AG makes stop in Wytheville

By NATE HUBBARD/Staff

He came.
He saw.
He listened.
Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell made a stop in Wytheville on Thursday as part of his six-day “listening tour” across Southwest Virginia.
After a morning meeting with local government officials, McDonnell stopped by the Enterprise with state Del. Anne Crockett-Stark, R-Wytheville, for a brief, but wide-ranging discussion on local issues.
McDonnell said he was showing support for Crockett-Stark, who is seeking re-election to the Virginia House of Delegates.
He highlighted Crockett-Stark’s rare combination of growing up in the community she represents.
“Anne has done a great job the last couple years,” he said. “I’m really excited about coming down to support her.”
In an appearance at the Carroll County Courthouse on Wednesday, McDonnell also offered an endorsement for Del. Bill Carrico, R-Grayson County, in his re-election bid.
Crockett-Stark said she and McDonnell share many of the same political goals.
“I think our philosophies are pretty much the same,” she said. “Our core focuses are similar.”
The pair highlighted many recent accomplishments and responded to questions about pressing public issues.
Crockett-Stark mentioned her role in obtaining funding for 10 new policemen to patrol the Interstate 81 corridor.
“We’re getting accidents off the highway quicker and onto the side so they can at least get one lane open,” McDonnell said.
McDonnell also responded to questions about the controversial “abusive driver fees,” which went into effect July 1.
He reiterated that he believes that the fees, which apply only to Virginia residents, are constitutional – but a bad idea.
He said the focus should be on the benefits of the rest of the transportation bill, as the fees represent only a minor part of the overall piece of legislation.
“What Virginians ought to focus on is that this is a major investment in infrastructure,” McDonnell said.
McDonnell also added that he was confident the General Assembly will adequately tweak the bill to address the public’s concerns about the fees during its next session.
Crockett-Stark also said it is important to remember that people won’t be slapped with the fees for simple traffic violations, saying that in general someone has to be “drunk, drugged or on a revoked license” to be affected by the fees.
She and McDonnell did acknowledge, though, that reckless driving charges can also trigger the payments, which can add up to thousands of dollars. They both were adamant, however, that simple speeding or other minor traffic violations do not lead to the “civil remedial fees.”
McDonnell also highlighted the successful prosecution of the Purdue Pharma executives accused of misrepresenting the addictive properties of OxyContin. The case resulted in a $634.5 million payout, of which McDonnell said he expected $100 million to come to Virginia.
Some of that money will go to the prescription monitoring program, which provides a database to make sure people don’t “shop” around to get prescriptions from multiple doctors.
And with that, McDonnell was gone, taking his open ears to Floyd County, Blacksburg and beyond.
Nate Hubbard can be reached at 228-6611 or .