Gary West

94th House District: A civil disagreement between Oder and West

By Austin Bogues

247-4536

10:28 PM EDT, October 18, 2009

NEWPORT NEWS

A few months after winning the Democratic primary, Gary West went out knocking on doors in the 94th House District wearing a new pair of shiny, black loafers.

After a few hours, attorney general candidate Steve Shannon, a fellow Democrat, told him, "You're going to need some rubber soles if you're going to run a campaign."

A political upstart in his first campaign, West heeded the advice. He's knocked on over 3,500 doors since May.

Both he and incumbent Del. G. Glenn Oder wage daily ground battles in a race where votes are won with personal, retail-style politicking.

Neither candidate actively hawks their political affiliation, though their campaign offices are littered with party paraphernalia. They both speak of each other politely, forgoing the intense rhetoric that frequently infiltrates politics.

However, they do disagree on transportation funding, a top concern in Hampton Roads.

The 94th includes some of the more well-to-do areas of the city, from historic Hilton Village to waterfront neighborhoods near Menchville High School.

The voters are politically moderate. Oder is a Republican and won the seat in 2001, but before that it was held by Democrat Alan Diamonstein for over 30 years.

Oder

Most evenings, Oder knocks on 50 to 100 doors before returning to work at Kaufman and Canoles, where he works along with fellow lawmaker Sen. Tommy Norment and former Newport News Mayor Barry Duval. The 52-year-old typically stumps in a shirt and tie, slacks, and running shoes. He stops to play football with kids and chat with their parents about taxes. In addition to his fliers, he gives parents a guide for Halloween safety.

"We put a shameless plug on the back page," he said. "I call it the value added campaign."

Sometimes after an evening of campaigning, he will return to work until midnight. That is typical of Oder, who has been one of the workhorses of the General Assembly.

Initially confining his events to his district, he now branches out and will stump for legislation across the state, attending public events to bolster his plan for transportation funding and the crackdown on payday lending, his two signature issues. His campaign office in Newport News is at a former payday lender's, and he sits on the board of the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization.

He has sponsored bills to raise money for transportation by using revenue from increases in future growth at the Port of Virginia. The Senate has tabled both measures.

West

Gary West, 55, has spent most of his 25-year professional career fighting for worker's rights and making sure they are justly compensated when injured. A Loyola University-trained attorney, he moved to the Peninsula 20 years ago to raise his family. West has also specialized in asbestos litigation.

Friends said they were tired of hearing him complaining and pushed him to step forward.

His soft-spoken, even-keel demeanor is displayed when canvassing through neighborhoods like Hilton Village, where demographics range from older, conservative voters to younger newlyweds with liberal leanings. West asks each householder what issues concern them, never in a hurry to break off a conversation.

"I've worked with people in some of the most hostile situations and managed to forge compromises," he said. "I know I can work to bring people together in the General Assembly."

West disagrees with Oder's stances on transportation. He doesn't think a steady source of funding can be produced without a hike in the gas tax.

West also opposes off-shore drilling for oil and natural gas. "We need to look for clean sources of energy and promote green jobs first," he said.

West also would like to see Virginia increase teacher pay closer to the national average.

"It costs $104,000 or more to incarcerate someone," he said, "but $4,000 of education can prevent that from happening."

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