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Area Republicans seeking the party's nomination for the open 28th District state Senate seat will meet in a forum Saturday Date published: 5/14/2007
By CHELYEN DAVIS If you want to see and hear the Republican candidates for the 28th District state Senate seat before the primary election this Saturday, tomorrow night is your chance. The four candidates seeking the GOP nomination for the seat will appear at a candidate forum sponsored by the Stafford County Republican Committee. It's the last forum before the May 19 "firehouse" primary in which the nominee will be selected. The forum will be held tomorrow at 7 p.m. at the Leland Station Clubhouse at 115 Riggs Road in southern Stafford. On the ballot are: Joe Graziano, a 37-year-old Stafford businessman with a military background who says he is a conservative who supports small government and low taxes. Important issues include education, transportation, illegal immigration and protecting the environment. Jon Myers, a 36-year-old former Marine who served in Iraq (as did Graziano) and now works for the U.S. Department of State. Myers says he is a conservative who also supports low taxes. His issues include veterans' affairs, immigration, the environment and alternative fuels, and giving local government more ability to make its own decisions. Myers lives in Stafford and has been endorsed by many local elected officials. Richard Stuart, 43, is a lawyer and former Commonwealth's Attorney in Westmoreland County. He says John Van Hoy, a Stafford geologist who owns a well-drilling company, is supported by the more conservative wing of the party. Van Hoy says he supports transportation investments, fiscal responsibility within the state budget, limited government and low taxes. The candidates will answer questions from a panel of local officials, such as the Stafford commissioner of revenue, the sheriff, or the school board chairman, said GOP committee member Carol Orlando. She said the panel members will ask questions about such issues as transportation, economic development, public safety and family values. The audience will also be allowed to ask the candidates some questions. Orlando said they'll have to write down their questions in advance. The four candidates are all seeking the nomination for the seat held for 30 years by Sen. John Chichester, R-Northumberland. Chichester announced earlier this spring that he will retire at the end of this term. That sparked an intra-party battle over the nomination method, with one faction favoring an open primary and the other pushing for a Republicans-only method. The result is what's known as a firehouse primary, which is run by the party, with limited polling places, and open only to Republicans. Voters on Saturday will have to sign an oath vowing to support the Republican nominee in the general election in November. The winner of the May 19 vote will face Democrat Albert Pollard Jr., a former delegate from the Northern Neck. The 28th District stretches from Stafford to Lancaster County on the Chesapeake Bay. Chelyen Davis: 804/782-9362Email: cdavis@freelancestar.com
1. Be respectful. No personal attacks.
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