HOW I SEE IT: Bolling has been a fine lt. governor

A lot of folks have enjoyed using their voices in this newspaper to speak about the negativity of political campaigns and candidates this year, and all the while, they are the ones who are being negative and using unfair and misleading attacks.

Staying on the positive side, I would like to commend Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling for his fine job performance as our lieutenant governor, fulfilling his primary duty 100 percent of the time, which is presiding over the Senate.

He travels all over the state when necessary, attends to his boards and commission meetings, meetings of the attorney general’s Regulatory and Government Reform Task Force Working Group on Infrastructure, and the National Lieutenant Governors Association (of which he is the elected chairman), to name a few.

Just like Gov. Kaine, Lt. Gov. Bolling serves on most boards in an ex-officio capacity only, and doesn’t have a vote on many of them. Thus, he does what Kaine did — goes to the meetings that require his personal attendance and makes sure staffers are at the others to be sure he is fully briefed.

Because of his various roles in government, he has to balance the scheduling demands, as any of us would. A good example of his activity level is his “100 Ideas for the Future of Virginia” program, for which he conducted over 50 town halls in 2007 alone.

It is pretty clear that Mr. Bolling has been a strong lieutenant governor. His re-election campaign has been endorsed by, among others, the NRA, with an A+ rating, the Virginia Shooting Sports Association, the Virginia Citizens Defense League, the National Federation of Business/Virginia, Virginia Association of Realtors, the Police Benevolent Association, and the Virginia Farm Bureau.

He must have a proven record of accomplishment, or they would not lend him their strong support.

I agree with one of the recent writers; check the record and you will find out who has been supportive of every major tax increase in the last eight years and has stated she will raise the gas and other taxes as well. You will then, no doubt, want to re-elect Bill Bolling for lieutenant governor, a hardworking, trusted public servant who stays true to his conservative principles while serving the Virginia constituency.

In fact, the Republican statewide ticket this year of Bob McDonnell for governor, Bill Bolling (lieutenant governor) and Ken Cuccinelli (attorney general) is one of the strongest ever. It will be an outstanding team for Virginia, and our own delegate, Ed Scott, will continue his distinctive service, representing our local community with wise and reasoned decisions.