The following is the second in my series of interviews with the five Democrats - Miles Grant, Patrick Hope, Alan Howze, Adam Parkhomenko, and Andres Tobar - running to replace Del. Al Eisenberg in the 47th House of Delegates district. This Q&A is with Miles Grant, aka "The Green Miles." Thanks to Miles for answering my questions, and I look forward to hearing back from the remaining candidates in the race (note: Adam Parkhomenko's interview is available here).Q. Why, in your own words, have you decided to run for the Virginia House of Delegates from the 47th district at this time? What specific qualifications do you bring to the table?
The 47th district deserves a progressive champion fighting for solutions on issues like cleaner, cheaper energy, dedicated funding for Metro, and civil liberties for all Virginians. Our next delegate needs to be able to effectively engage and represent our diverse community, fight for pragmatic solutions in the House of Delegates, and work to support Democrats in every corner of Virginia.
I’ve spent years working to strengthen our community, lobbying in-person and blogging online for the causes I care about, and canvassing and phone-banking for candidates across the state. The 2009 elections offer Democrats a real chance to hold the governor’s seat and take control of the House of Delegates. I hope to be a part of the Democratic team that delivers the progress Virginians have been waiting for.
Q. How would you describe your political philosophy - progressive, moderate, conservative, or - to paraphrase Jim Webb - "the old political labels no longer apply?"
I’m a Paul Wellstone progressive. Those in power have a responsibility to fight for the powerless, while making sure shifting political winds don’t bend core values. If you fight for your constituents while listening to differing opinions, you’ll build strength for the causes you care about and gain respect from across the aisle.
Q. What is your attitude regarding bipartisanship, aka "reaching across the aisle?" Is this a high priority for you, or are you more interested in pushing hard for what you believe over compromising with conservative Republicans in the House of Delegates?
I don’t expect that I’ll ever see eye-to-eye with Republicans on issues like marriage rights for all, the value of unions fighting for their workers, or a woman’s reproductive rights. But hope we can find common ground on issues like sustainable investment in education, energy efficiency, and dedicated funding for Metro.
Years of punishing defeats at the polls may be softening the hard-line stances of Richmond’s roadblock Republicans, who were willing to sit down at the negotiating table on a smoking ban in bars and restaurants. Was it a one-time moment of clarity or the start of a pragmatic streak? We’ll find out next session.
Q. If elected, what would your top three priorities be when you get to Richmond? Why these and not others?
I’d get to work on my first priority before I even got to Richmond – setting up an online and offline network to effectively engage and communicate quickly with the people of the 47th district. As Sen. Wellstone taught us, advocacy without organizing is ineffective.
Our ongoing economic crisis continues to threaten desperately needed investment in education, transportation, and health care. My first priority would be to protect those essential priorities and identify additional funding where required. I’d also work for a comprehensive energy efficiency bill to save consumers money on their energy bills through weatherizing homes and offices and stronger incentives for efficient appliances. Finally, I’d look for opportunities to strengthen discrimination protection and fight any effort to unfairly target Virginia’s immigrant community.
Q. What is your position on Dillon Rule , which severely limits the power of local government vis-à-vis the state? Should it be weakened to allow a progressive county like Arlington to move ahead on things like human rights, energy efficiency, environmental protection, and other areas?
From green buildings to affordable housing, local governments need more freedom to take targeted action to address their unique local problems. We’re not talking about radical changes here, just incremental – dare I say, conservative – steps towards a small degree of home rule. Loosening Dillon restrictions is a reasonable step towards sensible, specific solutions as an alternative to our current statewide, one-size-fits-all system. Particularly when it comes to low-income housing, Arlington could see immediate benefits.
Q. What will you do to fix the traffic mess in Northern Virginia? Specifically, what is your stance on "smart growth," extending Metrorail to Dulles airport, and I-66 widening?
We can’t pave our way out of our transportation problems. It’s disgraceful that Metro has to begging for funds while expensive I-66 widening is continuously being forced on Arlington by VDOT. We need to invest in alternatives – from Metro to ease urban congestion to high-speed intercity rail to lighten the load on highways. That includes the Silver Line to Dulles with a tunnel through Tysons Corner, a trolley up Columbia Pike to the Pentagon, and developing a long-term transit plan for Lee Highway. Additionally, we should promote alternatives like biking, carpooling, teleworking and four-day work weeks.
Q. What are your beliefs regarding gun control? For instance, do you favor banning so-called "cop killer bullets" and "assault weapons?" What about closing the so-called "gun show loophole?"
