Rivals for Beach delegate knock each other's record

The two candidates fighting to represent the 21st House District agree: The record of his opponent is lackluster.

Freshman Del. Bobby Mathieson, a Democrat, is trying to earn a second term and faces a challenge from City Councilman Ron Villanueva, a Republican, in the November race.

Mathieson has criticized Villanueva's attendance at City Council meetings and work sessions, claiming that Villanueva has been late or absent to 105 meetings.

Villanueva knocked Mathieson for getting only two out of 11 sponsored bills approved this past session.

With four children and his full-time job as the executive vice president of a government tactical and special operations supplier, Villanueva said it can be difficult to be on time to all the council briefing sessions, during which issues are discussed but no votes taken. Villanueva said he's there for the votes and has worked to bring companies such as Operation Smile to Virginia Beach. He has voted 92 percent of the time and has attended 93 percent of the formal meetings since his election, according to the city clerk's office.

Mathieson defends his record and said he sponsored legislation to tighten the sex offender registry and co-sponsored a bill to eliminate the sales tax on food. But as a freshmen representative and a member of the minority party, it's a challenge to get your legislation passed the first time, he said.

The 21st District is shaped like a boot and takes in neighborhoods such as Thalia, Windsor Oaks and then moves south to Rosemont Forest and Hillcrest. It is a primarily working-class district, and both candidates are trying to highlight their blue-collar roots.

Villanueva, who has been on the City Council since 2002, is the son of Filipino immigrants. His father was in the Navy, and his mother was a nurse. Villanueva was born in Philadelphia and grew up in Virginia Beach.

Mathieson is originally from Long Island, N.Y. He was a Virginia Beach police officer for 27 years and later served as the governor's appointee to the state Department of Criminal Justice Services. He is currently the business development director for a security technology firm.

Both candidates said transportation continues to be a challenging issue for the General Assembly.

Mathieson said he supports forming a bipartisan commission that includes representatives from both the rural and urban portions of the state to look at transportation funding. The state will need some sort of new revenue to pay for transportation needs, but he shied away from committing to raising taxes or fees to pay for roads. H e said he is open to any idea, "as long as it doesn't hurt education or public safety."

Villanueva said the state needs to tweak its transportation funding formula so Hampton Roads gets as much money as Northern Virginia. A recent study by the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization found that over a span of 12 years, the region received 16.6 percent of the state's $3.5 billion in interstate funding. Northern Virginia received 57.6 percent.

Villanueva also supports ending the high occupancy vehicle lanes to give commuters more travel lanes. If localities controlled the HOV lanes, they could consider placing tolls on them and offer travelers a faster lane, he said.

But Villanueva said he would oppose raising taxes for transportation.

"How can you honestly say you're going to raise taxes in this climate," he said.

Deirdre Fernandes, (757) 222-5121, deirdre.fernandes@pilotonline.com