWAC Girl
Lynn Mitchell
July 27, 2009

20th HoD candidate ...

... is Dickie Bell, Staunton City Councilman. He will be the Republican nominee to replace Chris Saxman on the ticket to run against Democrat Erik Curren. If Bell wins, it will leave an opening on City Council that will probably be filled by the majority Democrat members with another Democrat.

Photo by SWAC Girl
Lynn Mitchell
July 27, 2009

Tonight: Finding the candidate to replace Chris Saxman

Eight years ago in August 2001 at Buffalo Gap High School, hundreds of citizens turned out to cast their votes for the two Republican candidates running for the newly-created 20th House District seat. Their choices were Chris Saxman or Charles Curry ... and Chris Saxman won by an overwhelming vote. He went on to resoundingly win over Democrat Tracy Pyles in November.

Tonight at Buffalo Gap High School, an unknown number of citizens will turn out, not with the possibility of voting, but to listen to the seven candidates who have thrown their names in the hat to be considered by the 20th House Legislative District committee who will then select one candidate.

I worked that mass meeting in 2001 as a volunteer for Chris Saxman ... and my memories are flashing back to eight years ago. As I drove to Buffalo Gap High School Sunday afternoon, I remembered the 35-year-old energetic, enthusiastic young man who had walked all over the 20th District knocking on doors, talking with folks, and asking for their vote and support. His energy was boundless, and we were caught up in it. After the mass meeting at Buffalo Gap that night, we all met at The Depot restaurant in Staunton for a celebration gathering ... and then we rolled up our sleeves and got back to work. Chris ran for the finish line ... and we ran with him.

Along the way, tragedy struck America as 9/11 occurred shortly after the mass meeting win. That horror affected me deeply and made me realize how very important it was to be involved in the political process as I saw that the future safety of our country depended on those who were our leaders. President George W. Bush stood firm against terrorism that fall ... I knew I would be comfortable having Chris Saxman in Virginia leadership.

Tonight Dickie Bell, Staunton councilman, will be on stage asking to be the candidate along with a familiar face from eight years ago, Charles Curry, as well as five other candidates including John Beghtol, Cliff Fretwell, Ray Ergenbright, Chuck Hawkins, and David Karaffa.

The 20th House District takes in all of Highland, the eastern part of Augusta, part of Rockingham, and all of Staunton.

Tonight's forum begins at 7 pm at Buffalo Gap High School located on Rt. 42. The public is encouraged to attend.

Monday night ... 20th HoD candidates line up

Monday night seven candidates who have entered their names into the 20th House of Delegates race to become the Republican candidate in place of retiring delegate Chris Saxman will participate in a public forum at Buffalo Gap High School in western Augusta County.

Watch Monday for more details.

One drops out of 20th HoD race

The field of candidates for the 20th House of Delegates seat dropped by one today when Christopher DeWald bowed out and threw his support behind David Karaffa.

Meanwhile, Chris Graham at the Augusta Free Press weighs in on the candidates with some interesting and accurate observations.

Del. Saxman on Bearing Drift today

Jim Hoeft will be interviewing Del. Chris Saxman (R-20th House) today at noon. After yesterday's unveiling of eight candidates vying for Del. Saxman's House seat, it will be interesting to hear his thoughts about the issue.

Candidates for 20th House of Delegate seat

The names have been released of those interested in pursuing the 20th House of Delegates seat that will be left open by Del. Chris Saxman in November. Sadly, there are no women candidates among the eight names:

- Dickie Bell, Staunton City Councilman
- Cliff Fretwell, realtor and former Staunton GOP Chairman
- Charles Curry, former Augusta BOS member who originally challenged Chris Saxman for the Republican nomination for this seat in 2001. He reportedly left the Republican Party when he did not win it and ran as an Independent against current Republican BOS member Larry Howdyshell in 2007, a race he lost.
- Chris DeWald
- Charles Hawkins
- Ray Ergenbright, former Staunton Commissioner of the Revenue who lost his 2005 reelection bid to current Commissioner of the Revenue Maggie Ragon.
- David Karaffa, 25, cardiac RN at Augusta Medical Center, former Beverley Manor Republican District Chairman

Hopefully, more information will be coming about the process from this point forward. It has been heard there may be more than just the Monday meeting. Meanwhile, many are googling the names to become more familiar with all who have thrown their hats in the ring.

UPDATE: More information available:
- Waynesboro News Virginian
- Staunton News Leader
- WSVA TV-3

Fishersville Mike tries to explain

In a light-hearted jab at local politics, SWAC blogger Fishersville Mike takes on the reason why I could not run for the 20th House of Delegates seat being vacated by Chris Saxman. I think he nailed it....

Del. SWAC Girl?

As many of you know, my friend Chris Saxman has decided not to run for reelection of the 20th House District seat. He has always been "my delegate" and I will miss his leadership tremendously. As a result of his announcement on Friday, my phone has been ringing off the hook for the past three days as I have spent time discussing the situation with those in the District. Many have asked me to make a run for the seat.

