A Ray of Hope for the 9th District House Seat

Anthony Flaccavento

For those of us still bemoaning the disastrous loss of two of the most effective, honest and courageous representatives in the U.S. House of Representatives in the last election cycle--Tom Perriello and long-serving Rick Boucher--a glimmer of light just appeared on the horizon from Abingdon.

A man named Anthony Flaccavento is running for the 9th District seat bought by Morgan Griffith, who didn't think enough of the district to live in it while running to represent it, but had plenty of Koch Brothers moolah to make the purchase. Griffith is the immobile hard-right idealogue whose career has been marked by party splinter group first, party second, personal ambition third and everything else down the line. His contributions to the 9th District's quality of life during his reign can't be scored because one cannot score nothing.

Flaccavento has been described as a pragmatist who works for the people he would represent. He is an environmentalist, an economic developer and a job creator (something Griffith talks about, but ends his involvement there). The challenger's primary activity is to connect farmers and small ag businesses with markets and resources. He has worked with tobacco farmers to help them find sustainable alternatives for that hateful crop. He understands rural Virginia and its unique needs.

His work has involved housing, food, farming, sustainable forestry and coal field reclamation. He has actually lived in the district--how novel--since 1985, so one would surmise he has an interest in it other than self-promotion.

Flaccavento is prepared for the Republican noise machine to crank up the volume in order to keep the seat. He was quoted in the New River Voice* as saying, "I know there will be a misinformation campaign against me, but I think the core of what I’ve been trying to do my whole life – which is practical movement towards a better economy and better communities – will resonate with a lot people." Here's that story, which gives a good bit of background on the 9th's Next Best Hope.

(Photo: New River Voice. *I'm on the editorial board of the Voice.)