Abbott, Watson Debate at League Forum

By Sam Thrift Friday, October 28, 2011

The two candidates vying for the 93rd district seat in the Virginia House of Delegates participated in a debate last night at the Williamsburg Library, focusing on popular topics in the Historic Triangle: transportation, jobs and education.

The League of Women Voters of the Williamsburg Area hosted the event in front of a nearly full room, posing questions that caused Incumbent Democrat Delegate Robin Abbott to defend her past actions and Republican Challenger Michael Watson to explain his position on key issues.

Both candidates agree that transportation is an important issue in the region, but Abbott explained she has hesitated to approve bills to fund fixing and building roads because the expensive task gets its money from the general fund, which could affect money for things such as education.

“In order to solve our transportation needs we have to come together in the House of Delegates,” Abbott said. “I hate to report that the problem is the House of Delegates, but a bill will pass the Senate and then come to a screeching halt when it comes to the delegates.”

Watson said the 93rd district’s transportation needs are not being lobbied for enough in the General Assembly, noting that Abbott was not present at the most recent Transportation Board meeting. Abbott stated she was helping a resident in the Williamsburg area avoid foreclosure during the meeting, but was briefed on the discussion. She said she did vote for a transportation law that will create a new source for funding transportation projects in the area, providing grants and loans to localities for transportation projects. Read about it by clicking here.

“We just haven’t been given a fare share of money from gas taxes,” Watson said. “This is in part because we haven’t had anyone convince the transportation board that we do indeed have needs.”

Abbott did promise during the debate that the first bill she would submit if re-elected is a comprehensive transportation plan that would not only make sure to fix roads and congestion, but also put “millions of people back to work.”

Watson said traffic also affects tourism in the Historic Triangle, leaving a reputation that would deter people from neighboring states to drive into the area.

“When someone has a two-hour wait on I-64 for a two-hour wait into Busch Gardens, they will tell others that it isn’t worth the wait in traffic,” Watson said.

Both candidates support state funding to support tourism, which, according to Abbott, is on the rebound. She mentioned Gov. Bob McDonnell’s announcement that tourism generated $19 billion in revenue, saying the Historic Triangle should be making more money with its unique combination of historical attractions and amusement parks.

When asked about the approach Virginia should take concerning proposed changes to the No Child Left Behind law, Abbott said she was pleased with McDonnell’s decision to seek a waiver for it.

Watson said he was concerned about how little control localities have on what they are teaching and what money the can spend under No Child Left Behind. The challenger also suggested the possibility of customizing lessons in local schools to help students prepare for jobs specific to our region.

“We try to make one size fit all for the entire nation and it doesn’t work,” Watson said. “We need to give localities more control in their school systems.”

The candidates agreed education and transportation also tied to another key issue: jobs. Abbott told the crowd that job creation is on the top of her priority list, saying she is constantly looking for ways to help small businesses and using her previous work, like co-sponsoring a bill for the Apprentice School in Newport News, to emphasize the importance of jobs in her agenda.

Watson wants to work to have the state thinking about what CEO's need when considering where to locate their business. He suggested there are “a number of bills” that would make the state more appealing.

To find out more information on Delegate Abbott, click here. To learn more about Watson, click here.