Saxman townhall meeting Thursday

Delegate Chris Saxman (R-20th House) will be holding a townhall meeting this Thursday, December 11, 2008, at 6:00 pm at Staunton's City Hall.

His special guest will be Bill Leighty, former chief of staff to Governors Warner and Kaine.

His press release said:

As Chief of Staff to Governor Kaine, Mr. Leighty worked closely with Delegate Saxman and the Cost Cutting Caucus in implementing a series of "Operational Reviews" of Virginia state government in 2007. This bi-partisan effort conducted jointly by the executive and legislative branches, was a key initiative to implement performance management in the Commonwealth. Delegate Saxman and Mr. Leighty jointly presented on Virginia's experience with Operational Reviews to the American Legislative Exchange Council's Fiscal Policy Task Force and were also published in ALEC's magazine.

For their work to examine the operations of state government, Delegate Saxman and Mr. Leighty were jointly presently the annual "Making Government Better" award by the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy in December, 2007.

The Town Hall meeting is open to the public, and will be an opportunity for constituents to discuss the upcoming 2009 legislative session, including state budget issues.

Churchville Fireman's Parade ... an Augusta County tradition

Congressman Bob Goodlatte & Del. Chris Saxman

Goodlatte float representing GOP was ready and waiting to go....

GOP Churchville Precinct Captain Emily Griffin. I call her "Miss Churchville" because she knows everyone....

I heard someone call out my name ... and there was Will Bear sitting with his dad on the front steps of their historic home in Churchville. They run the Bear Funeral Home which has been in their family for generations. Will was formerly very involved in the Augusta County Republican Party before taking over the family business after his mother passed away.



Chris Saxman and Bob Goodlatte walked the parade, criss-crossing the street to greet folks. Here they are shaking hands with a group sitting at the corner of Rt. 250 and Rt. 42 in the center of Churchville.

Chris Saxman with three young members of the Goodlatte team who helped pass out candy to children along the parade route.


Del. Saxman shakes hands with future voters as Alex Davis passes out Goodlatte lapel stickers. Alex, a member of the Staunton GOP, was helping out in the Pastures District, an example of the cooperation between the SWAC area Republican committees.

The annual Churchville Fireman's parade is an event many families look forward to each year. I first became involved in 2001 when Chris Saxman was running for the Republican nomination for the 20th House delegate seat. We had a float that year with supporters riding while Chris worked the crowd and the rest of us walked along handing out Saxman lapel stickers. He was popular that year ... and every year since. People call out to him as he walks by ... he tries to get to as many as possible as the float slowly pulls away....

Congressman Goodlatte was also very popular in the parade as he shook hands with young and old alike. His "Goodlatte Team" was dressed in blue Goodlatte shirts and ranged in age from seven to mid-20s ... and up. Home school mom Melissa Mello of Waynesboro (another example of cooperation between the SWAC area GOP committees), her husband, and their six children were part of that team as well as YRs, staffers, and GOP activists. Emily Griffin and Al Katz, both officers on the Augusta County GOP, participated. The youngest member of the team was 18-month-old Emma who rode on the float with her mom and took it all in.

Many familiar faces were seen in the crowd including Dianne and Benny Rankin, owners of T-Bone Tooter's restaurant located in the center of Churchville. Its front porch was full of folks who had a front-row seat for the parade. Also saw Michelle and Terry Argenbright and their children as part of the motocross team of about 20 youngsters on their motor bikes riding behind the lead pickup truck. They were adorable ... and it reminded me of a mother hen with all her chicks behind her as the pickup truck drove ahead with all the little motocross guys riding behind. I wish I could have gotten a picture of them.

It was another great parade. Many thanks to all who helped make it a success especially Dave Rexrode and his family for putting together the float, decorations, and providing the pickup as the "pull" vehicle.

Photos by SWAC Girl

AFP Rally in Richmond - Part 7: SWAC Delegates

Ben Cline (R-24th House)

Sen. Steve Martin (R-Chesterfield) is interviewed in background for Americans For Prosperity Rally.
Chris Saxman (R-20th House)
Steve Landes (R-25th House)

Ran into the SWAC area delegates in the Capitol and the General Assembly Building. They were all in high spirits ... laughing and talking with constituents and each other.

Delegate Steve Landes (R-25th House) covers the eastern part of Augusta County and Waynesboro.

Delegate Chris Saxman (R-20th House) covers the western part of Augusta County, Staunton, and Stuarts Draft.

Delegate Ben Cline (R-24th House) covers the southern part of Augusta County and Middlebrook.

Thanks to them for their dedication and time.

Saxman on Kaine's proposal: "... little bit aggressive for real needs of Virginia"

As news of Democrat Governor Tim Kaine's proposed tax hikes to pay for transportation projects circulates around the Commonwealth, those close to home are absorbing what it would mean to citizens.

Delegate Chris Saxman (R-20th District) of Staunton expressed doubt for the governor's proposal. In an interview with Harrisonburg's WHSV TV-3, Saxman reacted to the news:

"This is probably a little bit aggressive for what the real needs of Virginia are," says Saxman.

In addition to state-wide taxes, Kaine's plan calls for increased sales taxes in northern Virginia and Hampton Roads. Just last year, the state Supreme Court struck down a plan to allocate $600 million specifically to those areas.

"Amendments to the transportation program last year were deemed unconstitutional," says Saxman. "I don't know why Virginians are going to have to pay a billion dollars to fix [Kaine's] mistakes."

Others in the Valley reacted in a similar fashion including Senator Mark Obenshain (R-26th District).

"What I think has raised a lot of concerns is that the governor has taken this simply as an opportunity not just to replace that $600 million but to almost double that," says Mark Obenshain (R - 26th District).

Obenshain says he wants to make sure projects in the Valley get the funding they need too.

"We know that we have some projects that are in dire need of making sure there's funding adequate to complete them," says Obenshain. "For example, Port Republic Road."

The General Assembly is being called back to Richmond in June when this bill will be discussed by both Chambers.

Delegate Chris Saxman: Repeated attacks on VA right-to-work law

By Chris Saxman

I wanted to take a moment to discuss an important issue that arose several times during the 2008 General Assembly session and will be addressed in the presidential race this year.

During the General Assembly session, the Governor and Democrats in the House of Delegates and the Senate were behind disturbing efforts to undermine Virginia's right-to-work law, a basic tenet of the Commonwealth’s business friendly environment. Though the measures failed in the House of Delegates, one would have allowed collective bargaining for public employees, while the other attempted to begin an irreversible trend towards compulsory organizing of employees.

Meanwhile, national Democrat presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama stumped in economically depressed states like Ohio demonizing free trade and extolling the virtues of mandatory unionism despite its devastating results on those very states.

Virginia has been rated the "Best State for Business" by Forbes Magazine for the last two years. Our state government routinely wins accolades, including "Best Managed State." A major factor behind these achievements is Virginia's right-to-work law. Businesses come to Virginia and other right-to-work states because they can do business without fear of striking unions jeopardizing their operations. Workers in right-to-work states are rewarded for their productivity and enjoy freedom and choice in the workplace without the fear they will be forced to join a union or participate in a strike. Not to mention the devastating fiscal impact on governments!

States that have right-to-work laws are quickly passing states without such laws when examining a variety of economic indicators including economic growth rates, per capita income, and manufacturing.

As noted by the Richmond Times-Dispatch, a recent study by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy compared the economies of Alabama, a right-to-work state, and Michigan, a state long dominated by union bosses. While automakers have dramatically reduced jobs in Michigan, the number of auto manufacturing jobs has tripled in Alabama. Between 2001 and 2006, Alabama has increased its workforce by 4 percent. Michigan's job losses were nearly 5 percent of its total workforce over that period. Per capita income in right-to-work states including Virginia, Florida, Kansas, Nebraska, Nevada, Wyoming and Texas is rapidly increasing and disposable income levels are higher than in states plagued by compulsory unionization.

Ohioans bemoan jobs losses and politicians blame free trade while advocating more unionism as a solution to a problem. In reality, forced unionism is a contributing factor to Ohio's economic troubles in the first place. Many foreign-owned companies, recognizing the plight of US automakers and industries in unionized states, are downright hostile, and for good reason, to locating operations in a state unless it has a right-to-work law.

According to the Wall Street Journal, “nearly 1,000 new plants have been built in Texas since 2005, from the likes of Microsoft, Samsung and Fujitsu. Foreign-owned companies supplied the state with 345,000 jobs.” Right-to-work states like Texas had far higher rates of job growth than Ohio between 1995 and 2005. The WSJ summed the situation up well, stating: “No wonder Texans don’t fear global competition the way some Presidential candidates do.”

Given these facts, it is hard to understand why Virginia Democrats are so intent on undermining Virginia's right-to-work law. When you consider the large amount of support, financial and physical, that Democrats take from labor unions, it becomes much easier to understand how the disastrous results of force unionization can be so easily ignored. If Virginia's economy is to remain vibrant and diversified, and if Virginia is to remain a best managed state with a business friendly environment, the right-to-work law must remain intact.

This issue comes down a choice between economic growth and economic stagnation, and is essential to our understanding of freedom in the United States. I am fully committed to protecting Virginia’s right-to-work law and ensuring Virginia remains a great place to live, work, raise a family and operate a business.

Cross-posted at SixtyFour81.com

Delegate Chris Saxman updates constituents....

By Delegate Chris Saxman

The 2008 General Assembly session is winding down, though important works remains to be done as House and Senate conferees try to work out the differences in the budget. Next week I look forward to presenting you with an end of session report on the accomplishments of the 2008 session. Today, however, I am writing to share with you the result of my legislative questionnaire I notified you about at the start of the session. Thank you for the outstanding participation and input you provided.

Let me take a moment to highlight some of the questionnaire’s findings.
Full results are posted on my website.

The questionnaire results showed:

- 70 percent oppose tax increases and want government to live within its means
- 70 percent oppose expanding the existing pre-K program for at risk children to other children not deemed to be at risk.
- Respondents overwhelmingly supported measures to fight illegal immigration
- 90 percent support giving local government more authority to deny new residential developments and more influence in land use decisions
- 70 percent supported reforms to payday lending including limiting the number of loans an individual can take out per year

The individual responses and comments were also of great assistance as I examined legislation that came across my desk this session.

In the next week the House and Senate will put together a budget agreeable to both chambers. I pledge to work with my colleagues to ensure any budget that passes protects core services, cuts wasteful spending and curtails unwise new spending given the fiscal uncertainty Virginia is facing.

I am looking forward to getting back to the Valley and having the opportunity to catch up with you and get your feedback on our efforts this session. As always, feel free to contact me as saxman@intelos.net if you have any suggestions or if I may be of assistance.

Sincerely,

Chris Saxman

Cross-posted at SixtyFour81.com

SWAC-GOP Breakfast and Americans For Prosperity (AFP)

Paul Harris, State Chairman for AFP.

Delegate Ben Cline, Western Chairman for AFP.

That's my delegate! Chris Saxman (right) is also part of AFP.
Councilman Dickie Bell (left front) and Jim Taetzsch.

Scott Sayre, Greater SWAC Area Chairman for AFP, shares a laugh along with Delegate Ben Cline (front) and AFP Virginia Director Ben Marchi (rear).

Andrea Oakes (right), Chairman of the Citizens Task Force Against Pornography, updates attendees as Delegate Ben Cline, Debbie Summers, and Chairman Kurt Michael (background) look on.

Fellowship before breakfast.
Paul Harris talks with Bob Stuart, reporter with the Waynesboro News Virginian.

