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So far, it seems to be working.
With Gilbert on the House side and Obenshain on the Senate side and McCarthy and Chappell lobbying hard from Rappahannock County, these forces have come -together to work with the system and bring some much needed relief to taxpayers in this county. And to bring a fair share of the State’s education money to our students in this county.
W'hat’s made their efforts even more praise worthy is that the citizens of the county have added their support by sending letters, emails and faxes to the various committees that these bills have had to pass through. Without the backing of Rappahannock residents, McCarthy and Chappell would be on the front lines with no troops.
As County Administrator John McCarthy has pointed out relief won’t ultimately be felt by the county until 2009 if either of these bills is passed. But. if it happens, it will be a significant and landmark change and well worth the wait. Most neighboring school districts receive up to 70 percent to fund education compared with Rappahannock’s current 20 percent. With the passage of these bills, that could change in Rappahannock’s favor.
Obenshain and Gilbert represent several counties in their jurisdictions. Some residents have complained from time to time that Rappahannock County doesn’t have a voice because its voter numbers are so small. W'ho cares about Rappahannock? Elected officials are seen as remote and uninvolved. They’re too busy dealing with heavy traffic problems, drugs, illegal immigration, developers and violent offenders. They may come through and sample the wine but that’s about it.
Not so.
When it comes to dollars for education, all forces have coalesced. As McCarthy has noted, when the two boards are on the same page about anything, it is significant. And when county government bodies and the citizenry are on the same page, it’s a win-win.
Adding politicians to the mix doesn’t hurt at all particularly in this case where Obenshain’s sponsored S.B. 559 and Gilbert’s sponsored H.B. 936 have added a double-barreled shot at success.
The road through Richmond isn’t always easy but when you have a large group traveling with the same mission in mind, their combined voices feel a lot more powerful and can be a lot more effective.
At the end of the day, the system just could work in Rappahannock’s favor.
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