Landes: A delegate nobody knows

Steve Landes’ thirteen years in the House of Delegates have served him well enough, but they have not done the same for us in the 25th District. In a recent debate with his opponent, Greg Marrow, Landes failed to offer concrete examples of anything he had done to help us. On his Web site, I found 15 pieces of legislation he had sponsored. For the most part, they reflect his fondness for cleaning-up, such as repealing an obsolete section of a bill concerning the “transportation of troops by railroad,” or pensions paid to “widows and maiden or widowed daughters of Confederate veterans.” These are not the sort of actions that foster a living wage or fix the bridges and roads in the Shenandoah Valley or meet any of our needs. To be honest, they appear frivolous.

Over the past few months as a volunteer with Greg Marrow’s campaign, I

have had to convince people that Steve Landes is indeed their delegate.

This relationship, this agreement between representative and citizen, has not worked. A majority of voters in the 25th District have had no contact with their delegate, and Steve has shown a minimum of interest in us.

I do not blame Landes entirely. We have failed to offer any opposition in almost a decade, but this year we have a choice. We have an opportunity to invest in ourselves again by electing someone new to fill this seat. We can and should expect Greg Marrow to put our needs first and to provide a clear, strong, assertive voice in Richmond on our behalf.