|
|||||||||||||
Printer-Friendly
Email this Story
Post a Comment (0)
McDonnell, Deeds square off in rematch
If there’s one thing Virginia’s gubernatorial candidates can agree on, it’s that jobs and transportation are the top issues facing the commonwealth’s next governor.
In a rematch of the 2005 attorney general race, Bob McDonnell (R) and R. Creigh Deeds (D) both know Virginia’s transportation woes need to be addressed immediately and that the state needs to grow more jobs to reduce unemployment rates.
The difference between the two is how they plan to accomplish these tasks.
For McDonnell, the issues go hand in hand.
“If we don’t improve our transit networks, we’re not going to be able to keep our reputation as the most business-friendly state,” he said.
McDonnell wants to install rail from Northern Virginia to Richmond to the Hampton Roads area. He also plans to reduce the time it takes to complete road projects and improve traffic flow on existing roads by doing things like synchronizing the stop lights on Route 7 and posting a 70 mph speed limit on certain highways.
To accomplish this, he plans to look for federal funding for rail, expedite the issuance of $3 billion in bonds the General Assembly authorized in 2007, and look for other forms of funding like selling Virginia’s Alcohol and Beverage Control stores to the private sector, tolling the North Carolina border and using surpluses in the state’s general fund.
While Deeds proposes looking at a multimodal approach to unlock Virginia’s transportation gridlock, he also sees the need for repairing the state’s existing infrastructure, including expanding the traffic capacity of water crossings in the Hampton Roads area.
Deeds’ transportation plan complements his jobs plan in the need to promote telecommuting. He would like to see broadband all across the commonwealth.
A key part of his transportation plan would be building a bipartisan commission of private sector leaders and transportation experts to find funding for transportation improvements.
This idea was first put into effect by Gov. Gerald Baliles (D) in 1986.
“This is the approach that’s worked, and that’s why I’m going forward with it,” Deeds said.
Where Deeds and McDonnell disagree on funding is the idea of using money from the general fund to support transportation.
Deeds says that doing this would pit transportation funding against education funding, two things that should never be in competition.
“[McDonnell] wants to pretend you can rob Peter to pay Paul,” Deeds said.
Deeds does not support the idea of selling Virginia’s ABC stores either, stating that McDonnell’s claim that the sale could bring the state $500 million immediately is unfounded.
With respect to jobs, Deeds notes that different strategies need to be implemented in different parts of the state since the businesses suburban areas like Northern Virginia will attract are different than those the rural areas of Virginia will attract.
The key, Deeds says, is promoting small businesses, specifically minority-owned and women-owned businesses that are showing a lot of promise right now.
He plans to provide a tax credit for every new job created in the commonwealth.
Deeds touts his experience of writing the bill for the Governor's Opportunity Fund, which provides cash grants to companies in the state that create jobs, as proof that he will be a business-friendly governor.
Deeds wants to be Virginia's chief economic developer, something he says McDonnell would hand off to the lieutenant governor.
“With me, the buck will stop in my office,” Deeds said.
McDonnell agrees that encouraging small business development is something the next governor will need to focus on.
He also said that a key is making it easier for people “to get in business and stay in business.”
The governor of Virginia, McDonnell said, needs to do a better job of promoting the state to attract businesses, specifically Fortune 500 companies and those in the tech sector.
He added that a better job needs to be done in promoting the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops Island, a facility he said could be the best spaceport in the country.
McDonnell credits his wide range of experience as a reason he would be an effective governor. He served in the military and as a businessman before becoming an attorney and getting involved in politics.
He said the military taught him to focus on the mission and get it done, while being in business taught him the importance of a bottom line and taking care of your people.
Deeds credits his track record in the General Assembly as proof that he has the experience to lead the state as governor.
“I put everything I've got into everything I do,” Deeds said.
Currently, McDonnell leads Deeds in the polls by about nine points, something Deeds doesn't put too much stock in after coming from behind to win the Democratic nomination.
“If I had been within nine points at this time [during the primary], I would have been in better shape,” Deeds said.
McDonnell, on the other hand, said he will continue to campaign like he's 10 points behind until the Nov. 3 election.
Contact the reporter at jwagoner@timespapers.com
You must be logged in to post a comment.