News Article

Bolling Plans Three Day Tour of Southwest Virginia

Thursday, April 27, 2006
Steven Igo
Kingsport Times-News

Virginia Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling on Wednesday announced a three-day, 10-county tour of Southwest Virginia next week, including visits to Wise and Scott counties.

Bolling''s itinerary includes a tour of the University of Virginia''s College at Wise beginning at 3:30 p.m. Monday and hosting a dinner at 5 p.m. at Mosby''s Restaurant in Wise.

On Tuesday, the lieutenant governor will launch the second day of his regional tour at 10:30 a.m. at Gate City High School, where he will address education issues before students, faculty and staff.

Bolling''s swing through Southwest Virginia begins Monday in Richlands with stops in Grundy and Clintwood before arriving in Wise County. Following his visit to Gate City High School on Tuesday, the lieutenant governor will host a luncheon for area Republicans at the Mustard Seed Cafe in Gate City. On Tuesday evening, he will be the featured guest of the Penn Stuart Coal Forum reception at the Martha Washington Inn in Abingdon.

The lieutenant governor is the keynote speaker at the Penn Stuart Coal Forum luncheon on Wednesday, then will travel to Marion and Wytheville.

Bolling has roots in Southwest Virginia. Born in Princeton, W.Va., his father worked as a coal miner in Virginia''s coalfields. The future lieutenant governor spent his elementary school years in Haysi and Cedar Bluff before his family moved to Whitesville, W.Va. He is the first person in his family to go to college, graduating from Morris Harvey College in Charleston, W.Va. - now the University of Charleston - in 1979. While attending Morris Harvey, Bolling met his wife, the former Jean Ann Kincaid, and in 1981 the couple moved to Mechanicsville in Hanover County.

In 1991, Bolling was elected to his first political office as a member of the Hanover County Board of Supervisors and in 1995 was elected to the state Senate over a 20-year Democratic incumbent.

While in the Senate he served as chair of the Joint Republican Caucus and the Virginia Republican Senatorial Committee. He also served as chair of the Senate subcommittee on health care, the Joint Commission on Health Care, the Commission on the Future of Virginia''s Environment, and the Chesapeake Bay Commission.

Bolling was elected last year as Virginia''s 40th lieutenant governor, the only Republican on the party slate to win a statewide post.

For additional information contact Randy Marcus at 804-786-2078 or 804-814-7117 (cell) or randy.marcus@governor.virginia.gov.