Senator Chichester Asked to Withdraw on Tax Reform or Switch Parties

This was the big news coming from the 1st District GOP Committee that I had to stay quiet on, as requested by the 1st District Committee in order to give Sen. Chichester an adequate amount of time to respond to the resolution passed. Assurred that the response would be e-mailed, I can only assume that Chichester chose not to respond to the resolution, and so the measure was passed.

Predictably, the Free Lance-Star has given lip service to Chichester. This has to be the worst part of all, as the resolution gave Sen. Chichester the opportunity to explain himself to the 1st District as to why he supports tax increases just as the Virginia economy is recovering from recession. No such argument has come across my desk – save the FLS article blasting fellow Republicans for standing on principle.

The resolution reads as follows:

Whereas, we believe the Republican Party of Virginia Creed clearly states our common values;

Whereas, we believe Republican candidates are nominated and elected with full fidelity to the Republican Creed to keep limited government and the lowest taxes,

Whereas, we believe that Virginia families are businesses are already overtaxed at the local, state, and federal level;

Whereas, we believe that the Commonwealth of Virginia does not have a revenue problem, but it has a massive spending and spending prioritization problem;

Whereas, elected Republicans who sponsor tax increases break their bond of honor to the Creed they pledged to support, the Party who nominated them, and the Good People of Virginia who elected them;

Whereas, the General Assembly added a whopping $5 billion more this biennium in spending without raising taxes;

And whereas Republican State Senator John Chichester promised the voters in the 28th District Primary repeatedly – both in word and in print – that he was opposed to raising their taxes;

And whereas Senator Chichester told Primary voters his position on taxes was to “hold the line on taxes during tough economic times and then provide additional tax relief when times are good,”

And whereas Senator Chichetster claimed to Primary voters he was a “leader in the fight for lower taxes,”

And whereas Senator Chichester also told Primary voters “you can always count on me to support out shared Republican principles of smaller government, [and] lower taxes,”

And whereas Senator Chichester told the Richmond Times Dispatch on May 9th, 2003, “I’m certainly not going to favor raising taxes,”

And whereas the state’s revenue and economic situations have only improved since May 9th, 2003,

And whereas Senator Chichester proposes a $2.6 million increase in taxes,

And whereas any tax increase passed by the General Assembly could cost our Party seats in the House and Senate, and possibly even our Majorities,

BE IT RESOLVED that we the leaders of the Republican Party in the 1st Congressional District publically express our disappointment and firm opposition to Governor Warner and Senator Chichester’s tax increase proposals,

And RESOLVED that we request Senator Chichester explain how he can propose such high tax increase proposals after such a clearly-advertised anti-tax position to the voters in the June election,

And BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that if Senator Chichester continues his support for such massive tax increases on all Virginians, that we regretfully request he switch his party affiliation to a more suitable political party for such an agenda.

This is disappointing, because the 1st District Committee postponed releasing this resolution in order to provide an appropriate amount of time for Chichester to explain his position. Evidently (and unfortunately), he chose not to do so.

I support the resolution. This shows that the leaders of the Republican Party are not and will not sit idle as tax increases are pushed upon us from either outside or inside the party. A clear message needs to be sent – we are drawing the line and making a stand as the party that wants to decrease the tax burden on Virginians, not simply the party that will tax you less.