Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

To the Editor:

As election day 2021 draws closer, I sit here and look at the advertisement received in the mail from Delegate Tommy Wright, and I recall a statement from a college philosophy class – “that you will never meet an honest politician.” This statement has proven to be very true over the years and is no exception to Delegate Tommy Wright.

For example, this particular ad states Delegate Tommy Wright “stands up for our families, defends our values and gets results.” This statement certainly does not apply to the many families in Cumberland County who are faced with the proposed Green Ridge/County Waste/GFL 1200-acre mega landfill. Delegate Wright has been asked about his position on this, and his answer is “it’s a local issue.” He has no concern that this proposed landfill affects not only the local residents but all Virginians. He has no concern for the flagrant environmental justice violations, impending water contamination to private wells, road safety issues, protection of the wetlands, wildlife and most importantly, protection of the families in the area. He states he defends our values, yet he has done nothing to protect the values of the residents of the proposed landfill site; he has not met with them; he has not done anything to protect their private wells; he has done nothing to protect their family values and way of life.

Give this some thought and decide if this is a person you want to represent rural Virginia for the next two years. He has served on the State Water Commission but has done nothing to protect our private wells in the last 20 years. We only have one environment, and we need to do all we can to protect it and stop the development of industry in the commonwealth, such as landfills, which will adversely affect the environment.

Betty Myers

Cartersville