Gate City's current mayor, Mark Jenkins, who initially "lost" the May 4, 2004 election against former mayor Charles Dougherty, Jr. before he was declared the victor after voter fraud was exposed, has some choice comments about the Kilgores - Willie Mae and Jerry, in particular -- in today's Roanoke Times. The main charge Jenkins makes is that, aside from Dougherty and Willie Mae Kilgore (Scott County Registrar of Voters), Jerry Kilgore himself made inappropriate comments when he was still Attorney General of Virginia that "delayed a criminal investigation into the matter." According to the Roanoke Times:
A July 2004 article in the Kingsport (Tenn.) Times-News quoted Kilgore as saying that while mistakes were made, "no one appears to have done anything deliberately."Kilgore also said Gate City needed to "move on." The Republican has since stepped down as attorney general to run for governor.
Jenkins said it was inappropriate for the then-attorney general to publicly downplay a controversy that involved both his hometown and his mother, Willie Mae Kilgore, the longtime voter registrar of Scott County.
No one in the registrar's office has been charged with a crime.
But, Jenkins said, "I still maintain that the wrongdoings that have been brought to light by the indictments ... could not have gone on had the registrar been properly performing her job."
Right, in other words either Willie Mae Kilgore was doing her job as Scott County Registrar of Voters, in which case she was FULLY aware of what was going on. Or, she wasn't doing her job, in which case she is incompetent. Defenders of the Kilgores, Chad Dotson and others, please take your pick. You can't have it both ways. Oh, and by the way, why do YOU have such a "man-crush" on Jerry and Terry Kilgore, and why are you "drooling" so much over the Kilgore family in general? Seriously, is this the best the Republican Party of Virginia has to offer? What gives? Are we all back in 7th grade here, or what?
Anyway, I'm hopeful that we'll finally find out a lot more about the growing Gate City voter fraud scandal now that Mark Jenkins is speaking out more freely and forcefully about the Kilgores than he had previously. Perhaps Jenkins' willingness to speak more freely has to do with the fact that someone (Dougherty) actually has been indicted on 37 felony counts of voter fraud in the case. Also, perhaps Jenkins has realized that, in order to see justice done in this case, the whole Kilgore machine will need to be exposed. I don't know.
However, what Jenkins is saying is clearly important. For starters, it directly contradicts the (false/contrived) "outrage" of Jerry Kilgore's supporters that a) the hubbub is all coming from a bunch of "desperate" liberals stooping to attacks on Jerry Kigore's mother; and b) the scandal has nothing to do with Jerry Kilgore and does not speak to the ethics (or lack thereof) of the Kilgore family in general. Both of these claims are categorically false and/or highly questionable at best. Let's get real: Willie Mae Kilgore is a public official, Scott County Registrar of Voters both currently and also when the voter fraud took place. And Jerry Kilgore made comments as Attorney General of Virginia about the case, prejudging it and obviously seeking to delay or dismiss any potential investigation of his mother. This is serious stuff, whether you guys like it or not. Some of you are attorneys and even state officials, so you should certainly understand this.
Sure, on one level this is still a "small-town scandal involving a candidate's mother," as "one political observer" says in the article. But as Bob Denton of Virginia Tech points out, it's also "a problem for the [Jerry Killgore] campaign...relat[ing] more to the image and the character issue." Denton adds that:
As attorney general, "it is a risky thing to comment about something in your hometown that involves your relatives," Denton said. "You are the chief cop in the commonwealth of Virginia, so to speak, and to make any statement, good or bad, is risky indeed."
By the way, for those who claim this is all a "partisan attack on Jerry Kilgore's mother, blah blah blah," I would point out once again that Mark Jenkins is a REPUBLICAN. In other words, this is not about partisanship, it's about exposing CORRUPTION by the Kilgore family and its allies and about seeing justice be done. And, according to "Jenkins and other critics:"
...the registrar's office has become an arm of a powerful Kilgore family that controls the political machinery of Scott County, a solidly Republican portion of far Southwest Virginia.Willie Mae Kilgore's husband has been the chairman of the county Republican Party for years, Jenkins said. Her other twin son, Terry Kilgore, has represented Scott County as a delegate in the General Assembly for more than a decade. A third son, John, heads the county's economic development authority.
So, when the Chad Dotsons of the world dismiss the concerns of Republicans, Democrats, and independent political observers about this case, I'm forced to wonder what THEIR agenda is. I mean, besides winning the governor's mansion at all costs, what's with their "jones" for the Kilgores anyway? Are the Kilgores just SOOOO likeable and impressive as human beings and representatives for the Republican Party or what? Is there something else here, like the fact that the Kilgores are powerful in the same part of the state as most of the "defenders" happen to come from? If not, why would they be so eager to argue that the Scott County Registrar of Voters, who happens to be the mother of Jerry and Terry Kilgore, had absolutely nothing to do with the Gate City Mayoral voter fraud case, the investigation into which continues, by the way? [UPDATE 10:15 AM: Or, could it be that both Jerry and Terry endorsed your run for Commonwealth's Attorney in Wise County? Not to mention "Taliban Bob" McDonnell.]
I begin to think that they "doth protest a bit too much." Also, I note their tendency to resort to the first and last refuge of those with nothing to say: attack the person ("ad hominem") making the argument. For instance, we here at RaisingKaine apparently have an unhealthy, bizarre infatuation going with Rex McCarty, even though most of us (myself included) have never even met the man. What next, are you guys going to argue that Mark Jenkins isn't REALLY a Republican? Whoops, shouldn't give you any ideas!
In other words, how much more silliness, evasion and obfuscation are we going to have to put up with before the grownups take over? Luckily, there ARE grownups moving along with their investigation into the scandal, including into the role of Willie Mae Kilgore. Perhaps they should also look into the role of Jerry Kilgore and his inappropriate comments on the case (ever hear of "recusal," Jerry?) when he was Attorney General.
One last point: if you Republicans think that the Gate City scandal does NOT relate to the Kilgores, I want to smoke what you're smoking. And, if you think that this is the ONLY reason we Democrats don't like Kilgore/Bolling/McDonnnell (not to mention Marshall, Albo, Craddock, etc.), you're highly mistaken. We find their ethics troubling, no doubt about that. But we also oppose their right-wing, irresponsible policies in many, many areas. And we strongly, unequivocally believe that Tim Kaine will make a far, FAR superior Governor than Jerry Kilgore. Now, why don't you all try to make a counterargument without resorting to ad hominemn attacks? It might be an interesting intellectual exercise for you guys. Hey, give it a shot, what do you have to lose? On second thought... Heh.
