Bob Marshall Unfazed By ‘Clownie’ Title

Longtime Virginia Del. Bob Marshall said he is running again for his position in November as a likely opponent emerges, Donna Sellinger of Gainesville.

“Anybody who wants to can run,” said Marshall, a conservative Republican who represents the 13th District which includes Manassas Park and parts of Prince William County.

He was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1991 and began serving his current area after redistricting in 2010.

Sellinger, a former teacher and retired active duty Army Reservist, announced on her website Wednesday that she would run for the seat as a Democrat.

In a Thursday interview, Sellinger said she plans to officially file with the Virginia State Board of Elections this week.

Marshall said he doesn’t know Selllinger and that she isn’t the first female opponent he's had.

 “I ran against a lady who lived in Woodbridge, back when my district covered that area … in 1999,” he said. “She wouldn’t be the first woman I’ve run against.”

For the past two legislative sessions, Marshall has submitted bills that would allow for Virginia to print its own currency in case the U.S. Federal Reserve currency system should fail. 

The bill passed the House of Delegates in February, but failed in the Virginia Senate days later.

It is the third time the General Assembly has rejected the idea, the Associated Press reports.

The blog, Bacon's Rebellion criticized Marshall's idea for Virginia currency, calling him a contender for,"Clown of the Year."

The blog created a set of awards called, "The Clownies" as an answer to the Oscars, but the contenders are all of the Virginia General Assembly.

" ... as long as there is a Bob Marshall there will be a clownish legislation award," according to the blog.

When asked about being called a clown, Marshall answered, "Who authorized him to name call and pass judgements on people?"

As far as his next term is concerned, Marshall said he would work on transportation.

He recently heard about a plan for a roadway that would take some of the traffic off Route 28, the roadway that runs straight through Manassas Park.

Rush hour congestion on Route 28 has long been a concern for Manassas Park residents.

The plan would run from Godwin Drive in Manassas through the Flat Branch community to Compton Drive in Fairfax County, but not north of Interstate 66, he said.

He is in support of a roadway that would limit the use of taxpayers’ dollars and get the most out of the taxes that are used, he said.

The roadway would be a toll road, wouldn’t involve tearing down anybody’s houses or condemning any personal property, Marshall said.

He doesn’t support the current Virginia Department of Transportation proposed alignment for a parkway between Prince William and Loudoun counties, which calls for the purchase of right-of way off Pageland Lane in Gainesville, near the Manassas Battlefield.

Expected to cost some $480 million, the parkway is meant to connect Dulles Airport to Interstate 95.