Chamber News

Del. Ward Armstrong Runs for House Seat in 9th District-Virginia

From Del. Ward Armstrong: I wanted you to be among the first to know that today I am officially announcing that I will be running for re-election to the House of Delegates this fall in the Ninth House District

Press Release from Ward Armstrong: I wanted you to be among the first to know that today I am officially announcing that I will be running for re-election to the House of Delegates this fall in the Ninth House District which covers all of Patrick, most of Franklin, and the western half of Henry county. One of the things my parents taught me is to always stand up for what is right. Which is why I have been an outspoken advocate for the people of Southside and Southwest Virginia over my time in the General Assembly. Folks here work hard, go to church, serve the community, treasure our families, play by the rules. We've taken some knocks the last few years--with a bad economy made worse by greedy special interests who prey on us when we're down. Which is why it's so important for folks here to have a forceful voice in Richmond. The wealthy special interests have plenty of friends in Richmond. But I work-and fight hard--for the people's interests, not the special interests. What are the key issues facing families in our area? At the top of the list is jobs. South side and southwest Virginia continue to experience some of the highest unemployment in the state. While concerted effort has been made to create jobs, job creation must be the number one priority of business, community and government leaders in our area. How do we create jobs? First with educational opportunity. I wrote the bill that created the New College Institute in Martinsville. The college will be up for what amounts to recertification in 2012. New College must be supported and expanded to provide our area with the college graduates we will need to attract the businesses of the 21st century. I-73. We need to begin construction on the only new interstate highway in the nation. And in addressing our transportation needs we cannot saddle our children and grandchildren with a mountain of debt. We need to have a fiscally responsible means of paying for our roads. And of course one of the biggest problems facing our community is high electric bills. Last year I formed an electric utility regulation workgroup. The unanimous conclusion is that Virginia's regulations need to be reformed. Unfortunately too many politicians in Richmond want to turn a blind eye to the problem...to blame high electric bills on reasons other than themselves. I have taken on the utilities, in particular, Appalachian Power Company, for continually raising rates in this area. I believe it is unfair, bordering on unethical, for APCO to request 15 separate rate increases over the last 4 years, at a time when families here are struggling with double digit unemployment. I have stood up and spoken out. The utilities don't like that too much... but I don't work for them. I work for you. Anyone who wants to run for the House of Delegates should be able to state why. There are many challenges facing Franklin, Henry and Patrick counties. I believe I have the experience, the leadership and the energy to help find solutions to our problems. And I will continue to fight til the cows come home for a fair shake for hard-working families in our area. I look forward to the fall campaign and to a full discussion of our challenges and the solutions I can provide to meet those challenges. I am encouraged by the thoughts, prayers, and support you have offered me in the past. I hope that I can count on your support again. If you live in my district, I humbly ask for your vote on November 8th. If you would like to volunteer for my campaign, whether you live in the district or not, please email me at ward@wardarmstrong.com. And finally, its an unfortunate fact that modern day campaigns cost money to get my message out to voters. If you can support me with a donation please click here to donate $5, $10, $25 or whatever you can contribute. I look forward to seeing you out on the campaign trail. Thank You, Ward Armstrong