McGraw for Obama - National Delegate VA's 9th

Steven A. McGraw, Sr., has served as Roanoke County's Clerk of the Circuit Court since 1991. A native of Roanoke Valley, he has been an active participant in local government since 1983 when he was elected to Roanoke County's Board of Supervisors. During his tenure as a Supervisor for Roanoke County, Mr. McGraw served as Chairman of the Board in 1985 and 1991 . . . An active member of the community, Mr. McGraw served as President of the Virginia Court Clerks' Association in 2001. He has also held principal leadership roles in the Kiwanis Club of Roanoke, Virginia, Inc., Virginia Association of Counties and the Blue Ridge Region of Virginia, Inc. Mr. McGraw served on the Board of Directors for the Salem-Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce during 1983, and he was Co-Chairman of the Salem Downtown Merchant's Association in 1982. In 1986, Virginia's Governor appointed him to a four-year term on the Grayson Commission, which studied local government structures and relationships.

After a conversation with McGraw about his recent efforts to promote his Party, we asked if we could help him with a new endeavor.

SCH: Were you involved with Democratic Senate hopeful Mark Warner's campaign rally in the Star City last week?

McGRAW: Yes, several local Democrats were very busy behind the firehouse, moving and sorting out luggage, getting the vans in place, etc., in order to take Warner and his family and staff members and the various news media back to the airport later that morning. I spoke with Mudcat there, but we were so busy that I didn't even realize that Lowell Feld with Raising Kaine was one of the members of the news media for whom we were driving until he posted a diary about it later that week.

SCH: Did you have some time with Mark Warner in a casual setting?

McGRAW: When we picked them up at the airport the previous Sunday night, I had the privilege of driving Warner and his wife and two of their daughters into downtown Roanoke for a late dinner. It was almost embarrassing that Mark knew more about good local restaurants and their locations here than me, a native son!

SCH: So you are campaigning to be a delegate for Senator Obama at the Democratic National Convention this summer . . .

McGRAW: Currently, I am campaigning to be the one and only delegate for Senator Obama to the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver in August from Virginia's Ninth Congressional District. The 9th CD's convention is in Riner on Saturday morning . . .

SCH: What have been your efforts thus far?

McGRAW: To date I have sent out 100 snail-mail letters and 200 e-mail messages to the 100 or so delegates to the upcoming 9th Congressional District's Democratic Convention, and I intend to send out one or two more e-mail messages and then to call as many of the delegates as possible today and Friday. I had yard signs/posters printed up to display at the Convention at Auburn High School in Riner on Saturday morning.

SCH: What do you think your prospects are for success?

McGRAW: There are four other candidates in the 9th CD running for the national delegate slot for Obama, and they are all good guys (they live much further southwest of here) who appear to be qualified to do so, so I definitely have my work cut out for me in this regard.

Editorial Note: The Roanoke Valley stands to benefit from McGraw's presence at the National Convention. Given the historic nature of this election and the ground-swell of support across the political spectrum for Senator Obama's vision for the future of the Democratic Party and the Nation, sending a strong, passionate voice from Southwest Virginia may bring our region the attention it deserves in the coming years and has lacked over the last 7 and a half

By Hank Bostwick  Star City Harbinger

Comments