Hampton Roads' newest member of Congress, U.S. Rep. Scott Rigell, was sworn in today (Wednesday) as part of the 112th Congress. He's part of the new Republican majority that has taken over leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives and vowed to move quickly to consider legislation that would repeal the health care overhaul law passed last year.
Rigell, 50, defeated Democratic incumbent Glenn Nye in the 2nd Congressional District election in November. The district covers Virginia Beach and parts of Norfolk and Hampton.
Rigell, who has never held elected office before this year, campaigned promising to cut spending and government regulations and to focus on job creation.
He acknowledged that one of the things he has to figure out is how to exert influence. “I do not intend to hunker down in my office and hope I don’t say something stupid," he said. "I want to swing the bat.”Three veteran Hampton Roads congressmen also began new two-year terms, with two returning Republicans slated to lead subcommittees of the House Armed Services Committee.
U.S. Rep. Randy Forbes of Chesapeake is to be chairman of the readiness subcommittee, and U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman of Westmoreland County will head the oversight and investigations subcommittee.
U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Newport News, returns for his 10th term in Congress.
Scott Rigell will become the new second district congressman tomorrow. Rigell will be officially sworn in during ceremonies at Capitol Hill.
CHESAPEAKE, Va. - transferredssman-elect Scott Rigell's car dealership in Chesapeake is closing, but hopes that his employees will be able to get jobs elsewhere.Freedom Lincoln Mercury on Military Highway will close sometime between now and the first of the year.
WAVY.com asked Rigell about the closure and how it seemed contradictory to his campaign promise to create jobs.
"It's not a contradiction because this at the Lincoln Mercury store is so far beyond our control," Rigell said.
The biggest reason for the closing is that Ford will no longer make Mercuries after this year.
Despite the store closing, Rigell hopes for no layoffs but couldn't make any promises."We're going to stand with our employees, and do everything to make sure every person who is working for Freedom continues to be gainfully employed," said Rigell.
Rigell's business partner, Freedom Automotive president James Church said 40 of the current 67 employees will be transfered to one of the other two Freedom locations in Hampton Roads.
That leaves 27 employees, who mostly work in Parts and Services.
Church said a Cavalier Ford down the street was anxious to hire those employees.
Cavalier is in talks to buy the Lincoln dealership, which means they would sell Lincoln vehicles from their Greenbrier location.
If Cavalier doesn't hire all of them, Rigell hopes to put them to work someplace else.
"I've reached out to some other dealers and asked, 'would you be open to interviewing them and helping," said Rigell.
Rigell and Church both said the auto body shop at the Lincoln Mercury dealer will remain open. They are hoping to lease the rest of the building.
VIRGINIA BEACH — Republican Scott Rigell rode a wave of conservative voters to knock off freshman Democrat Rep. Glenn Nye, recapturing a Hampton Roads swing district for the GOP, the Associated Press is projecting based on exit polling.Rigell, who owns a chain of car dealerships in Hampton Roads, pushed his business background as the main reason that local voters should send him to Congress, blasting Democratic leaders for deficit spending.
The congressional midterm elections are an important indicator of the nation's political mood, and Republicans were expected to reclaim control of the House of Representatives and perhaps even the U.S. Senate.
Rigell's victory is a boon for the Virginia Republican Party because the district, which includes parts of Hampton and Norfolk and all of Virginia Beach and the Eastern Shore, had been reliably Republican for a number of years prior to 2008.
Nye knocked off incumbent Thelma Drake during the 2008 campaign by eking out narrow victories in Hampton and Norfolk and rolling up a few thousand vote advantage in traditionally conservative Virginia Beach.
This year, there were early reports of heavy voter turnout in downtown Hampton at Armstrong Elementary School, which usually breaks for Democrats on Election Day. But further north in Hampton at Asbury Elementary School in Fox Hill Rigell signs surrounded the precinct where Nye gear was hard to spot.
Approximately 120 people came to Congressional hopeful Scott Rigell's town hall meeting at the marina in Captains Cove on Monday, September 20. At the event, citizens of the Eastern Shore lined up to ask the candidate questions about issues facing the Eastern Shore, the Commonwealth of the Virginia and the nation.
Throughout the course of questions Rigell stated he would like to reverse the stimulus, support 12 year term limits for Senators and Representatives, downsize the Department of Education and give more rights to state and local governments.
Congressional hopeful Scott Rigell will be holding a town hall meeting for Eastern Shore residents to attend and ask questions or express concerns for the 2nd district.
