The Sept. 13 edition of the Sun Newspapers of Alexandria include this letter to the editor:
David Englin is a Good Fit for District 45
To The Editor:
I supported David Englin for Alexandria’s 45th District in the last election. He stopped over on a Saturday morning [and] we chatted for about 20 minutes while I was puttering around in the garden. We hit it off. Heck, I nearly invited the guy in for coffee, or even a beer, except I recalled that the house was not too tidy.
David struck me as the genuine thing. He was ambitious, even decisive. Yet, he had a certain humbleness and earnestness as well. Most importantly he stood up for something, several things actually. Things like honesty, integrity and hard work along with a commitment to basic tenets of justice, tolerance, and fairness. He has stood up for these principles in Richmond and in doing so he has stood up for diverse people in this district who share those values.
Now, along comes Mark Allen as a Republican challenger. Mr. Allen says David is out of touch with the mainstream. Maybe that is true in Mr. Allen’s vision of trying to fit District 45 into the mold of the current majority in Richmond. But one needs only to take a walk in Del Ray and Rosemont on a weekend morning or First Thursday to see the caring, hardworking and tolerant people and businesses living and working in these neighborhoods. People that are a lot like…well, a lot like David Englin.
So far, Mr. Allen’s politics amount to a couple of leftover, often divisive, slogans that have gummed up politics for too long. He came out playing the Gay card. Good grief. He even tried to turn the tables on David’s passion and commitment, saying the use of the word “fight” on David’s Web site makes him combative. But, the fact is David has demonstrated a willingness and commitment to working with others in Richmond.
Besides, I like my delegate to have a backbone. On that subject, Mr. Allen says “You’re not going to get a whole lot of new initiative out of me.” Enough said.
Glenn Boledovich
Del Ray