Even though I appreciate the thought and support, and was somewhat taken back that anyone would even consider me for this position, I feel that my talents lie in working with the grassroots and helping to build the party as I have the past 10 years, not running as a candidate. My efforts this campaign cycle will be spent supporting the Bob McDonnell-Bill Bolling Republican ticket.

As to my Democrat friend Chris Graham who speculated in his post "Del. SWAC Girl?" about the possibility of my running for the delegate seat ... he remembered correctly about the exciting 2001 Saxman election. I don't know if I should be flattered or not by his speculation but it was good for a laugh ... sorry, Chris ... I will not be seeking the nomination ... there's too much work left to do in the trenches. But thanks for the good-humored thoughts!

Del. Chris Saxman gears up for campaign

The 2009 campaign season is here and Del. Chris Saxman (R-Staunton) is ready to go with issues, a vision for the future, and enthusiasm for the campaign trail.

Today he issued a statement regarding the campaign issues for this election:

"Earlier today, my opponent announced his intentions to run for the 20th District House of Delegates seat, and I welcome the opportunity to continue the dialogue I have had with the voters of this district for the past eight years. My service to the citizens of the 20th District has always been about working together to keep Virginia and our Valley a great place to live, work and raise a family, and I am looking forward to sharing our shared accomplishments as well as continuing to work with the people of our district to shape a vision for the future.

"Working together, we have achieved many great things for our district, and together we will continue the progress we have started. Unfortunately, my opponent seems unaware of many of the things we have accomplished -- making Virginia the number one state for business, creating jobs here locally and throughout the Commonwealth, increasing funding for education and ensuring that Virginia students have access to high quality educational opportunities.

"As a former teacher, a father of four children, and an employer, I know that education is critical for our future and for our continued economic growth. In order to ensure every child has every opportunity for success, I believe it is important that we don't pit public against private schools, home schools against parochial education. Instead, we need to give parents choices, and make sure that all of our schools have the tools to succeed. I believe that we must reward good teachers, and I have introduced budget language to increase teacher pay. Valley Republicans, especially Senator Emmett Hanger and Delegate Steve Landes, have been national leaders in pulling states out of No Child Left Behind, and I believe that we can further improve education by reinvesting those funds in increasing teacher pay instead of duplicating acccountability that Virginia already has.

"We have increased funding for education in Virginia -- in fact, this year's budget provided $14.3 billion in direct aid to public education at local school divisions. In challenging economic times, we allowed school divisions greater flexibility in determining how best to use funds on educational expenses by granting waivers for textbook local match requirements. We worked to keep college affordable for Virginia students by directing $126.7 million in funding to lessen tuition increases on in-state students, and $10 million for a system-wide 8.5% increase in student financial aid.

"We have worked hard to protect and preserve our quality of life in the Valley, which has also meant creating a business friendly environment to create new jobs here in our area and throughout the state. Because of our efforts, we have seen companies look to the Valley to move and expand -- such as SRI's Center for Advanced Drug Research, which is projected to bring 100 high-tech jobs with average annual salaries of approximately $85,000 to our area.

"Just this year, after meeting in my office and listening to the concerns of representatives of our local arts and tourism communities -- including my now-opponent -- we worked together to develop legislation that I introduced this past January to help grow and expand arts and cultural opportunities in Staunton and around the Commonwealth. I worked with these organizations and my colleagues in the legislature to ensure we passed legislation that would help grow these arts and cultural opportunities and create jobs here in our area. Additionally this year, we funded $2.5 million for strategic expansion of tourism promotion across the Commonwealth -- which is projected to leverage more than $12 million in private sector expenditures.

"In addition to protecting jobs that would have been lost by the Governor's proposal to close the Commonwealth Center for Children and Adolescents, and bringing additional jobs to the area through the consolidation of VSDB to Staunton, we have protected our family farms and small businesses by working to abolish the death tax. We have helped our local wineries by creating a mechanism for them to distribute their products after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled they could no longer self-distribute, helping Virginia's small wineries to grow and create more jobs.

"Transportation is a critical issue for our Commonwealth and our District, which is why we worked to stop a detrimental widening plan recommended by Governor Mark Warner that would have placed burdensome tolls on I-81. Virginia has increased its investment into transportation, as well as implemented innovative new programs to help ensure Virginia taxpayers are getting the best value for their investment. Programs such as "Rural Rustic Roads," which we enacted in 2002, are helping to treat rural roads at a lower cost, while also preserving Virginia's rural landscapes. The Public-Private Transportation Act (PPTA) is allowing for greater partnership between the Commonwealth and private investors to help our limited transportation funds go even further.

