Martinsville Bulletin, Inc.
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Martinsville, Virginia 24115
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Republican Ed Creed discusses his candidacy for the 10th House District seat on Friday at the old Henry County Courthouse in uptown Martinsville. |
Sunday, September 6, 2009
By MICKEY POWELL - Bulletin Staff Writer
Republican House of Delegates candidate Ed Creed pledged Friday to listen to voters to find out what is best for the 10th District.
“My agenda is you,” he told about 15 people who gathered at the former Henry County courthouse in Martinsville to hear him make a formal announcement of his candidacy in the Nov. 3 election.
That, he said, is unlike incumbent 10th District Del. Ward Armstrong, D-Collinsville, whose “agenda is running for speaker of the House.”
Armstrong is House minority leader.
Creed, a political newcomer, said most district voters he has talked with say nice things about Armstrong as a person. But they think Armstrong, a House member since 1992, “has become part of the liberal machine” that does not represent the opinions and personal values of most people in the district,” Creed said.
“They know that he is no longer fighting for the people of his district,” said Creed. “They know he is beholden to special interests.”
“Unfortunately,” Creed added, “sometimes even those elected officials who started off with good intentions become swept up in their own political agenda and forget about the people they represent.”
Creed criticized Armstrong for taking donations from Appalachian Power.
Armstrong has denied that the donations he has received from Appalachian have influenced his voting.
In June, Creed moved from Roanoke to Claudville in Patrick County — which he said basically is the center of the 10th District — so he could challenge Armstrong for the district House seat. He emphasized that the Republican Party asked him to run against Armstrong.
But he is familiar with Henry County and Martinsville because he has friends living here.
Creed said nobody has told him they would not vote for him because he is not originally from the district. Their interest, he said, is finding out what he can do for them in Richmond.
Wherever he goes in the district, the top three interests of people he talks with are “jobs, jobs, jobs,” he said.
“I guarantee you ... I will make it my top priority” to find ways to lure new companies to the area and retain existing ones, he said.
He mentioned that he supports giving companies economic incentives, as well as lowering taxes on both companies and individuals.
“We are being asked to tighten our belts, but government is unwilling to do the same,” said Creed. “The people are continually seeing the cost of just existing increase, while government keeps demanding more and more.”
Creed was born in Florida and grew up in Louisiana. He is a financial analyst with United First Financial.
He said he knows that running against a longtime incumbent is a formidable challenge, but “I really feel like I have a chance (of winning). Everybody I’ve talked to has been open arms, and they say they want a change.”
More and more people seem to be leaning toward conservatism, he said.
Creed said he does not think a recent controversy involving Bob McDonnell, the Republican gubernatorial candidate, will hurt the party or its candidates.
McDonnell said Monday he no longer believes what he wrote in a graduate thesis two decades ago that discrimination against gays or other groups is acceptable for the benefit of straight, married couples.
“What he said then is a lot different than the way he is today,” Creed said. But McDonnell remains a “truly conservative person.” |
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