Ewert Edges Closer with Southside Sweep
~Race Poised for Convention Showdown~
(Charlottesville) -- The Delegate selection process to decide the Democratic candidate to run against the incumbent, Virgil Goode, for the 5th Congressional District seat, ended Saturday, April 29th, with Bern Ewert claiming the lion share of Delegates that were up for grabs.
Bern Ewert's 11 Delegates topped Al Weed's three in the Pittsylvania County Caucus, where each candidate had approximately 16 Delegate pre-filings. Ewert's slate of pre-filed Delegates showed up in force ready for a battle only to find that all but one of Weed's team were no-shows.
In Franklin County, where Ewert held a decisive edge of 19 pre-filers to Weed's two, the final Delegate count was Weed two with 10 Delegates elected as uncommitted. However, a closer look at the uncommitted Delegates found that all 10 were actually pre-filed for Ewert but for procedural reasons had to temporarily switch their status.
Eric Ferguson, a Ewert pre-filer, explained that, "our turnout did not match the overwhelming number of pre-filers that we had so we all decided to go as uncommitted in order to preserve Ewert’s decisive Delegate lead. We almost were out maneuvered by the Weed people, but in the end, we walked away with 10 people committed to Bern."
In total, Ewert gained 23 more Delegate commitments and Weed picked up nine, an impressive result in that Weed has had 3 years to organize Southside and Ewert, a relative new comer, has prevailed throughout that key area of the 5th District where the race will be won or lost against Virgil Goode. Now that the Caucuses are over, the next and final stage of the nomination process will be the Party Convention, where the elected Delegates will cast their secret ballots for either Weed or Ewert.
While Weed leads in the Delegate count, the substantial number of Delegates that have been elected as uncommitted, combined with the fact that, once Delegates arrive at the convention on May 20th, they are free to vote for either one of the candidates, regardless of whom they voted for in the Caucuses.
"It's a whole new ball game once we get to Buckingham on May 20th", says Ewert.
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Ewert for Congress
Press Release
4/18/06
Contact: Bern Ewert, T-434 295 2311
Subject: Democrats Reject Weed’s Negative Campaign
Democratic Leaders Endorse Bern Ewert for Congress
(Danville) – Shelia Baynes, Chair of the Danville Democratic Party, and Leroy Jones, former United Food and Commercial Workers Local 400 shop steward, endorsed Bern Ewert’s campaign for U.S. Congress in Virginia’s 5th District today.
“I am very proud to have the support of Democratic leaders like Shelia and Leroy,” said Ewert.
Baynes and Jones encouraged citizens across the District to join them in support of Ewert’s candidacy.
“Bern is the best candidate to represent the citizen of the 5th Congressional District,” said Jones. “No one in this race has more experience creating jobs. As Roanoke City Manager and Prince William County Executive he helped create thousands of jobs in the Commonwealth.”
Baynes was highly critical of Weed’s repeated negative attacks.
“I previously told both candidates that I was against attacks on each other as I believe they hurt us when one candidate is chosen as the attacks get thrown back at us,” said Baynes. “It hurts the party and does not stick with the important issues that should cause us to support a candidate. Apparently, the Weed campaign disagrees with me on this issue.”
Paid for and authorized by Ewert for Congress
Ewert for Congress
Press Release
4/17/06
Contact: Bern Ewert, T-434 295 2311
Subject: Galveston Mayor responds to attack by Al Weed campaign
(Galveston) – Barbara K. Crews, Mayor of Galveston, Texas from 1990 to 1996 and City Council Member from 1985 to 1990 responds to Al Weed campaign attack:
“I have seen the recent official mailing from the Al Weed campaign indicating that the Galveston branches of LULAC and NAACP sought a court order to prevent Bern Ewert from being appointed to the position of City Manager in Galveston, Texas. Nothing could be further from truth. In fact, his strong record of working with diverse communities was an important attribute that my city council considered when he was hired.
I was mayor of Galveston from 1990 through 1996. My city council voted to hire Mr. Ewert for the city manager’s position in December 1995 and he came to Galveston shortly after his interview to begin work. There was never any public comment or legal action taken against the city to “prevent Bern Ewert from being appointed . . . “.
At the time Bern was hired, Galveston was facing serious budget challenges. He used his considerable organizational talents, his superior budget skills and his ability to build consensus to help reorganize and substantially improve the city’s financial position.
It gives me satisfaction to have the opportunity to respond to an obviously false campaign smear with the true facts about what, to Galveston, was a serious situation and one that Mr. Ewert faced with professionalism, integrity and the utmost sincerity.”
Paid for and authorized by Ewert for Congress
Ewert for Congress
Press Release
2/06/06
Contact: Bern Ewert, T-434 295 2311
Subject: Federal Mill Income Tax Credit Program Proposed
I am proposing that the federal government implement a Mill Income Tax Credit Program (MTCP). This Tax Credit would cover renovation costs of mill buildings. The program would be a powerful incentive for owners to rehabilitate qualifying mill buildings. Qualifying buildings would have been mill buildings, which somewhere in their life had been used in operations related to tobacco, textile and the furniture industry. In addition, the distressed community where the building is located must have an unemployment rate that is 50% higher than either the statewide or national average the month the application is submitted. Qualifying costs would be related to the building and the site. The Southside Virginia area of the 5th Congressional District would of course qualify and would be one of the primary targeted areas. The people of Southside deserve and need such a targeted and powerful program.
Applications would be made to the National Park Service (NPS), which is the same agency that runs the Historic Tax Credit Program. NPS will issue letters verifying that the building and the location is in a distressed community and eligible for the credit.
The Credit can be used in conjunction with an Historic Tax Credit. For example, in Virginia, if one spent $10 million rehabilitating an historic textile mill building the following tax credits would be generated:
Thus, the entity renovating the mill can recover from up to 75% of their rehabilitation and site improvement costs. This recovery of costs will be a very powerful credit and incentive to put empty or partially used mills back into productive use and to attract jobs to Southside. Finally, it was the federal policy that drove many of these employers out of business, or off-shore, and emptied these buildings. Therefore, it is only fair that the federal government offer powerful incentives to fill these buildings back up with jobs for Southside residents!