11/16/2016

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TRUMP’S Continued from pg. 1

In the race for the United States House of Representatives in District 1, Republican Rob Wittman retained the office with 229,889 votes, 59.94%, in defeating Democrat M.D. “Matt” Rowe, 140,039, 36.52%; Independent Gail Parker, 12,845, 3.35%; and write-in, 736, 0.19%. Virginia voters also determined the fate of two constitutional amendments. Question 1: Should Article I of the Constitution of Virginia be amended to prohibit any agreement or combination between an employer and a labor union or labor organization whereby (i) nonmembers of the union or organization are denied the right to work for the employer, (ii) membership to the union or organization is made a condition of employment or continuation of employment by such employer, or (iii) the union

JUSTICE Continued from pg. 6

gregation to congregation on a weathered old mare. He and his wife taped more than 60 segments that

a response had not been received from Hanover County Republican Party chair Russ Wright. If he does comment on his party’s victory, his remarks will be posted on social media and our website, www.mechlocal.com. Voter Registrar Teresa “Teri” Smithson said Hanover County voters turned out in volume numbers on Election Day, with 57,249 of 77,384 casting their ballots. “We received over 600 phone calls on election day of voters trying to determine if they were registered to vote and where.” She said her office did encounter “a bit of a rocky start in four of our precincts due to issues with our new optical scanners that were retro-fitted to our old ballot boxes. The technicians immediately identified the cause of the ballot jam and resolved the issue quickly.” And, to no surprise, Hanover County faced long lines at some polling places. “The Beaverdam precinct

had the longest lines of the day with wait times as long as an hour and a half,” Smithson said. “The team of four officers (two called out sick) successfully voted over 2,106 of 2,908 voters. We have received some great feedback and support from the community. Businesses have adopted some of our polling precincts by bringing the Officers of Election food, coffee and a smile.” Smithson summed up the day by saying: “Thank you, Hanover County voters, for your patriotism and your patience, making this election both successful and peaceful.” Toni Radler, chair of the Hanover County Democratic Committee, said members “are dismayed and heartsick at the outcome of this election, losing it to the Electoral College vote, while winning the popular vote by more than one million votes. But it’s not the numbers that have us dismayed. It’s the person who won the election that

has us so concerned. Our next president is not a Mitt Romney, not a Jeb Bush, or even a Marco Rubio . . . all decent candidates with experience and understanding that we are a nation of laws. “Instead, our next president is someone with no governmental experience, no community service and a seeming total lack of understanding of our nation’s founding principles . . . a man whose promises and statements bear no resemblance to reality . . . a man whose character seems more than flawed . . . a man with stranger than strange ties to Russia’s Vladimir Putin.” Radler said the county Democrats “can only hope and pray that Donald Trump the president of the United States will be a different man than Donald Trump the candidate. It’s a possibility that we would welcome and support. But, in case not, Hanover Democrats will be watching and working to protect the rights of all.”

M E C HA N IC S V I L L E — A concert of English choral music will be performed by Sanctuary, the acclaimed compline choir of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Richmond, at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19, at historic Immanuel Episcopal Church at 3263 Old Church Rd. in Mechanicsville. The hour-long event will be followed by a homemade soup sample buffet. The event is part of Music in the Old Church, a series of uplifting community choral performances conducted by Jimmy Hicks, Immanuel’s minister of music, as part of the church’s outreach ministry. Tickets ($15) at the door or in advance by calling (804 779-3454. Parking is free of charge. For more information, go to www.immanueloc.org.

all began the same way. “Justice is the name of a grand old horse. Once he paced the racetrack but tonight he brings you a friend with a message.” The films were grainy and

appeared vintage, but were actually shot on 8 mm by Livermon’s wife. And it turns out The Circuit Rider is remembered by many locals, most of whom did not realize the inspirational words came from right down the road

near Gwynn’s Island. Livermon died in 1992, but his son followed in his father’s tradition and became a Methodist minister in Gloucester. And those tidbits of wisdom that Livermon and his wife so thoughtfully pro-

duced years ago are being transferred to more current platforms like DVD. Some will be pleased to hear the familiar words of our old sign off friend, a man who touched so many right before the television went fuzzy each night.

Today, The Circuit Rider’s segments appear on YouTube and the like, still grainy and under-produced, but still pertinent years after Livermon and Justice are long gone. The old friend, the message and the saddlebag live on.

NEXT

been inspiring in recent days to witness so many of his opponent’s supporters, even after such a brutal and divisive race, standing up to say that he deserves the chance to do just that. As we move forward, I am hopeful that our country will continue to come together and begin to remember once

again what makes us a truly great nation. Democracy can be messy, as we’ve just seen, but the sooner we start dusting ourselves off and getting on with things, the better for all. As for Mr. Trump, this hard-earned victory is only the beginning of what promises to be a long and difficult journey, during which he will

have to make good on his promises to the American people. He has been given the highest honor we have to give. It’s up to him to prove he’s worthy of it. We’ll all be watching. Roslyn Ryan is the editor of The Goochland Gazette and can be reached at rryan@ goochlandgazette.com

Continued from pg. 6

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Sanctuary to perform Nov. 19 at Immanuel

or organization acquires an employment monopoly in any such enterprise? The vote was 2,001,564, 53.55%, no and 1,736,053, 46.45%, yes. Question 2: Shall the Constitution of Virginia be amended to allow the General Assembly to provide an option to the localities to exempt from taxation the real property of the surviving spouse of any law-enforcement officer, firefighter, search and rescue personnel, or emergency medical services personnel who was killed in the line of duty, where the surviving spouse occupies the real property as his or her principal place of residence and has not remarried? The vote was 3,015,965, 79.71%, yes, and 767,870, 20.29%, no. In Hanover County, the amendments both received yes support, with 49,139, 81.51%, and 11,145,18.49%, no, for Question 1, and 13,604, 80.72%, yes, and 3,250, 19.28%, no, for Question 2. As of press time Monday,

November 16, 2016

is how democracy works, and that there is no other system in the world under which we would want to live. No, you will not convince many of us that Donald Trump is a great man. He’ll have to prove it. But it has

Do you have a story idea? Call Melody Kinser at 804-775-4622 or email mkinser@mechlocal.com


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