Douglass holds town hall meeting (VA-5)

John Douglass, candidate for the 5th Congressional District seat, had a town hall meeting Charlottesville Monday night, in which he used straight talk in comparing what he would do in office and that which Robert Hurt is doing now and for the last almost two years.

One of the main points Mr. Douglass made was that due to Mr. Hurt’s family interest in uranium mining in Virginia, Mr. Hurt should not be taking money from those interests in his campaign.

(Source: NBC29) “I think that mine would be a disaster. And I think it’s a huge conflict of interest for his family to be a proponent for opening that mine and for him to be in a situation where he can influence decisions,” he said.

This is not a new charge against Hurt. Groups supporting former Democratic Rep. Tom Perriello made similar accusations back in 2010.

In the past, the Hurt campaign has called charges that he supported uranium mining because of a family connection patently false.

Besides all the talk about Mr. Hurt’s interest in the uranium mining business, there is also his pitiful record in Congress since he was elected in 2010.

This year, Congressman Hurt voted in favor of a budget which would raise the age of Medicare eligibility to 67 from 65. The bill would have also changed it to a voucher system where seniors would purchase health care from either the government or a private insurer.

A Douglass campaign official estimated about 70 people attended Monday night’s town hall.

At least Mr. Douglass welcomes an open community meeting, something Robert Hurt has not had since he has been in office. He prefers to “drop in” to businesses, and if you happen to be there you can talk with him. Minimalist approaches to constituent relations rarely work.