Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, October 24, 1995 TAG: 9510240035
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Since 1982, Thomas has been the Roanoke Valley's only representative on the House Appropriations Committee. He has been part of an effective delegation that has helped win state funds for programs and projects vital to this region during a decade when political clout has migrated to Virginia's urban corridor.
Thomas' importance was evident, for example, in the past session of the General Assembly, when he helped push budget amendments that restored funds Gov. George Allen had eliminated for Meals on Wheels and Total Action Against Poverty. Thomas' brand of fiscal conservatism is guided not only by compassion - too often a dirty word in politics these days - but also by simple common sense.
After all, both Meals on Wheels and TAP, besides being of genuine service in the community, save far more than they cost. The former makes sure that housebound, mainly elderly residents get proper nutrition plus regular visits from volunteers, helping a vulnerable population stay in their own homes, if they choose, rather than enter costly nursing facilities. As for TAP, every time this community-based public-private partnership helps a Virginian find a bridge from poverty to productivity, all of us benefit.
Thomas has been most passionate in his advocacy of mental-health efforts and state parks. Neither interest owns big-time lobbyists spreading big bucks around Richmond, but both badly need friends in the legislature. Especially now, as the Allen administration moves toward a managed-care plan that threatens funding for community-service boards, and as Virginians continue to witness their beloved land being blenderized into Anyplace, U.S.A.
Thomas' Republican opponent is Jeff Artis, a black conservative who bluntly emphasizes personal responsibility and accountability as the cure for social maladies. His message reflects a restless intelligence, and strikes a chord in these frustrating times of absent fathers, mindless criminality and exaggerated identification with group victimhood.
This Republican is his own man, and doesn't hesitate to break from the party line when it conflicts with his own beliefs - as it does on liberal reproductive rights and reasonable gun control, both of which he favors. Indeed, the pro-life, anti-gun-control Thomas passes conservative litmus tests that Artis would fail.
Unfortunately, the Republican's aggressive, shoot-from-the-hip style too often crosses the bounds of accuracy and fairness, as when he characterizes Thomas as a supporter of racial quotas and a foe of welfare reform.
Thomas is a good-hearted, sometimes inarticulate man known among colleagues and constituents as a sincere and honest politician. He has served residents throughout the Roanoke Valley by supporting projects that help maintain our quality of life, encourage economic development, and protect vulnerable people who cannot be abandoned by a decent society.
Keywords:
POLITICS ENDORSEMENT
by CNB