Scott Sayre addresses breakfast as Ben Cline and Paul Harris (right) look on.
A packed room listened to Paul Harris' call to hold our electeds accountable.

Fellow State Central Committee rep Trixie Averill.

Ben Cline talks about crossover week in Richmond and the bills he has introduced this year.

Today's SWAC-GOP Breakfast featured an all-star lineup from Americans For Prosperity, providing laughter, information, and an opportunity to be with like-minded folks who believe in low taxes and controlled spending.

Paul Harris, the charismatic Virginia state chairman for APF, said on Saturday:

“We need a surge of conservatism and its ideals from Fairfax to Roanoke to Charlottesville,” Harris said. He asked the audience to speak out and hold their legislators accountable.
...

“We need to stop needless regulation and eliminate wasteful government”...

Emphasizing the grassroots nature of the organization, Harris added that ...

... while special interests spend millions to lobby Congress in Washington and the General Assembly in Richmond, members of Americans For Prosperity can write letters to the editor and stand for responsible government.

Update:Bob Stuart has coverage of the SWAC-GOP Breakfast in the Waynesboro News Virginian.

Kurt Michael has more links at SixtyFour81.com.

More photos at Yankee Philip.

Saxman calls on Huckabee to step aside

With two major contenders left to battle it out for the Republican nomination in the race for president, local Delegate Chris Saxman, who is co-chair of the John McCain/Virginia campaign, has called on Mike Huckabee to step aside.

Today's Richmond Times-Dispatch reported:

Huckabee has vowed to stay in the race until either he or McCain has delegates needed to claim the nomination. His persistence has become an annoyance to some McCain supporters, one of whom lashed out at Huckabee yesterday.

Del. Christopher B. Saxman, R-Staunton, who is co-chairing McCain's Virginia campaign, called on Huckabee to get out of the race and to speak out against anti-McCain telephone calls being made in the state.

"The fight for the Republican nomination is all but over. There is no path to victory for Mike Huckabee, yet his supporters continue to attack John McCain," Saxman said. "The sooner our party is united behind our eventual nominee, the better off we will be to face the onslaught from MoveOn.org and the Democratic Party."

Virginia's primary is Tuesday with McCain, Huckabee, and Ron Paul still in the race.

Chris Saxman in Richmond....

Jeff Schapiro has an interesting article in today's Richmond Times-Dispatch about legislators and General Assembly-types who bunk in together during session in Richmond ... and asks about the possibility of conflict-of-interest when those arrangements involve lobbyists and legislators. He even talked with our own Delegate Chris Saxman about his living accommodations while away from Staunton representing his constituents.

In "Living in truly close quarters," Schapiro writes:

Another delegate, Chris Saxman of Staunton, stays with a fellow GOP lawmaker who's married to a lobbyist. Saxman would crash with Sen. Ryan McDougle and his wife, Bea, at their house in Hanover, but Chris and Ryan now bach it at a McDougle riverfront condo. As for rent, Saxman says only, "we have an arrangement."

Short, interesting read.

Update:Thanks to Delegate Saxman who contacted me to say Jeff Schapiro was running a correction to the article's last paragraph which should say:

“If you can’t take their money, eat their food and drink their wine and then vote against them, then you shouldn’t be down here."

Thanks, Sax!

Is Chris Saxman right about November elections?

Staunton GOP Chairman Anne Taetzsch has a good post up over at SixtyFour81.com about Delegate Chris Saxman's (R-Staunton) bill to move May elections to November. It is a money saver, it would turn out more voters ... read her thoughts and Delegate Saxman's reasons for this bill.

General Assembly: Delegate Chris Saxman's education tax bill - UPDATED

****Update: There was no opposition to HB 1164, but it struggled to get out of committee. The original vote was 2-2. There was a motion to lay the bill on the table (fail it), but the motion was not seconded. It was then moved to carry the bill over to the next meeting. In the end, the bill was reported out of committee to be heard before the full Education committee later this week. ****


The House of Delegates will debate a bill this week that provides a tax credit to businesses and individuals who donate to scholarship programs. HB 1164 passed out of a House committee on Monday by a vote of 13-7.

