District 30: GOP territory since ’99

Every two years, Culpeper voters select a delegate to represent them in the District 30 seat of the Virginia General Assembly. For the past decade, that delegate has been Republican.

This year, a 34-year-old independent with strong libertarian leanings takes on the 44-year-old incumbent, a moderate Republican with close ties to the agricultural community in District 30, which includes Culpeper and Madison counties as well as a portion of Orange County.

Challenger Matt Carson is an Internet entrepreneur who grew up in Warrenton and now lives in Rixeyville with his wife and daughter. He is a graduate of Fauquier County High School and West Virginia University.

Del. Ed Scott is a small businessman who grew up in Culpeper and now lives in Madison with his wife and daughter. He is a graduate of Culpeper County High School and Virginia Tech.

Before getting into state politics, Scott served on the Madison County Planning Commission, including a stint as chairman. He was first elected to the House of Delegates in 2003. If re-elected Nov. 3, it will be his fourth term.

Before Scott, another Republican represented the district for two terms — Del. George Broman, a Culpeper doctor who ran unopposed in 1999 and 2001.

Before Broman, a prominent local Democrat held the delegates’ seat in this usually conservative district — Culpeper attorney John J. “Butch” Davies III.

Davies won in 1995 over a Culpeper attorney, Republican Chris Lindsay.

In 1997, Davies held onto the seat in a race against yet another conservative Culpeper lawyer, Michael Sharman.

There hasn’t been a Democrat in the District 30 election since, though a string of independents and/or Republicans have tried unsuccessfully to unseat Scott for the past six years.

Two days before Election Day, here’s one last look at who’s on the ballot this year.

Incumbent Scott steady to the end

MADISON — The flu felled a first-time candidate for state office last week, giving the incumbent the stage all to himself at an unassuming forum on Main Street Monday night.

Del. Ed Scott, R-Madison, appeared right at home during his 20 minutes of answering questions from Rural Madison, a responsible growth citizens’ group that hosts forums most election seasons.

“The candidate’s seating was chosen by lot,” said moderator Joe Parker, getting a laugh from the audience of about 30 people who gathered in the auditorium at the Madison County administration building downtown.

Sitting in the center of the stage, Scott — six-year state representative for District 30 — was the solo act.

Independent challenger Matt Carson, an Internet entrepreneur who lives in Rixeyville, was not in attendance as he was home sick with the flu.

Scott, in his opening remarks Monday, said he was running again because he felt he had more to contribute, specifically, in the areas of agricultural, transportation and science technology — committees on which he serves in the General Assembly.

Parker, of Rural Madison, asked Scott about half-dozen questions submitted by Madison citizens before taking audience questions, of which there was one.

The night’s topics included taxes, the Virginia Standards of Learning, reductions in the state’s transportation budget, unfunded state and federal mandates, redistricting and extending the Virginia governor’s term.

Scott answered in his usual thoughtful style and seemed to know most of the people in attendance, greeting many by name as they arrived. He seemed to have a lot of support too from the hometown crowd.

“Good luck,” said a Madison County school board candidate before the forum, adding, “Don’t guess you’ll need it.”

Responding to a question about reforming the Virginia income tax system, Scott noted that the state’s taxes are “significantly lower” than federal taxes, but that it’s an always an issue “worth while” to explore.

Considering the recession, there is “a reluctance” to raise state taxes, he added, but said he didn’t see a need to change the state tax system.

As for the plan to privatize Virginia’s ABC stores — as proposed by Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell — Scott said it was worth discussing. He then commended McDonnell, with who he appeared at a recent campaign event in Culpeper, for his “new ideas” to generate new revenue.

“I think it deserves every chance and a thorough review,” Scott said of taking liquor sales out of the state’s purview.

He added state government would need to examine “some of the cultural assets of making this kind of change.”

Asked if he liked the Virginia SOLs, Scott paused and joked, “You do know I graduated before they came along.” (He graduated from Culpeper County High School, in fact, in 1983).

In defense of SOLs, Scott said, the standardized tests “have allowed us in a positive way to focus on accountability measures.” At the same time, he said, “Like a lot of things, it’s not perfect,” mentioning he understands when teachers express concern over having to spend a lot of time on SOL test preparation in balance with preparing students to be competitive in an international economy.

Addressing cuts to the VDOT budget, Scott said the number one challenge was the loss of state jobs, which he said exasperates the nationwide employment crisis.

“I am concerned about some of the experience and brainpower we may be losing along the way,” he said.

On the matter of “unfunded mandates” passed down to localities by the state and federal governments, Scott said he has tried to vote against them in the statehouse. As for redrawing district lines following the 2010 census, the delegate said, “You are not going to take politics out” of the process.

