LT. GOVERNOR CANDIDATE JODY WAGNER ENDORSED THE CONCEPT OF A SELF-SUSTAINING FORT MONROE NATIONAL PARK

At time 38:55 of the audio available online for Oct. 29 at the HearSay Web site, Scott Butler of Citizens for a Fort Monroe National Park asked Ms. Wagner by phone, "On a recent 'HearSay,' a caller asked Creigh Deeds what he thought about having an innovative, self-sustaining national park at Fort Monroe, and Mr. Deeds answered that he thought it was a great idea, it was just a question of figuring out how to do it, and he looked forward to making it happen. I wonder what your view is of that issue -- do you share Mr. Deeds' interest in making Fort Monroe into a self-sustaining national park?"

Candidate Wagner answered, "If we can find a way to do it, I certainly do. I actually served on the Fort Monroe fada [a state commission with an undignified bureaucratic name] as [Virginia's] secretary of finance, so I was involved in the discussions and looking at the plans. I think we have got to look at some constructive reuses of some of the buildings and finding ways to get private individual companies using those buildings, so that they stay intact, and we should definitely try and include a national park as part of the solution."

Cathy Lewis then asked, "Scott, does that do it for you?"

Scott replied, "That does it, thank you."

At Citizens for a Fort Monroe National Park, we endorse no candidates. But we do ask questions and report facts. We look forward to reporting any answers of gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell and Ms. Wagner's opponent, incumbent Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, to candidate Deeds's and candidate Wagner's Fort Monroe statements.

What we advocate is a dynamic, vital, multifaceted, self-sustaining, revenue-generating, pays-its-own-way, innovatively structured, well-integrated Grand Public Place at Old Point Comfort, not just a mere "park" segregated off at the north end. We oppose any threatened mediocritization of this 570-acre national treasure. We recognize what Virginia's leaders are apparently increasingly recognizing: that former Colonial National Historical Park superintendent Alec Gould, a lifelong Virginian, is right when he explains why federal involvement and a national park unit are financially imperative.