The bill, patroned by Delegate Chris Saxman (R-20, Staunton), would provide better education opportunities for many Virginia students by allowing for scholarship funds with money donated by businesses and individuals receiving a tax credit for such donations. Many private scholarship programs annually turn kids away simply because there are always far more applicants than can be accommodated. This bill will encourage more donations to these important programs.

Because a majority of the Virginia General Assembly is controlled by the Virginia Education Association, the Virginia School Boards Association, and the Virginia PTA, legislation that provides any financial assistance for families who choose non-public schools has never been successful. Those groups are vehimantly opposed to parental choice in education.

While Delegate Saxman's bill does not provide a direct tax credit to families, it does allow for the creation of scholorship funds and promote donations to those funds through tax credits. Such programs will provide scholarships to students to be able to attend non-public schools. A tuition tax credit bill sponsored by Delegate Bob Marshall (R-13, Manassas) died in a House sub-committee late last week.

Please contact your Delegate and urge them to support HB 1164.

Cross-posted at SixtyFour81.com
Action Alert from the Family Foundation

Saxman bill limiting Party events during Session passes House...

... faces stiff opposition in Senate

Delegate Chris Saxman (R-Staunton) introduced a bill that would prevent legislators, the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and members of the Virginia congressional delegation from attending Party-sponsored fundraisers during a regular General Assembly session. His concern was the influence such events could have over legislators. The bill overwhelmingly passed the House 95-1.

It now goes to the Democrat-controlled Senate where it will likely face stiff opposition.

Cross-posted at SixtyFour81.com

Del. Chris Saxman's HB 328 good for Staunton

Delegate Chris Saxman's HB 328 proposing elections be moved from May to November is good for Staunton and Waynesboro. Kurt Michael has more at SixtyFour81.com.

Chris Saxman campaigns with John McCain in South Carolina

Delegate Chris Saxman (R-20th House Districit) traveled to South Carolina Friday to campaign with Senator John McCain on the eve of Saturday's crucial primary. Saxman attended a rally for Senator McCain at the USS Yorktown in Mount Pleasant late Friday and will participate in campaign activities Saturday.

Saxman serves as co-chair of McCain’s campaign in Virginia.

Cross-posted at SixtyFour.com

Shaun Kenney addresses SWAC-GOP Breakfast

Shaun Kenney addresses the SWAC-GOP Breakfast on the topic of blogging and its effect in politics.

Congressman Bob Goodlatte, Mrs. Goodlatte, Staunton Councilman Dickie Bell, Shaun Kenney

Maryellen Goodlatte, Councilman Dickie Bell

Congressman Bob Goodlatte, Maryellen Goodlatte

Local Staunton, Waynesboro, and Augusta County Republicans gather for breakfast.

Shaun Kenney and Chris Green

From left to right are Kurt Michael, Lynn Mitchell, Shaun Kenney, Chris Green. In the senatorial race they are supporting, left to right, Bob Marshall, Jim Gilmore, Marshall, Gilmore. We will all work hard for our candidates but will come together behind the winner of the Republican Convention to be held May 31 in Richmond.

Today was another great SWAC-GOP Breakfast as local Republicans met at Rowe's Restaurant in Staunton to hear blogger Shaun Kenney address the subject of blogging and its place in conservative politics. Shaun, who is vice president of the American Life League, also shared information about the work he is doing with them.

It was extremely informative and there were a number of bloggers in the room including Chris Saxman (Virginia Cost Cutting), Phil Lynch (Yankee Philip), and Lynn Mitchell (SWAC Girl). Our thanks to Shaun for taking time out of his Saturday to visit SWAC.

