Martinsville Bulletin, Inc.
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Martinsville, Virginia 24115
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Monday, July 13, 2009
By AMANDA BUCK - Bulletin Staff Writer
Former Danville mayor F. Seward Anderson Jr., who is opposing Del. Danny Marshall in the race for the 14th District House seat, on Sunday criticized Marshall for his opposition to adding money to an economic development fund governors control.
The Governor’s Opportunity Fund was created to allow governors discretionary funds with which they can provide incentives to attract businesses to the commonwealth. According to a news release Anderson issued Sunday, the fund was sponsored by state Sen. Creigh Deeds, now the Democratic candidate for governor, when it was created in 1996.
Last week, Deeds’ opponent, Republican Bob McDonnell, said he supports doubling the annual appropriation to the fund.
“It’s rare to find Democrats and Republicans beating the same drum in an election year, but this one is a no-brainer,” Anderson said in the release. “The Governor’s Opportunity Fund isn’t an experiment; it’s a proven tool that’s directly benefited the people of Danville and Pittsylvania County. Gov. (Mark) Warner used it to secure Essel Propack’s plant here. Gov. Kaine used it land IKEA.”
Anderson, a Democrat, supports adding money to the fund and criticized Marshall, a Republican, for voting against doing so in 2006 and 2007.
“Del. Marshall is off the mark here,” Anderson said in the release.
Marshall said Sunday that he has voted against adding money to the opportunity fund “almost every time” it has come up, because “if you look at the year-end balance, we’ve always had a balance in the fund. So the question I would have to ask Mr. Anderson is, ‘Why does he want to take additional money and put it into that fund that is just going to sit there?’”
Anderson called the fund “one of our best tools for rural economic development” and said it is essential in allowing Virginia to compete with other states for new industries and businesses. The economic environment is so competitive, he said, that “Virginia just lost out on an Apple Plant that’s estimated to bring 3,000 or more jobs to rural North Carolina because the reality today is industry and good jobs go where they can get the best deal.”
Marshall said money for the opportunity fund has not been the problem.
“When they say we don’t fully fund the Governor’s Opportunity Fund, that would lead you to think we’re not funding money for bringing businesses here. But the question you have to ask yourself is, ‘Has any business in the state of Virginia ever lost coming in because of money that was not in the Governor’s Opportunity Fund?’ And the answer is, ‘No.’ We’ve always had enough money to fund the needs of what that fund was established for to start with.”
Marshall faulted Kaine on Apple’s decision not to locate in Virginia, saying the North Carolina legislature, which was in session at the time, approved a special funds package to attract that company. The Virginia General Assembly was not in session, Marshall said, but “Gov. Kaine could have called us back into session if we needed additional money” to close the deal.
Marshall said he opposes adding money to the opportunity fund because it would be better spent on “core services” such as education or police rather than “just sitting there” in the fund.
Marshall added that in Southside, money from the fund, as well as the tobacco commission (of which he is a member), has been used in “every economic development announcement we’ve had” in recent years.
The 14th District includes parts of Henry and Pittsylvania counties and the city of Danville. The election will be held Nov. 3. |
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