THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 1, 1996 TAG: 9608300693
SECTION: COMMENTARY PAGE: J6 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: 70 lines
Dear Fellow Virginia Voter:
If I were hiring, in a traditional sense, someone to be my United States Senator, I would consider one main factor: the right kind of experience. Every day our senator rises to vote for us and to speak for us. I believe Mark Warner's experience is the kind of experience that can be most effective for the future of Virginia.
Virginia has a proud history of public servants from diverse backgrounds, who set aside their private pursuits to serve in the public interest. We do not require our elected officials to be career politicians. Instead, we often choose the candidate with a fresh new voice and new ideas.
Mark Warner is such a candidate. His experience as an entrepreneur, as a civic leader, and as a self-made success will serve him well as he represents us. Mark has spent his life creating jobs and balancing budgets, not writing legislation and attending committee meetings. His experience, real-world experience, qualifies him to represent Virginia in the Unites States Senate.
Mark's success in business is well known. Starting with nothing, he has had the vision to develop a number of cellular phone and wireless companies, as well as computer on-line companies. Mark supports and will fight for Virginia's traditional industries - the backbone of today's economy. But, he also knows we need a senator who will pursue the development of tomorrow's industries so that all Virginians will have opportunities to prosper. A senator who delivers funds for today is a good thing, but a senator who also delivers jobs for tomorrow is a better thing. As a businessman, I am concerned that too few of our public officials understand the dynamics of the changing economy - an economy based more and more on technology and innovation. Mark Warner knows the look of the new jobs of tomorrow. With his experience, he is best qualified to set Virginia on the path for new and better jobs in the future.
Mark's extensive community involvement has taught him the value of seeking solutions at the local level because that is often where the best solutions can be found. He is fond of saying that ``the best solutions are found on Main Street, Virginia not Washington, D.C.'' As the founding chairman of the extremely successful Virginia Health Care Foundation, Mark has helped provide health care to nearly 45,000 under-insured Virginians through a public-private partnership which encourages neighbors to care for neighbors. He has worked in and visited our neighborhoods and our communities. He knows our problems and how they can be solved.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Mark understands that we are a nation where education, hard work and opportunity are the formula for success for every American.
As the first person in his family to graduate from college, Mark understands that the opportunity to succeed is the first ingredient for success. His middle class roots will serve him well in the Senate. He understands the challenges and tribulations many Virginia families face today, as they struggle to raise children and care for older parents.
He also understands that he would not have succeeded without the student loan program, and, as a result has made education the cornerstone of his campaign. When you ask him why, he simply says ``because I have not forgotten where I began.'' That's the kind of person I want representing us in the United States Senate. That's the personal experience we need in the Senate.
In the weeks to come, we will no doubt see and hear more about the experience of both candidates running for the United States Senate. Mark Warner has the kind of experience and record of success I believe Virginians need in their next United State Senator.
Sidney Buford Scott MEMO: Sidney Buford Scott is chairman of Scott & Stringfellow, Inc.,
a stock brokerage headquartered in Richmond. Scott and Mark Warner have
been associated by their mutual interest in the Democratic Party of
Virginia and Warner's success in the telecommunications business.
KEYWORDS: U.S. SENATE RACE VIRGINIA CANDIDATES
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