votes were cast for the bill, but

votes were cast for the bill, but worked on several of the bill’s components and said it was still a positive piece of legislation. The abusive driver fees represent a very small percentage of the total funding package, he said.

Since hearing from voters, Athey said he has worked on two bills to ameliorate the situation. One would repeal the entire fee structure, the other would amend it to include outof-state drivers.

“I hear and understand the public outcry based on what my constituents have told me,” he said.

Other candidates campaigning for the House of Delegates said they have seen similar reactions from voters and want something to be done.

In tiie 31st District, Democrat Bill Day challenged his opponent’s decision to vote for the fees. “It won’t take me five times to do the right thing,” said Day, who is running against Republican incumbent Scott Lingamfelter. He said the law discriminates against Virginia drivers, and he couldn’t support something that is unfair to his constituents.

Lingamfelter, said he had originally voted for the legislation but has changed his mind and calls the fees “a flawed approach” after listening to voters’ concerns through door-todoor visits.

“My view is that my job is to listen to my people, and that’s what I’ve done,” he said. Still, he, too believes that there are pieces of the bill that are positive.

The contenders in the 88th District both oppose the fees. Delegate Mark Cole, a Republican, said it was inappropriate to commission police officers to act as tax collectors.

“Fines should be set to discourage bad behavior, not raise revenue,” Cole said. “Whenever you start looking at these as a source of revenue, you’re going down a slippery slope.”

Cole said he had no problem cracking down on dangerous drivers, including fines for multiple offenses, but said it should not be a channel of funding incorporated into the state’s budget.

His opponent, Democrat Carlos Del Toro, said Cole was purely reacting to complaints and had not shown strong leadership before the public outcry.

The voters, he said, have made it clear that they are unhappy with the fees and the candidates who are elected to represent them should act accordingly. “Most working Virginians just believe the abuser fees are unfair,” he said.

Those vying for a seat in the Senate of Virginia report similar

Proposal

From, Page A1

On Aug. 15, the commissioners expressed frustration that Stevenson had not answered all their questions from the prior meeting. And Stevenson seemed frustrated by what he considered a lack of clarity in what the county requires for such applications.

“We don’t have much more than when you came in for the exploratory” said Hampton District Commissioner Alvin Henry.

“I think this is a premature application and I think you wasted everybody’s time here,” Henry told Stevenson. “You haven’t put any money into this thing so far, really.... You should probably withdraw this application and go back and do it right”

Commissioner Gary Settle, who represents the Piedmont District that includes Sperryville, said he is not opposed to Stevenson’s concept, but “there’s a lot of work to do” before the condo plan is at a point where the commission can consider approving it.

“We don’t have what we need to make this decision. This is a huge project, the first of its kind,” Settle said. “If we don’t get it right, we’re going to have a lot to answer for.”

Stevenson talked to engineers, surveyors, County Building Inspector Richie Buirke and Troy Jenkins at the Sperryville Wastewater Plant about the proposal Stevenson said all of them reported that the site, building, water and sewer seem sufficient for the condo plan.

But commissioners said they needed to have such complex information reported to them in the application, not on the spot when it’s time for them to make a decision.

“The last meeting was, as I understood it, for discussion purposes,” Stevenson said. “There were really no official requests for additional information from the planning com