Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, August 11, 1995 TAG: 9508140028
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: BRIAN KELLEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
The two candidates for the state Senate seat representing much of the New River Valley clashed Thursday on their ideas, their track records and even whether they'll actually debate, at what was supposed to be a mild-mannered, Realtors'-sponsored candidates' forum.
Marye, the Democratic incumbent from Shawsville, realized he was outnumbered from the start, speaking before a group that Republican Cupp, a developer, was head of just last year. Marye noted the number of Republicans in the audience and the lack of Democrats among the six candidates present. "I thought this was the lion's den today," he said afterward.
"After 12 years without competition, maybe my opponent's a little testy," Cupp said.
Marye spoke first and put Cupp on the defensive by attacking Cupp's attempt to distance himself from Republican Gov. George Allen on cuts to higher education, a hot issue in the New River Valley where Virginia Tech and Radford University are major employers.
Marye's district includes Montgomery, Smyth and Grayson counties, parts of Pulaski and Carroll counties and Galax.
"I hear that my opponent now says that he thinks education is important," Marye said with Cupp sitting about 10 feet away. "I wonder where he was when he was giving $4,000 to the governor's campaign to tear apart Virginia Tech and dismember Radford University?''
Marye questioned whether Cupp disagreed with Allen on abortion rights, riverboat gambling, cuts to the Cooperative Extension Service, reductions to Community Service Boards and dropout prevention programs and even - in a joking reference - to his perennial, ill-fated "bottle bill" that attempted to require refundable deposits on beverage containers.
Cupp offered to spend "two or three hours" talking over every issue but stuck to a brief counterattack. For one thing, he said, he gave Allen $2,000 for his 1993 campaign, long before the administration took office in January 1994.
"The way the Democrats work, $2,000, $5,000, what's the difference," Cupp said.
(State campaign finance records show that Cupp gave Allen $1,250 in 1993. Cupp and his wife, Sandy, gave another $600. Cupp's company, BCR Real Estate, gave $1,000, for a total of $2,850)
Cupp then challenged Marye to debate him in an event arranged by a nonpartisan group.
Marye interrupted. "Why not debate today, right now? I'm ready," Marye called out.
When Cupp tried to resume, Marye called out "Now!'' again.
Later, Cupp said he never did get a straight answer from Marye on whether he would debate during their campaign. "I don't know, but I'm anxious to find out," Cupp said. "Sometimes with Senator Marye, you don't know."
Marye would not give a yes or no answer when asked if he would debate Cupp. "I have no idea what the schedule holds. I was ready to go; and when somebody turns me down, I can't understand why."
The two men did get to talk about issues. Cupp outlined his three campaign themes: combating crime, supporting education and pursuing economic development. He also complimented Marye's voting record on issues important to Realtors, but he noted the low marks given by two business-interest groups.
Marye, before he launched his broadside on Cupp, ran through a stump speech that criticized the governor's attempt to portray Virginia as having a poorly run, bloated state bureaucracy. Instead, he insisted, Virginia has a low tax burden and made it through the early '90s recession without a tax increase. With that past, now's the time to "stoke the coals of economic vitality," Marye said.
After the Marye-Cupp exchange, there was even a bit of tag-team, anti-Marye speechifying by another Republican candidate, Del. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, who is running unopposed. Griffith said he felt compelled to respond because Marye's remarks were directed not just against Cupp, but against the Republican Party. Griffith said the image of a monolithic GOP voting bloc is wrong. He said he and other New River Valley representatives were able to vote against the governor without repercussions. But Democrats who vote against their party risk losing committee assignments. Marye shook his head during Griffith's comments.
Another unopposed Republican, state Sen. Malfourd "Bo" Trumbo, poked fun at the Marye-Cupp exchange. "I just want to say one thing: I demand to debate Tommy Baker," he bellowed from the podium.
Baker is a fellow Republican running unopposed for the House seat representing Pulaski County. He shot back: "You'd be late."
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB