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Dear Editor,

Two opinion writers in the Sept. 13 Herald, Scott Denny and Justin Pope, both of Prince Edward, lamented the failure of the General Assembly to allow county voters to decide whether to raise funds for school construction via a referendum on a 1% local sales tax increase. Neither writer could explain the General Assembly’s thinking, particularly since our state legislature has allowed other counties to use this potential funding option.

In the interest of shining some light on the workings of state government, I would like to ask Sen. Mark Peake, Del. James Edmunds, and Del. Tommy Wright — and any other Central Virginia legislator who’d care to respond —why they believe Prince Edward was denied the referendum option and what their stand on this issue was. Did they learn whether the local governing bodies, the school board, and the business community supported the option? How vigorously did they make the appeal for Prince Edward? Or did they not support the local-control option? If this was the case, why not? I understand that Del. Edmunds was instrumental in getting the option passed for Halifax County. Why did the General Assembly treat Prince Edward differently? I’d also like to ask current House of Delegates candidate Josh Blakely what his stand on legislation to extend the 1% sales tax option to our county would have been and how he would have worked to make his opinion heard and supported within the General Assembly.

How shall we pay for repairing our schools? Should the school board buy lottery tickets?

Robin Sedgwick

Farmville