At today’s Governor’s Summit on Rural Prosperity, hosted by the Virginia Rural Center, 2017 Republican gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie demonstrated his continued commitment to economic growth in Rural Virginia, announcing he will support a multi-million bond package to accelerate broadband service in our effort to close the digital divide, invite the Virginia Rural Center to be co-located in the Office of the Governor, and double funding for Center for Rural Virginia. Democratic nominee for governor, Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam did not attend the Summit, adding to a growing list of absences from important meetings relevant to Rural Virginia.
“Once again, Lieutenant Governor Northam has skipped an opportunity to talk directly to Virginians about the challenges Rural Virginia faces and what he will do to solve them,” said Ed Gillespie. “For the last four years, Lieutenant Governor Northam failed to show up for a single meeting of the Center for Rural Virginia Board on which he serves. He does not have a vision or the policies required of a serious gubernatorial candidate and he will not show up for the people he seeks to serve.”
In his tenure as Lieutenant Governor, Northam missed every single meeting of the Center for Rural Virginia Board, making clear his disinterest for the issues and lack of seriousness for the office he seeks.
Gillespie has put forward 17 detailed policy proposals including a 10 percent across-the-board cut in the individual income tax rate, cut Virginia’s digital divide in half, grow Virginia’s outdoor economy, and champion agriculture and forestry in Virginia. Find all of his policy plans at ForALLVirginians.com.
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