November 4, 2003

Mud Flies As Election Day Draws Near

By JOHN DAVIS
Daily News-Record

In what may turn out to be the closest General Assembly race in the Valley, Lowell Fulk and Del. Glenn Weatherholtz are pulling no punches when it comes to campaign advertising. And they slugged it out all the way until today.

Fulk says Weatherholtz’s newest radio campaign includes an outright lie. And Weatherholtz accuses Fulk of distorting his record with an emotional issue.

Fulk and Weatherholtz are battling for the House District 26, which includes Harrisonburg and part of Rockingham County .

Weatherholtz’s Ad

A radio spot alleging Fulk supports "a risky tax scheme which could suck more than $1 billion out of the wallets of Virginia taxpayers" is the latest volley between the two campaigns.

Fulk, a Democrat, hasn’t gone on record as supporting a tax plan, though he has said he would consider changes to the tax code. "I’m looking forward to seeing what the [Tax Reform Commission] comes up with and proposals from Gov. Warner," he said.

The Tax Reform Commission is a 10-member body made up of General Assembly members from the House and Senate that is examining ways to modernize the Virginia tax code.

On Monday, Weatherholtz said the information for the "tax scheme" ad came from notes taken by Del. Chris Saxman, R-Staunton, at an Oct. 8 candidates’ forum. Weatherholtz was not at the forum.

Saxman says the $1 billion figure did not come from his notes. "I had no way of to calculate based on the percentages," he said of notes he took at the forum.

Mountaintop Media produced the 60-second ad, and company president Rick Shaftan said the company is sticking to its guns.

"That’s what we’re saying he said," Shaftan said Monday. "If he says it’s not true, he should sue Glenn Weatherholtz and everyone else for libel. … But he won’t sue."

Shaftan could not point out a specific instance when Fulk backed a tax plan, saying "Fulk can’t explain how he wants to change [the tax system] but he wants to change it."

Fulk’s Ad

Weatherholtz, meanwhile, claims the Fulk campaign fired the first shots.

A mailer from the Fulk campaign accuses Weatherholtz of "Supporting the pet fur industry" based on a vote Weatherholtz cast more than four years ago against a bill prohibiting the sale of dog and cat coats.

Weatherholtz said he does not support the pet-fur industry, but thought the bill was superfluous.

"We’ve never even had a dog or cat killed here," he said Monday.

As for Fulk and his alleged tax plan, Weatherholtz takes responsibility for his campaign’s radio spot. "If [Fulk] signs the no-tax pledge, I’ll take [the ad] off the air."