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Ellen Arthur

for Virginia House of Delegates 2015
 
 
Passion - Experience - Leadership
 

 

April 3, 2015

The News Virginian, Waynesboro, VA

Challenger to Cline kicks off campaign

Bob Stuart

 

House District 24 candidate Ellen Arthur announced her bid to unseat incumbent Del. Ben Cline on Thursday. 

Posted: Friday, April 3, 2015 6:30 am

BOB STUART bstuart@newsvirginian.com

 

STAUNTON -- Ellen Arthur knows about challenges.

The 68-year-old grandmother from Lexington worked her way through college and Washington and Lee University Law School. She has also worked as a legal aid attorney and in private practice.

 

Now, she wants to topple six-term House District 24 Del. Ben Cline, R-Rockbridge. She announced her plans to seek the District 24 Democratic nomination Thursday on the steps of the Augusta County Courthouse.

 

"I know what hard work is,'' said Arthur, who ended her 35 years as an attorney last year. She only recently decided to seek the House seat. In a prepared press release prior to her announcement, she said she is concerned about the direction of the Virginia General Assembly.

 

"Too many legislators are more concerned about pleasing well-funded interests and getting re-elected than they are in serving the needs of their constituents,'' she said. 

 

Arthur outlined her differences with Cline on a host of issues, including the expansion of Virginia's Medicaid program, the environment and education.

 

She called the decision of the Virginia House of Delegates not to allow an expansion of Medicaid as "just crazy." Arthur thinks Virginia should accept the federal dollars offered for an expansion, and serve the 400,000 commonwealth residents eligible for help under a Medicaid expansion. She said the Medicaid expansion would improve Virginia's health, and bring additional jobs into the state economy.

 

Cline said by telephone that he opposes an expansion of the current program. "It is a broken system. We need to  make significant reforms to bring down the explosive costs of this runaway program,'' he said. According to Del. Steve Landes, Virginia's Medicaid program now accounts for more than 21 percent of the state's general fund budget. Landes said he believes reforms in Medicaid, and said he thinks discussion about the program's future will happen in the 206 General Assembly.

 

Arthur also touched on Cline's relationship with Dominion Resources. The delegate has accepted campaign contributions from Dominion, and Arthur said the utility has "bought and paid for'' legislators in Richmond. She spoke of the environmental impact of Dominion's Atlantic Coast Pipeline, which will cut through 43 miles of Augusta County.

 

Arthur said the natural gas pipeline would bring "an obsolete source" of fuel. Instead, she said Virginia needs to exploit solar and wind farm technology. She said those technologies would create "well-paying jobs."

 

According to the Virginia Public Access Project, Dominion has directly contributed $10,750 to the Cline campaigns since 2002. Dominion has also contributed $1,250 to the Valley Leadership Trust in 2002 and 2005. This organization is a political action committee that Cline along with other Valley legislators has been affiliated with.  Landes said the Valley Leadership Trust, of which he is a member, has been recently dormant When active, the Valley Leadership Trust primarily worked for Republican candidates in the area.

 

Arthur worries about the future of higher education in Virginia. "I could not go to college today,'' said Arthur, who grew up in a working class family.  She was the oldest of six children. Her father was a factory worker.

 

Arthur wants to put more money into K-12 education, and wants to make Virginia's colleges and universities more affordable for students.

 

Cline did not wish to get into a debate with Arthur on Thursday. When not serving in the General Assembly, he practices law in Harrisonburg, Lexington and Amherst. For six years, he served as a domestic violence prosecutor in Harrisonburg/Rockingham County.

 

"My focus is on delivering for the citizens of the 24th House District as their representative in Richmond,'' he said. "I look forward to continuing that work in the future." The House 24 district includes a portion of Augusta County.

 

Arthur said she will officially seek the nomination at a May Democratic caucus in Lexington.

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