District 30 has grown faster than the state average in the past three years, Scott said, so the district will “look different” when the lines are redrawn.

“I hope to maintain a good, reasonable district,” he added.

Finally, Scott responded to a citizen’s question about extending the Virginia governor’s term beyond two years.

“My views have probably changed a bit in the past six years,” he said, saying that at first he felt, “If it’s broke, don’t fix it.”

Now, Scott added, he’s looking more long-term.

“It’s worth taking a look at,” he said, adding that if the governor’s term were extended, “There would have to be some tradeoffs.”

For example, the Virginia governor, as is, he said, “has a tremendous amount of appointment power” in terms of filling seats on the state’s boards and commissions.

“But if done properly, it’s something I could support,” Scott said.

Carson holds firm to beliefs

Matt Carson, independent candidate for House of Delegates, was mistakenly locked out of a meet-and-greet he planned to hold in a downtown coffee shop in early October and the campaign event didn’t happen.

Then the 34-year-old Internet entrepreneur got sick with the flu right before last week’s candidates’ forum in downtown Madison and he couldn’t make it.

It was a tough month, campaign-wise, for the political newcomer who grew up in Warrenton and now lives in Culpeper.

And yet Carson should be recognized for his strong convictions about upholding the Constitution and protecting personal liberties. He should be commended as well for getting personally involved in the political process, offering a choice to the six-year incumbent who many consider a shoo-in.

Lacking opportunity to cover Carson’s views at last month’s public events, the Star-Exponent looked back at its September interview with him for more insight into what makes the libertarian independent tick.

Though he’s never held political office before, Carson holds a degree in political science and said he already does the work of a politician, dissecting large documents like the 300-plus-page federal Patriot Act.

Only a handful of Congressmen read the legislation before it passed soon after 9/11, he said, and that irks him.

Carson believes fiercely in checks and balances and also that state legislature “is a first line of defense” for Americans.

“If a federal government gets out of whack, it’s the state’s job to stand up and correct it,” he said.

Take the Patriot Act, for example. It allows domestic roving wire taps and searches without warrant, Carson said, and he believes it’s “one of the most tyrannical acts passed in the last 100 years.” So while Virginia can’t repeal it, the state can take a stand against it, he said.

“This is more of a radical idea, but more states need to stand up to the federal government in cases like this,” Carson said. “If it flies in the face of liberty, it’s not going work here.”

What should not work in Virginia either is a budget process where politicians spend more than the state takes in, he said.

One place in the budget Carson said he would not cut was funding for public education. He feels providing a solid education is another of the state’s primary responsibilities.

Government should be “a role model” of fiscal responsibility, Carson went on, and it should not be involved in bailing out private business. It should, however, take steps to protect consumers, he added.

Carson, in addition, was adamant about not accepting campaign contributions from companies with more than 50 employees or political action committee.

Government needs to look out for its agricultural base, Carson went on, by not dictating how farmers should do their work “without much foresight down the road to what the cost is to the farmer.” The cattle owner mentioned cattle-tagging programs as an example of how government gets in the way along with taxing farmers on gross receipts.

“To me, that is ridiculous,” Carson said, “because a farmer can have $500,000 in gross receipts and $15,000 in income at the end of the year.”

Protecting farmers is “a huge responsibility” of state government, he said, because, “If our food goes away, we’re in big trouble. We really need to be sure our farmers have what they need.”

Government also needs to encourage small business creation, Carson said, as they are the largest employers in the country by far. There’s a general perception that attracting big industry to a locality is all positive, he said, and yet many seem to forget about the costs.

“You have to provide sewage, you have to provide another fire department, you have to provide roads,” Carson said, using as an example, the opening of an auto plant that would generate, say, 800 jobs. “But when you attract small businesses, when you treat small businesses well, your return is way greater and your impact is much less.”

On social issues, the independent candidate is more left than right. For example, Carson is pro-choice.

He also has no problem with gay marriage.

“I think we’re either free or we’re not,” Carson said. “I don’t think there is any gray area in freedom.”

On the topic of illegal immigration, he thinks the state should get involved. Carson said he supports the laws that came through Richmond a few years back seeking to give more immigration enforcement power to states and localities.

“I think local law enforcement should have a role in working with INS,” he said. “Another discussion was should employers who employ illegal labor be penalized? I agree with that.”

Carson added he did not believe illegal aliens should be granted in-state tuition, a proposal that was also shot down in the statehouse.

In closing, Carson wants to get back to the basics when it comes to choosing the most-suited elected official. Even in country so divided by party, he’s not buying the party line — from either side.

“Let’s elect people based on their character, who they are, rather than their party or who their donors are,” Carson said.

“Let’s stand up and start to fix some of these major cracks in our government. Everything else is secondary.”