Scott touts desire to build on investment

Del. Ed Scott, R-Madison, wants to build on the six-year investment the folks of Culpeper, Orange and Madison have made in him as 30th District representative in the Virginia House of Delegates.

Since being elected in 2003, Scott, 44, said it’s been his job to learn about the needs of the Piedmont population and “be their voice” in Richmond.

“I think I am a more effective delegate today than I was six years ago, and I’d like to think I’ll be more effective two years from now,” he said.

Scott, who grew up in Culpeper, named agriculture, transportation, technology and the economy as important issues facing the district.

“I want to continue to bring a businesslike approach to my work as delegate,” said the small businessman. “It is going to be very critical … that we are seeing the big picture as we vote on legislation next winter and that we do all we can do to help rejuvenate our economy and attract new business.”

Projections indicate state revenues will decrease for a second consecutive year, Scott said, noting that such a predicament rarely happens and also stressing that experience, therefore, is going to be crucial.

“This is something that is going to take some time to work our way out of, and I think folks would be well represented by somebody who’s been working to understand the budget and what the funding decisions mean back (home),” he said.

Scott, a husband and father, spoke in his usual down-home style in a recent interview at the Star-Exponent, answering questions for about 40 minutes on a wide range of topics. Here’s a sampling of what he had to say about:

The economy and job creation: “We are not suffering as badly as some other states. But there are some things that we’ve got to continue to look at like. Do we have the right economic environment to attract new employers? We’ve had a pretty good record of attracting new corporations to Virginia, and we need to make sure we’ve got policies in place to do that.

“We’ve got to continue to protect our right-to-work law; (that’s) one place in particular that has been a significant asset to us in corporate recruiting.”

State government layoffs: “Any time we are in a position when we are having to lay off state employees, it’s not helpful (because) it continues a decrease in state revenues. These are folks who, until they can find a job, there is not going to be state income tax withheld from them. They are going to change their spending habits so sales tax revenues will be impacted.

“In addition to dealing with painful budget choices, we have to look at what we can do to rejuvenate our economy and see what policies can we put in place that are positive for families across the commonwealth.”

The governor asking the feds for a $250 million loan to keep unemployment funds from running out: “To some extent we knew this was coming. We are in a position where it’s an option available to us. I don’t see that we have any choice. We made the commitment to provide and extend benefits now at a time of high unemployment, and we’ve got to honor that.”

Wilderness Wal-Mart: “It’s a local land use decision and the planning commission and board of supervisors have acted on an application that was in front of them.

“I am a member of the Friends of Wilderness Battlefield and a proud Virginian and I have all the respect in the world for our history.

“If somebody could get together today with Wal-Mart and still convince them that they could come to Orange County and come to another location, I think a lot of people would see that as a win-win.”

Last year’s presidential race: “I did some grassroots things working on local (Republican) events when we had Sen. McCain’s brother here in Culpeper. The more I study John McCain, the more respect I have for him and the manner in which he’s returned to the U.S. Senate. I think he’s a great American.

“That being said, Virginia spoke. The country spoke and we have a new president. The interesting thing now in light of some of the policies we see coming out of Washington is, what will the reaction be (in Virginia) this November?”

This year’s governor’s race: “I am supporting Bob (McDonnell) and have a lot of respect for the platform he’s built. His opponent, who is a nice man, does not have the platform that Bob has when it comes to tackling our important issues. I have served with two Democratic governors. One of the things I would like to do is to serve with a Republican governor.”

Health care reform: “There are elements of health care reform that could be very positive. Things like tort reform and improving wellness efforts so we’re not just always in a critical care mode. I think that there is some potential there, but clearly a lot of people are concerned about elements proposed when you start talking about big government expansion into health care.

“We’ve got elements of our system that provide many Americans with very good health care. We’ve got other elements that we need to improve on. We spend a lot of money in Virginia on Medicaid. We have a situation with … Medicaid as well as with our uninsured where we are shifting costs, and that’s not efficient.

“It’s not efficient when somebody who’s uninsured shows up at an emergency room to get health care that people who have insurance are getting from their primary care physician.”

The Patriot Act: “I don’t think there’s a need for government to have access to most people’s library records. At the same time … we apparently have some pretty high-level terrorist investigations occurring in America today. Of all the things that I would like to see the federal government back down from … I’m not sure domestic terrorism is (it).”

Differences between you and challenger Matt Carson: “I’ve met Matt Carson one time. He was going out of a room I was going into, so I am not sure I am the person to ask about differentiation. You can ask me about my record and what I’ve done and what I want to build on. I’m talking about Ed Scott rather than Matt Carson.”

Protecting the Chesapeake Bay: “I think we are making progress on point source and non-point sources (of pollution), but the science is telling us we’ve got more work to do.

“I have interest in agricultural and food production. Our Virginia watermen are in many ways equivalent to our farmers in the Piedmont — they’re harvesting natural resources, and just as the farmers in Culpeper County are stewards of the natural resources, the watermen want to be stewards of the natural resources as well, and we need to try and help them.”

What he’s hearing on the campaign trail: “Overall big picture, the economy is the No. 1 thing. Folks are also concerned about government actions and what it may do to their individual tax burden.”

Regional water and sewer authority in Culpeper: “It seems like there should be an opportunity there for some efficiencies if they could put their resources together. What I hear from the business community is they want to see a path forward; they want to see the two government bodies working together.”

The town of Culpeper growing its borders: “That is another good local land use decision. I used to be employed with an organization that sat right outside the town’s limits. I was concerned about an increase in tax burden and the implications on the business.

“I will give the town and county credit in that they appear to be cognizant of the town’s desire to grow and all of the impacts including taxation. If they can work something out, that’s well beyond what a delegate should be weighing in on.”

The “gun show loophole”: “I don’t think there is a gun show loophole. The folks who advocate for that legislation essentially want to regulate private transactions. As somebody who is a strong defender of Second Amendment rights, I don’t think that we need that.”

Abortion: “I have tried to consistently look at the legislation that comes before us on the abortion topic with an idea toward keeping abortion safe and rare. I’ve also seen, barring something changing at the Supreme Court, there are limits to what a state legislature can do.”

Change in the 30th District: “The pace of change has slowed down a little bit, particularly in Culpeper, where residential growth has slowed. I’m excited when I see some of the new technology businesses coming here, bringing high-quality jobs.

“I am impressed when I see our hospital reaching out and developing a partnership with the University of Virginia and their health system and seeing what that can mean to bring new resources to the community.

“Yet we are blessed to still have a solid agricultural tradition that makes a significant economic impact and is a valued and valuable land use.”

Proudest accomplishment in the statehouse: “I take a lot of quiet pride in helping constituents with their issues. A General Assembly session gets a lot of coverage … but we are home more than we are in Richmond. There are some little things over the years where I have had an opportunity to help people when they’ve had a problem with state government. At the end of that day, I was proud to be a delegate.”