Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, September 20, 1995 TAG: 9509200025
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DAN CASEY AND ROBERT LITTLE STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Edwards has roundly criticized Bell for sponsoring legislation for charter schools and for not fighting Gov. George Allen's proposed cuts in state education funding, which failed in the General Assembly last year.
He turned it up a notch Tuesday, noting that Bell voted against the Omnibus Education Act of 1995 on the first of two votes the Senate took on it this year. Among other things, the bill devotes hundreds of millions of dollars in lottery proceeds to schools.
Last week, Bell said he had never voted to cut school funding.
In fact, ``He was one of only three senators to vote against this important education funding bill,'' Edwards charged at a news conference where local representatives of a statewide teachers' association endorsed him and Del. Clifton ``Chip'' Woodrum, D-Roanoke.
Bell, who voted for the bill the second time it came up, said he was holding out for an amendment that would have softened a controversial mandate that requires parents to sign a pledge that they've read the school system's student conduct code or face a $50 fine.
Bell wanted local school systems to have the option of imposing the fine. The way the legislation came out, the state requires schools to enforce the policy.
As for the endorsement by the Virginia Education Association, which represents more than 1,600 teachers in Roanoke and Roanoke County, Bell said he believed that was in the bag for Edwards long ago.
``When I went for my interview with the VEA, I noticed they had Edwards bumper stickers on a table they were handing out,'' Bell said. ``I've got a lot of support from individual teachers who have called me and spoken to me.''
Kitty Boitnott, president of the VEA chapter representing Roanoke County, said that if Edwards is elected, ``Our citizens will know they need not be concerned about the threat [Bell] is trying to rain upon us.''
Woodrum didn't mention his opponent, Newell Falkinburg. Instead, he promised to support increased funding for education at all level, from kindergarten through state colleges and universities.
The VEA also has endorsed House Majority Leader Richard Cranwell, D-Roanoke County, who is being challenged by Republican Trixie Averill of Vinton.
It has not endorsed any candidate in the race between Del. Victor Thomas, D-Roanoke, and GOP challenger Jeff Artis.
GOP signs contract; Democrats on bus
From the political party that gave us the ``Contract With America'' soon will come a Virginia version, one that state Republicans hope to ride to historic majorities in the General Assembly.
Democrats, meanwhile, are preparing to tour the state in a yellow school bus, a protest of sorts to proposed education cuts that would have been a product of the Republican agenda.
Republican legislative candidates are planning to gather on the Capitol steps today to ratify an election-year ``contract'' of promises to voters.
Party members would not discuss the details or even confirm the document's title, but characterized the event as something ``the likes of which no slate of candidates has offered in Virginia before.''
Democratic candidates and party leaders today will begin their school bus tour in the far Southwestern Virginia town of Grundy, a region of the state Democrats say ``would have been most devastated'' by Gov. Allen's proposed budget cuts this year.
Virginia Republicans have taken pains to characterize the Nov. 7 General Assembly elections as a referendum on both Allen and the collective agenda of the party. Signing the contract would be the latest effort to homogenize the varying races around the state.
Republicans say privately that they are mimicking the Contract With America, a list of conservative campaign promises released by Republican candidates for the House of Representatives late in last year's race. The GOP won majorities in both houses of Congress.
Many of the issues high on the list of possible promises for the Virginia contract include prison construction, tax cuts and parental notification when women under 18 undergo abortions. Also at issue: giving state lottery profits to local governments to spend on public safety or education, or to offset taxes.
State Republican Caucus spokesman Scott Leake would not release a list of who plans to sign the document, but said ``the vast majority of Republicans are on board.''
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB