Clean race needed in Spotsylvaniua board election

Date published: 6/27/2003

Claude Dunn's candidacy for the Chancellor District seat on the Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors gives voters a clear choice this fall. I look forward to an honest conversation with him about the issues that the voters of our district want us to address.

Let me first say that both Mr. Dunn and I have an abiding faith in God, so that is not an issue that divides us. One issue that does divide us, however, is growth. After talking with many voters in the district, it is evident that they are fed up with the haphazard growth that's eating away at their quality of life. To get a better handle on growth policies in the county, the majority of those voters believed that a good start was to defeat the Town of Chancellorsville rezoning proposal.

That project was symbolic in so many ways--it summed up the voters' views on growth. The bottom line is that, by his own admission, Mr. Dunn supported it; however, I did not. I can't say why Mr. Dunn supported the Town of Chancellorsville, but my opposition to it was based on the weak business case for it and the majority of Chancellor voters who opposed it.

The other difference between us is education. It has been reported that Mr. Dunn has stated in Republican party meetings that he believes it is "unconstitutional" to fund public education. I disagree, and voted this year to fully fund our public schools, in which I happen to have three children enrolled.

Although we differ on these important issues, I believe Mr. Dunn is a decent man, and I look forward to a good campaign.

However, I also know that some of the same folks who helped sling mud at Sen. John Chichester, R-Stafford, in the Republican primary will be helping Mr. Dunn.

Those sordid tactics were strongly rejected by voters, and I don't believe they will serve any positive purpose in this race.

Therefore, I am asking Mr. Dunn to join me in committing to a clean-campaign pledge so that we can fully and honestly debate, at a higher level of discourse, the issues of most concern to Chancellor voters. They deserve no less from us.

Henry "Hap" Connors

Spotsylvania

Henry "Hap" Connors is the Spotsylvania County supervisor for the Chancellor District.

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Date published: 6/27/2003