"Protecting our environment has been another issue we have worked on together. One of the key issues I worked on in 2006 was the successful passage of legislation -- HB1055 -- to bring cleaner air to Virginia through significant mercury emission reduction standards. I led a successful compromise for Virginia’s implementation of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) and Clean Air Mercury Rule (CAMR). The result of this legislation is cleaner air in the Shenandoah Valley and across the state three years ahead of the previous schedule. This language also codifies the Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) regulation for CAIR, which limits sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions, which address the concern of smog in Virginia by limiting the emissions of these greenhouse gasses. The latest report from the Department of Environment Quality showed an encouraging trend of decreases in toxins being released into Virginia's waters and air.

"My opponent also criticized my support for exploring the possibility of off-shore drilling for clean natural gas off the coast of Virginia. While I do believe that it is important that we all do our part to reduce energy usage, I also believe that it is of critical importance that America produces, at home, the energy resources we need to keep this country moving forward instead of remaining dependent upon foreign nations for energy. I have worked to try and ensure any future funds that may be paid to the Commonwealth for off-shore royalties could be reinvested in projects including transportation and the Chesapeake Bay.

"I also find it concerning that of the issues my opponent has chosen to highlight in his campaign, he has failed to mention public safety, which is a critical issue here in the Valley and across the Commonwealth. Over the past few years, Virginia has experienced a growing problem with gangs- a problem that has unfortunately extended to our part of the Valley, which is why we have passed new laws to give judges and prosecutors more tools to deal with gang members who commit crimes. With the continued growth of the internet, Virginians are also facing growing threats from those who would commit crimes online- from identity theft to child predators. We have worked hard to keep our communities safe -- increasing penalties for those who prey on our children through the production, possession or dissemination of child pornography. We have worked with Virginia's Attorneys General to pass tougher laws for spammers and those who commit other crimes online.

"As I have served the people of the 20th District, I have experienced first-hand the importance of working together in a bipartisan manner for the good of our district and our Commonwealth. The strong relationships I have made with colleagues from both sides of the aisle have helped me as I work to represent our district in the General Assembly."

"Chris Saxman and I have developed a great relationship over the years. He truly believes that there are some things that government can do better, and we've built a great relationship in working together in a way that doesn't create a partisan divide. His desire to help is very genuine, and it comes through in all the meetings that we have, and I've really enjoyed working with him from that perspective." -Bill Leighty, Former Chief of Staff to Governors Warner and Kaine, December 11, 2008, Augusta Free Press

"Great, articulate guy. Has wonderful, innovative ideas that force people to really examine where they are and hopefully we'll be able to work together to implement some of these innovations." -Delegate David Toscano (D-Charlottesville), 7-14-08, WMRA radio

"I look forward to continuing to discuss our many accomplishments, with the voters of the 20th district in the coming months, as well as hearing their thoughts and ideas for how we can continue to work together for the good of our community and our Commonwealth. I have always valued the feedback, the suggestions and ideas of the citizens of our district, and together I know we will continue to make Virginia a great place to live, work and raise a family."

The Dems try again ... Saxman to have opposition

Rumors had been afloat for a while that the Democrats were looking for someone to run against the central Shenandoah Valley's popular 20th House District Delegate Chris Saxman.

Today's Waynesboro News Virginian announcement confirmed that the marketing director for Staunton's Shakespeare Theatre, Erick Curren, 43, wants to challenge Del. Saxman by running on a platform of "clean energy and efficiency to promote economic development."

Interestingly enough, Del. Saxman carried a bill for Mr. Curren during the 2009 General Assembly session. HB 2535 grants statewide authority for creation of arts and cultural or education districts by localities for the purpose of increasing awareness and support for the arts and culture or education in the locality. Localities may provide incentives for the support and creation of arts and cultural or education venues in the district. Currently, the statute applies only to certain listed localities and does not include education.

Del. Saxman helped shepherd the Senate version through the House to help the arts and cultural community in Staunton.

Never one to run from a fight, Del. Saxman is ready for the opportunity to debate his opponent and highlight his achievements while sharing his vision for the future:

Saxman looks forward to debating the issues with Curren. The Republican incumbent said the economy is number one.

“I’m not going to place any type of job over another,” he said. “There are so many people out of work.”

Saxman said he has worked to protect the environment by supporting the upgrade of Virginia’s waste water treatment facilities and air quality.

“I’ve done a very good job for the 20th District and I hope the citizens of the 20th District will send me back to Richmond on their behalf,” he said.

In 2007 Chris Saxman won reelection over Democrat challenger Bruce Elder with 68.5% of the vote.

The 20th House District includes the city of Staunton, Highland County and parts of Augusta and Rockingham counties.

Saxman will not be challenged by Pyles

It was confirmed Friday night that Del. Chris Saxman (R-20th House District) will not be challenged for his House seat by Augusta County Supervisor Tracy Pyles.

Mr. Pyles, who first questioned the high real estate assessments in Augusta County and is riding a wave of popularity with residents for championing the little guy, had been rumored to be looking for a rematch against Del. Saxman. The two ran against each other in 2001 when the 20th House seat was formed after redistricting.