Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, September 30, 1993 TAG: 9309300025
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By DWAYNE YANCEY
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
That, he says, explains how, as a student growing up in Salem, he always seemed to find himself in one class office after another.
"I can remember watching the news as early as 6 or 7 [years old] and giving speeches in homeroom for various candidates in mock polls," Griffith says. "I was always fascinated with the process. Maybe this is a part of my geekishness."
And it also explains the antique maps of Virginia that adorn his Salem law office, maps so old that Roanoke is still Big Lick and the Old Dominion extends all the way to the Ohio.
"It may be geeky," Griffith says, explaining his map-collecting hobby, "but I firmly believe your future may not be the same as your past, but the past can give you insight into the future."
More to the point, though, those old maps also point the direction for Griffith's campaign for the House of Delegates.
While Democrat Howard Packett touts his resume, the 35-year-old Griffith has tried to make a name for himself as the candidate with the most ideas.
At a recent debate, Griffith chided Packett with this critique of his opponent: "He identifies the problem; I identify the solution."
Indeed, Griffith seems to be brimming with ideas for promoting economic development in the Roanoke and New River valleys, ideas he says he gleaned from studying his maps.
Geography makes the two valleys natural transportation corridors,\ Griffith says. "The map tells that story," he says. "Roanoke was founded and\ became a major metropolitan area because of transportation."
Now, the region must once again concentrate on building up its\ transportation links to spur economic growth, Griffith says.
With that in mind, Griffith has advanced three ideas he says he'll\ promote as a state legislator:
Setting up a "dry-land port," where small trucking firms could share\ wharf space, an idea in which his party's gubernatorial candidate, George\ Allen, has also shown an interest.
Persuading Norfolk Southern Corp. to build a large "inter-modal terminal"\ here, where trucks and trains could exchange cargo.
But the most far-reaching idea Griffith has embraced is Interstate 73. So\ far, the proposed Detroit-to-South Carolina interstate hasn't even advanced to\ the drawing board stage. But Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., has obtained federal\ funding to start planning the section through the Mountain State.
That's why Griffith says the New River and Roanoke valleys should move\ aggressively to make sure the road comes through here rather than farther west\ along Interstate 77, as West Virginia and North Carolina officials prefer.
Griffith argues that an I-73 routed through Giles, Montgomery and Floyd\ counties would help give the Roanoke and New River valleys better access to\ fast-growing markets in the Carolinas and help spin off jobs here.
I-73, to be sure, isn't a project one hears much about. Packett ridicules\ it as "nothing more than a dream." But Griffith says that's why championing\ the project now is so important. "That's what leadership is all about," he\ says.
Griffith also says his vocal support of I-73 shows what kind of\ legislator he'd be: High-profile, and not afraid to get people upset, if\ necessary.
There tend to be two types of state legislators, those like House Majority Leader Richard Cranwell who sometimes use their muscle outside the\ legislature on local issues, and those who don't.
"I'd be more like Dickie," Griffith says, "but I hope not so arrogant."\ For what it's worth, Griffith cites his political hero as Sen. Bob Dole,\ R-Kan., hardly a shrinking violet.
Griffith says his personal traits would not only help him advance ideas\ locally, they also would serve the regional well in Richmond.
He contends Western Virginia needs more "outspoken" representation, if the region is to make itself heard in a state legislature increasingly dominated by suburban members from the state's "golden crescent" from Northern Virginia to Tidewater.
For the same reason, he says, the region also needs to send more Republicans to Richmond.
With Del. Steve Agee's retirement, there will be only one GOP House member west of Lynchburg. As Republicans gain numbers - and perhaps a majority - in the House, that paucity of western members is a worrisome gap, Griffith says.
"The state is going to go Republican," he says. "I want to make sure we're ahead of the curve, and make sure we don't get cheated in Southwest Virginia" simply because the region isn't heard in Republican circles.
"I think I can provide a very active and effective voice within the Republican caucus. I really see this as an opportunity for Southwest Virginia to make sure it's well-represented."
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB