Loose Leaf Notes

-The following first appeared in The Floyd Press on October 4, 2018.

An estimated 200+ people filled the Floyd County High School cafeteria Monday evening for a town hall meeting with Anthony Flaccavento, the Democratic congressional candidate for the 9th district of Virginia.  Flaccavento had vowed to hold 100 town halls before the election on November 6th to hear concerns and exchange ideas. The Floyd town hall was #91.

The small farmer and sustainable economic development consultant from Abingdon, outlined why he was running, before hearing comments and addressing questions from the audience.

“More than half of people in congress are millionaires and only four percent come from the working class… I think it’s high time to have a working person in congress representing working people.”  He pointed out recent decisions from the Supreme Court and The White House that have consistently given more power to the powerful and have made workers more vulnerable.

Apart from working to stop what’s wrong in Washington, Flaccavento also wants to invest in what is working. He spoke of the need to invest in bottom-up solutions that are emerging all over the 9th district – drug courts, farmer’s markets, downtown revitalization and community-based health initiatives.  They cost less, address problems and strengthen community, he said.

Gerrymandering, mental health services, public education resources, the decline of dairy farms, addressing the divisions in the country, and the Mountain Valley Pipeline were some of the issues put forth by attendees.

Flaccavento’s response to a question about preserving Social Security drew applause from the audience. “Lift the payroll tax cap,” he said. “Every one of us pays six cents on the dollar for every dollar we earn, but when you get to $128,400 of annual income you stop paying…  I want the rich to pay into Social Security at the same rate that I do, that a teacher does or a farmer does. That would likely make Social Security solvent through all or most of this century.”

 Applause also erupted when one attendee asked ‘When you get to Congress, will you do your best to overturn Citizens United?’ a ruling that gives corporations the same rights as people.

Flaccavento pledged to do everything to overturn the ruling, which he equated to “money equals free speech.” He also brought up the idea of publicly funded elections to help counter the influence of Super Pacs, which allow the rich to donate millions to election campaigns without disclosure.

Regarding concerns about the Mountain Valley Pipeline, Flaccavento called for a complete make-over of FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission), referring to it as “dysfunctional” as a public agency that should be looking out for the public.  He also spoke about eminent domain needing to be more limited.

Flaccavento expressed his gratitude for the “unbelievable group” in Floyd County that ‘kind of wrote the book on how you build a local volunteer core group.’ “You’re the model,” he said.

He wrapped up his time at the mic, saying “Let me tell you, I don’t go anywhere in the 9th district without people telling me about their Republican neighbors, their conservative co-workers and farmers down the road who have Flaccavento signs in their yards who would never have a Democrat sign before.”

“This is a winnable election,” he concluded. – Colleen Redman

Photos:   1. Flaccavento drew applause when he stated that people in Congress should have the exact same options for Health Care as the American people have. “I think that would be tough piece of legislation to pass, but I bet I could get bipartisan support.” 2. “Economic growth is not the same as prosperity.  We need to build wealth at the community level so we can solve our own problems,” Flaccavento said in his stump speech to the crowd.    3. 36 pizzas made by Mickey G’s were served to attendees.  4. Everybody loves pizza. 5.  Voter registration volunteer Susan McGrey (pictured on the right speaking with attendees) said she and other volunteers registered four new voters, including one elderly man who has never voted before. They also assisted some attendees with change of addresses. 6. SustainFloyd president Billy Weizenfeld spoke about our country’s divisions and asked Flaccavento for his ideas on how to help Americans work together. 7.  A supporter of public education, Flaccavento proposed less testing mandates and more resources for public schools.  To a woman who asked about resources for students with autism, he stated he had a lot to learn and hoped to hear more of her ideas later. 8. Meredith Dean, Floyd’s field director for Flaccavento, outlined upcoming event dates, including an October 22 event at the Salem Civic Center in which they hope to draw 1,000 people in a last giant get-out-the-vote initiative. 9. At the close of the town hall meeting, Flaccavento held the mic for Chris Youngblood (center) and Deborah Harris, who led the group in a sing-along of This Land is Your Land. 10. Former town mayor Skip Bishop asked about past 9th district Representative Rick Boucher. Flaccavento said Rick has been a mentor. 11. Flaccavento signs his 2016 book, Building a Healthy Economy from the Bottom Up: Harnessing Real-World Experience for Transformative Change. 12. There was also a cake from Slaughters, donated by Becky Farnham (of Eats Natural Foods) who was celebrating her birthday. – For more information visit Flacc 4 Congress on Facebook.