In yesterday's spirited local House of Delegates race, Republican Robert Bell became the next delegate for the redrawn 58th district, defeating Democrat Charles Martin.
At his victory celebration late last night, Bell said he was excited about his win in the 58th district, which includes most of Albemarle County.
"I look forward to finding ways to move my reforms forward," he said.
Bell, who received his undergraduate degree from the University in 1988 and received his law degree from the University in 1995, ran a "tremendously active campaign," which included calling constituents on the phone to encourage them to vote, and running local television commercials, said Martha Baganz, a 58th district resident.
Almost 80 volunteers knocked on over 9,500 doors for this campaign, Bell said. "You can't ignore the importance of grass roots organizing like that," he said.
Having previously served for five years as prosecutor for Orange County, Bell said he saw his election as a mandate for taking a tougher position on crime.
"We need to stand up for crime victims, and make sure that criminals serve their entire sentence," Bell said.
Bell supports "truth in sentencing," where criminals serve out their full jail terms, for all crimes, not just for violent ones, said Chris Winslow, campaign coordinator for Bell.
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Bell also served as an organizer for the Albemarle County Republican Committee for the past three years where he oversaw a host of reforms and a doubling in committee membership.
Although pledging his support for the University and higher education, Bell said that with the current decline in state revenues, there would have to be "belt tightening all around."
With today's economic situation in Virginia, "you can't raise taxes," he said.
Bell made lower taxes a key issue in his campaign, strongly opposing retroactive taxes like the "stealth" property tax imposed in Albemarle County, Winslow said. The "stealth" tax is a retroactive property tax.
Bell has not specifically said whether he would pursue the phase-out of the car tax next year. He "will take a look at the situation once he gets into office," Winslow said.
"Rob Bell will do a good job in Richmond," Charlottesville resident and University Law student Josh Kirk said.
He's "tough on crime," and he "strongly supports the educational issues of Virginia," Kirk added.
Bell's opponent, Charles Martin, also a University graduate, emphasized education as the main issue in his campaign. "For us, education has been key," Martin's campaign manager Kisha Petticolis said.
Martin focused on constructing new schools, strengthening vocational education and supporting alternative schools, she said.
Although Bell will be joining a predominantly Republican legislature, his term may be complicated because he will be working with a Democratic governor.
Like Governor-elect Warner, Bell is a newcomer to elected office.
"We're [both] going to start with a clean slate. I'd rather have Earley as governor, but I will work with [Warner] to move reforms forward," Bell said.
Albemarle County dominates the 58th House District. The district also includes voters from Fluvanna, Greene and Orange counties.
Republican Paul Harris represented the 58th district until he accepted President Bush's appointment to a position at the U.S. Department of Justice.
Senior writers Josh Goodman and Ben Sellers contributed to this article.
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