Rep. Perriello's First 100 Days

The Farmville Herold offers this editorial praise for Rep. Perriello and his hard-charging first 100 days of service. Money quote:

Following his close-call election last fall, we predicted our new member of the House of Representatives, based on his campaign verve, would bring a new level of energy to congress from the Fifth District.

Looking back on the last 100 days, we certainly weren’t going out on much of a limb.

Only six weeks were necessary for Rep. Tom Perriello to see his first bill signed into law. The congressman hit the ground running and he hasn’t slowed down one bit. If anything, our new congressman is running harder than he ran to get elected.

Using an over-drive turn racing metaphor, the editorial concludes:

Tom Perriello is showing the same hunger to do the job after being elected that he did to win election in the first place and is demonstrating his effectiveness in ways even those who voted against him have been quick to applaud. His enthusiasm and commitment have been noted and appreciated even by long-time supporters of Virgil Goode, who have spoken warmly of the new congressman in private conversations with me.

The first hundred days have shown Tom Perriello is more than up to the job of being a good congressman for the people of the Fifth District. Everyone who values the people in our community, rather than a political party, is bound to be hoping his energy and effectiveness on our behalf last as long as he is our congressman.

The betting here is that his energy and effectiveness will surely last at least that long.

Tom Perriello hasn’t stopped running and the crucial point of his relentless activity is that he isn’t running for himself. He’s running for us.

The Farmville Herald joins the Daily Progress, the Martinsville Bulletin, and the Danville Register & Bee in assessing and applauding Rep. Perriello's brief tenure.