"Steve Koleszar, a 10-year veteran of the Albemarle County School Board, faulted the House of Delegates on Monday for failing to fully fund the state’s share of the cost of public schools.

“The state has never fully funded education,” the accountant said before accepting the unanimous nomination of Democrats at a caucus meeting where Koleszar, 58, won the Democratic Party nomination to challenge Del. Rob Bell, R-Albemarle, in the 58th House of Delegates District.

By falling short of full state education funding, Virginia worsens disparities between rich counties and other localities and places too much reliance on rising real estate assessments and taxes, he said.

He called Bell “one of the most polished, professional politicians I have ever seen. He does everything right that a politician should do - but his record in Richmond is terrible.”

The Democrat said the GOP delegate is part of the conservative wing of his party that “rejects moderation.”

“The only values I see coming out of Rob Bell are lower taxes and longer prison terms,” Koleszar said.

Bell responded Monday night that his voting record reflects his district and said he is “in the middle of the Republican Party. I think I’m in the mainstream of the Republicans down in Richmond.”

As for Koleszar, Bell said, “I think he is someone that I should take very credibly. He’s been elected before. We will probably see a lot of each other in the coming months.”

About 20 Democrats from Albemarle, Greene, Fluvanna and the Barboursville area of Orange met for 10 minutes at the Albemarle County Office Building and nominated Koleszar as a party-building candidate who faces a steep uphill climb in his bid to unseat Bell.

Sallie Kate Park of Fluvanna spoke for Koleszar’s nomination, calling him a School Board member with impressive qualifications and someone committed to “work for a government that helps, not hinders, our lives without being unnecessarily intrusive.”

“One of Steve’s favorite sayings is: ‘Government shouldn’t be in our gun cabinets, nor in our bedroom,’” Park said.

Greene County Democratic Party Chairman Roy Dye nominated Koleszar as a Democrat “committed to improving our public schools, expanding our transportation infrastructure and investing in community development.”

Koleszar said he plans to go door-to-door through the district, waging a low-budget grassroots campaign with party-building volunteers." (Bob Gibson, The Daily Progress, May 24, 2005)

Contact Bob Gibson at (434) 978-7243 or bgibson@dailyprogress.com.