During the past election campaign, Tim Kaine came to a gradual awareness that the 2-3 most critical problems facing the state would probably absorb 80% of work time for the incoming governor. So, once elected, Kaine took a proactive stance, focusing his transition process on the two priority issues for Virginia: education and transportation. In the case of transportation, no coordinated effort had been made to comprehensively address concerns for more than 20 years, ever since the administration of Jerry Baliles. Now circumstances dictate taking action.
Kaine opened the session today in Fredericksburg with a discussion of his own personal perspective on transportation. He indicated that participating in these regional transportation forums is making him aware of just how much transporation concerns vary area by area. Local priorities throughout the state are disparate, ranging from concerns over congestion to issues of inaccessibility and community anxiety over the public safety dimensions of transportation.
Kaine indicated that his own experience, as a former mayor, gives a pragmatic background on concerns. He has worked hands-on managing the prorities of different transportation modes. A mayor, he provided final accountability on balancing rail, transit, roads, and even aviation. All of this, he has learned, derives from three priorities:
Urgency: solutions are needed now, not at some vague point in the future,
Accountability: promises made have to be kept?and on time, and
Choices: development has to be spread throughout all available modes, including roads, rail, transit, air, freight and rail.
He also emphasized the importance of actually using transportation funds as intended--for transportation.
At the end of these remarks, Kaine let Fredericksburg mayor Tom Tomzak speak to the group on local concerns. Tomzak opened by saying ?Governor-elect, we don?t have a transportation problem. We have a transportation crisis.? Tomzak then went on to describe the difficulty that the area?s explosive growth is putting on the government?s ability to grow, develop, and meet safety needs. He summed up by thanking Kaine for making the effort to understand local problems and indicated efforts to empower local communities are laudable. Tomzak summed up with a request that Kaine ?please hurry.?
At this point, Kaine turned things over to the audience, selecting random participants for comments and observations. Every variety of comment was raised, with many making reference to the promise of Kaine?s land use management policy. One resident of Stafford explained, ?if merely building roads would solve our problem, then Northern Virginia would be the best transportation place in the state, since we already have so many roads.?
Rail and transit came up as one point of consideration, however, Kaine did warn advocates that Congressional resolution of the role and authority of Amtrak may end up dictating a significant amount about what can and cannot be done in this area.
Other suggestions including initiating flexible scheduling and compressed work weeks among state employees to reduce road use. Several questions involved the state transportation funding formula, which, as Kaine explained, provides a very complicated formula for dividing funding to three interrelated usage ratios.
Several speakers also challenged the development of the area, some speaking of the interests of long-term residents whose income and interests do not match that of the newcomers. The mother of one disabled child emphasized that any plan must include consideration for accessibility. There was mention of the impact of expected new residents, coming soon to the area due to the base realignment process. Local government representatives expressed concern that the plan bring localities tools for change and lauded Kaine?s concern for land use. Other speakers called for greater road development with the creation of an outer connector highway.
After concluding the open forum, Kaine spent another twenty minutes meeting informally with participants, before departing to lead another forum in Leesburg.
When asked towards the end of the session about how he expected to really accomplish anything meaningful in the next Legislative session, Kaine pointed to the respectful participation of so many citizens and politicians of varied political perspectives in this forum. Quoting John F. Kennedy, he emphasized, ?the perfect is the enemy of the good"--that the ultimate dilemma is that no perfect solution exists. He indicated that the eventual approach for transportation will involve compromise from all quarters. Ultimately, however, the current debate will establish a mandate for some kind of real solution that can pass the Legislature and improve the overall transportation climate.
Forum dates will continue through the end of the month, most will be announced later through Kaine's governor-elect website. The incoming administration also welcomes citizens to email comments and input to transportation@govelect.virginia.gov.
Excellent post...a great read.
When pus(Josh - 4/4/2006 11:28:16 PM)
When push comes to shove, I don’t want Republicans as my elected officials, but I would never want to lose them as my neighbors.
This is probably the best political statement I've read in years. Thank you for this excellent post, Mary.
The Jerry Dubya's team better stock up on depends.
Kilgore's false-attack-ridden performance was pathetic. He was incoherent, babbling, off-question, evasive, and deceitful.
But I would like to just ask: Why is it so hard for these guys to spit the words out? Why do the words "Kaine won" not come out of their supposedly objective mouths? "A bit more articulate" and "probably came out stronger"?????? Give me a break. As the headline on this blog stated: It was a grand slam.
LMAO!! A glowing endorsement from the editors of the south's finest left-wing college rag? THAT'S your grand slam? Bwwaaaahhhaaaaaa!!
Whatever makes you feel better. :-)
Simple. Because Kaine didn't win. People in love with that eyebrow are the only ones who don't know it.
By the way, what is an "ad hominum"?
For his own good, we can only hope Mr. Kilgore recognizes this someday soon--at least before his creditors do!
The whole intent is to "starve the beast" so it can, as Grover Norquist wants, "be drown in a bathtub." A mixed metaphor (which I know something about 'cause I'm guilty of mixing them) to be sure. So, it's worse than incompetent. It's by design. But not of the "intelligent" variety.