I certainly support banning cop killer bullets and assault weapons and closing the gun-show loophole, but we have a lot of groundwork to do before we can see real progress. Personally, I’ve never even fired a gun and can’t imagine why anyone would think an assault weapon should be legal. But the NRA has convinced many gun owners that any sensible gun law equates to all-out war on the Second Amendment. As someone who works with sportsmen every day with the National Wildlife Federation, I know we as Democrats have to do a better job of building bridges to hunters so they know that banning cop killer bullets isn’t the same as trying to take away their hunting rifles.
As the Sportsmen for Obama movement showed, hunters and anglers are now realizing that the biggest threat to their outdoors traditions isn’t the false specter of liberals trying to take away their guns, but climate change that threatens our wild places. Here in Virginia, warmer winters let migrating ducks arrive later and leave earlier and the cold water habitat of brook trout is shrinking. If we can win the trust of sportsmen on conservation issues, they’ll be more likely to trust us on gun issues and less likely to listen to the NRA’s dogmatic nonsense.
Q. Do you believe that gays and lesbians should have full marriage rights in the Commonwealth of Virginia? If not, why not?
This is one of my top priorities.From women’s suffrage to civil rights, expanding liberties have marked America’s progress, yet laws targeting gays are one of our last remaining forms of legalized discrimination. I look forward to joining efforts in Richmond to repeal the Marshall-Newman Amendment and grant full marriage rights to gay couples. My strong stance on this issue has earned me the endorsement of Charley Conrad, a leading Arlington Democratic activist and one of Virginia’s top gay rights advocates.
Q. Do you support an aggressive move to slash Virginia's power consumption, particularly for fuels that emit carbon dioxide or cause environmental destruction (e.g., mountaintop removal coal mining) in their production? Would you press for "decoupling," "smart metering," and mandatory "renewable portfolio standards" if you get to Richmond?
I support all the measures you’ve covered, which all point back to the same glaring problem: our perverse incentives for dirty energy and refusal (so far) to get behind clean energy. Virginia taxpayers actually pay to subsidize blowing up mountains to get at the coal underneath and we pay to build ever-wider highways to ever-further subdivisions of ever-larger McMansions. It’s hard to imagine a less-sustainable path.
We need a whole new way of looking at how we manage our resources, promoting smart development and rewarding efficient use of resources. After all, if you buy a car or a refrigerator, it has a sticker on it telling you how much energy it consumes. Why aren’t homes and offices held to the same standard? Decoupling, smart metering, and renewable energy standards are the right start to begin rewarding innovation and conservation.
Q. On a related note, will you pledge to take no money from Dominion Power or other companies that act in ways that harm workers, the environment, etc?
I won’t accept contributions or gifts from Dominion Virginia Power, coal companies, or their employees – not as a candidate, not as a delegate. Our reliance on expensive, dirty coal power is a huge loser for Arlington – economically, environmentally, and from a public health perspective. I’m always happy to sit down and talk to those companies, but I’m not interested in their financial backing.
Q. Which one issue are you most passionate about and why?
We can’t keep trying to solve our economic, energy and climate crises as though they’re unrelated concerns or worse, a false choice between a healthy economy and a healthy environment. Clean energy and efficient technologies can save consumers money, make America more energy independent, and protect our planet for future generations. With vast, untapped renewable energy resources and a huge stake in protecting our natural resources from the Blue Ridge to the Chesapeake Bay, bold action on clean energy and climate action is my top priority.
Q. Can you give us a few reasons why people should vote for you instead of your Democratic opponents?
General Assembly members from Arlington are rightfully held to a higher standard. It’s not OK to simply vote the right way – members of the Arlington delegation need to lead the charge on the toughest progressive battles, from full marriage rights for all Virginians to ending our destructive dependence on mountaintop-removed coal. Each of those struggles won’t be won in a day or even in a session – but neither was the fight for a smoking ban in bars and restaurants. It took years of making our case to voters before we won real progress.
No matter what issue comes up, voters of the 47th district need to know they can count on me to fight tirelessly for progressive values. I’ll work to keep our entire community informed and engaged as I represent Arlington values in Richmond, neither shying away from a struggle nor putting partisan squabbles ahead of sensible solutions. I’m ready to serve (and ready to be accountable to) the residents of the 47th District.
You can learn more about my campaign at MilesGrant2009.com or email me directly at MilesGrant@comcast.net. Thanks to Lowell for this opportunity to address the tough questions in this race!