Congressman Bob Goodlatte and his wife, Maryellen, joined us as well as Delegate Chris Saxman and Staunton Councilman Dickie Bell. Michael Shull, who was a Board of Supervisors candidate in 2007, also was there along with his 10-year-old son. Waynesboro Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney David Ledbetter also joined us.

With blogging information from Shaun, updates from our electeds, and reports from Senate and Presidential campaigns, it was an interesting meeting and helped gear people up for the upcoming year. Great things are going to happen in 2008!


Photos by SWAC Girl

My prediction: Chris Saxman will run for U.S. Senate

Delegate Chris Saxman is working the Republican Advance as if he's a candidate for something.... My prediction, and I told him this last night, is he is going to challenge Governor Jim Gilmore for the Republican nomination to run for U.S. Senate.

Lapel stickers, hospitality suite, consultants, College Republican volunteers ... those are not the things you have if you are not running. He looks and acts like he's in.

This afternoon Governor Gilmore and Del. Saxman will address the entire Republican Advance prior to the presidential straw poll. It should be an interesting event so stay tuned to see what happens.

Chris Saxman to announce Senate decision this weekend

Delegate Chris Saxman will announce his decision this weekend at the Republican Advance about whether to run for the U.S. Senate nomination. Former governor Jim Gilmore is the only declared candidate at this time.

If Del. Saxman got into the race he would challenge Governor Gilmore at the Republican Convention scheduled for the end of May 2008.

"I will announce this weekend," said Saxman, 42. "The time is too compressed. We can't leave these things out there until the end of the year. It's time to move on with a decision."

Del. Saxman has a hospitality suite Friday night, and will address the group of activists Saturday afternoon following Governor Gilmore.

It is looking to be an exciting weekend.

Republican Advance: Chris Saxman's Hospitality Suite

Saxman continues to explore Senate bid....

Chris Saxman continues to explore the feasibility of running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by a retiring John Warner. Phoning, talking, and meeting with possible supporters, Del. Saxman is laying the groundwork to perhaps challenge former Governor Jim Gilmore who formally announced yesterday that he will run for the Republican nomination.

If he decides to throw his hat in the ring, Del. Saxman faces a Gilmore organization that has been in place for months. He would also need to raise a substantial amount of money going into the Republican convention to be held in Richmond at the end of May.

While Jim Gilmore would bring extensive experience to the table, he would also face a hostile media that has been more interested in painting him in a negative light instead of highlighting the positives of his career, most notably the successful car tax campaign. He has a military background in intelligence, served as Virginia's lieutenant governor and governor, was Republican National Committee Chairman, and guided the Commonwealth through the 9/11 crisis.

Although less experienced, Del. Saxman, who is a Staunton businessman and has spent the past six years in the state House of Delegates, has a record of accomplishment and generally enjoys a favorable interaction with the press. He has served on the Cost Cutting Caucus, has been a champion for five years of school choice, and was a supporter of the 2006 Marriage Amendment that was overwhelming passed by state voters. His candidacy would present a fresh face that Republicans may be looking for after recent defeats.

Augusta County GOP Chair encouraged by possible Saxman bid for U.S. Senate

Jim Riley over at Virginia Virtucon explored the possibility of Delegate Chris Saxman running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by John Warner. Saxman (R-Staunton) won election to the 20th House District in 2001 on his conservative principles.

I posed the question to political insiders in SWAC. One of the more interesting conversations was with Augusta County Chairman Dr. Kurt Michael who was encouraged by the fact Chris Saxman was thinking of running for U.S. Senate. Some of the points he mentioned were Saxman's involvement in the Virginia Cost Cutting Caucus and Americans For Prosperity, his support of the Marriage Amendment, and his work to bring about legislation for school choice.

Chairman Michael said Chris Saxman is a rising star in the Republican Party, has shown mature leadership in the Shenandoah Valley, and is someone who works well with both moderates and conservatives while holding to his beliefs.

This is going to be an interesting election cycle. I am sure I will be posting more about these developments.