April 22, 2009. The Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Wow. The reaction occurred during a conversation yesterday between the Editorial staff and Mike Signer, candidate for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor. The night before, Signer attended the annual action meeting of Richmonders Involved to Strengthen Our Communities (RISC). The commitment manifested by the approximately 1,000 attendees at a Good Shepherd Baptist Church impressed him. A veteran of think-tank conferences drawing a handful of experts and poseurs, Signer applauded a meeting in which real citizens joined community leaders in talking about public policy.
Richmonders often see themselves as parochial and lackluster. An outsider was wowed by the energy and intellect encountered here. The process regarding the downtown plan also reflected significant public engagement, as do hearings on attendance zones and other factors related to the schools.
Signer’s comments came up during a discussion of issues of importance to Central Virginia. Signer cited the economy, of course, and agreed that the region lacks the transportation challenges of Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads. The Good Shepherd meeting, he explained, showed what locals had on their minds. The topics included health care, education, and drug treatment for prisoners. Signer went to the RISC session to see, not to be seen. It is not often that candidates have so passionately described such scenes to us.
Signer has written extensively, and insightfully, on topics relating to defense and foreign policy — two items that do not rank at the top of the lieutenant governor’s job description. Yesterday, Signer cast his global views in the context of domestic policy. He included specific references to Virginia. The Times-Dispatch does not endorse in primaries when the general election promises a competitive race. The winner of the Democratic contest will take on Bill Bolling, the Republican incumbent and front-runner for re-election. Although we plan no endorsement in the Democratic primary, we happily nominate Mike Signer for secretary of state or national security adviser in a Democratic administration.
