ASL Charter Class Alum Jeff Campbell to Seek House Seat

Reported by tricities.com:

http://www.tricities.com/swvatoday/news/smyth_county/article_54d2a394-90e5-11e2-9775-001a4bcf6878.html

Former Saltville mayor and councilman, Jeff Campbell, 46, is seeking the Republican nomination for the 6th District seat in the Virginia House of Delegates in the June 11 Republican primary election.
Campbell filed the necessary declaration of candidacy and voter petitions on Tuesday, March 12, becoming the first candidate to qualify candidacy with the filing.

Campbell is a lifelong resident of Smyth County and an attorney whose office is located in Marion. He has been active in public service for more than 20 years either in an elected or appointed capacity.
Campbell was elected to Saltville Town Council in 1998 and elected mayor in 2004, serving until 2010. The biggest issue during his service with the town, he said, was – and still is – the economy.
“Saltville was in a state of economic decline, and still is, but it has improved to some extent,” Campbell said. People were driving elsewhere to work and shop and the town council worked to try and re-establish the local economy, he said, hiring an economic developer just for Saltville which helped fill five empty buildings and create jobs by the time he left office. “The tide had turned,” he said, with businesses coming in and storefronts opening up in the downtown area.

Campbell ran an unsuccessful campaign against longtime Commonwealth’s Attorney Roy Evans in 2011 with a platform of change.

“I felt there needed to be some changes in the office in choice and use of plea bargains,” Campbell said, saying that people went to the polls and voted and a majority obviously didn’t agree with him.
If elected to the Virginia House of Delegates, Campbell promises an active and accessible constituency office with a primary focus on economic development, educational opportunity and public safety.

Working on jobs for people of the 6th District – and particularly Smyth County - will be his primary focus, he said.

“I can think of no other governmental function that so positively affects a community and its people than the location or relocation of a new industry, within its borders, bringing with it job opportunities and economic prospects that promote the public welfare and create a better way of life for the residents,” he said. “Our government must make this the number one priority for the citizens of the 6th District, and I pledge to work tirelessly in Richmond to bring the good paying jobs in the Commonwealth back home.”

In addition to 12 years of elected service in Saltville, Campbell has actively served the community on the Saltville Industrial Development Authority and was a founding board member of the Smyth County Tourism Association. He has been a past Rotarian and member of Ruritan, and has been actively involved in Little League and youth recreation as a coach and organizer.

Campbell served for eight years in the United States Army Reserve. He is a 1992 graduate of Emory & Henry College and member of the charter class of the Appalachian School of Law.

Campbell and his wife of 23 years, Carie, reside at 705 1st Avenue, Saltville, with their four children