Bacon's Rebellion

Conservation tax credits are back in the news. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine says that legislators should not “grievously wound” Virginia’s land conservation program as the price for repealing the inheritance tax on the estates of multimillionaires.

Kaine supports the repeal of the Death Tax, but he also sees conservation tax credits as essential to his goal of preserving an additional 400,000 acres of open space from development by the end of his term. However, estimating that the death tax would drain some $100 million a year from state revenues, the General Assembly imposed a $50 million cap on the amount of conservation tax credits that could be granted in any one year. As the popularity of the program increased in recent years, lawmakers in the state Senate worried that it would create an open-ended loss state revenue.

Here’s the rub: The Death Tax/Tax Credit trade-off was a critical compromise that enabled the Senate and House of Delegates to come to a budget deal only days before the start of a new fiscal year. There just isn’t time to re-open the issue.

Oh, well, maybe next year.

Bob Lewis with the Associated Press has the story here.

Sean Connaughton, chairman of the Prince William County board of supervisors and a rising light in the state Republican Party, has been nominated by the Bush administration to run the U.S. Maritime administration — a position that he is almost certain to accept. Although Connaughton lost the GOP nomination for lieutenant governor last year, he has established a track record as one of the most effective local government leaders in Virginia. As the Washington Post recapitulates:

When he became a supervisor, the county had 280,000 people, an annual budget of about $400 million and one of the highest tax rates in the region.

He leaves an increasingly diverse county of about 364,000 people, a budget of $857 million and Northern Virginia’s lowest tax rate, which he and his board colleagues accomplished by cutting the tax rate as property values soared. The county also earned a AAA bond rating during Connaughton’s tenure, a gold star for local governments.

Developers are now paying more in proffers, voluntary funds used to offset the costs of schools, roads and other public services. Rather than wait for state transportation money to trickle down, the county used its money to build hundreds of miles of roads. And Prince William recently became one of a handful of municipalities in the state to propose creating a transportation department.

Frankly, I don’t know Prince William County well enough to judge Connaughton’s accomplishments. Prince William County stood in the path of growth, and there was no way that anyone could have tamed it. One can’t help but admire Connaughton for taking a proactive approach, raising local money for roads rather than whining that the state wasn’t doing enough. But is the county using those funds wisely? Is it coordinating its transportation projects with its zoning policies to create more balanced, better connected communities? Or is the county just playing catch-up with developers who convert vast tracts of farm- and woodland into a dysfunctional mess?

The abominable development taking place around the Gainesville interchange does not bode well for Connaughton’s legacy, although responsibility for that disaster cannot be fairly ascribed to any one individual. Tax rates in Prince William are low, that is clearly a bonus. But how well does the county work? Does it have a sense of community, a sense of place? Does it inspire loyalty — “I live in Prince William, and I love it!” — or is it a collection of stepping-stone subdivisions where people reside until they find somewhere else they like better?

Readers, please weigh in.

University of Virginia engineering professor Peter Norton has documented a century-long conflict between motorists and pedestrians for control over city streets.

When the automobile was invented, Norton notes, it was an intruder. States a profile of Norton in the University of Virginia News:

Early in the 20th century, pedestrians claimed the right of way on country roads and city streets, sharing the public space with children at play, domestic animals, carts, vendors, carriages and streetcars. … There was a clash of cultures, particularly in the cities, between residents who used the streets as an extension of their homes, chatting with neighbors and watching their children at play, and drivers of the newfangled vehicles who wanted to travel quickly from one place to another.

Eventually, motorists gained the upper hand in the battle for right of way. By 1930, the pejorative term “jaywalker” was routinely applied to pedestrians engaging in once-uncontroversial practices. “By then most people agreed (readily or grudgingly) that streets are chiefly motor thoroughfares,” Norton wrote in “Street Rivals: Jaywalking and the Invention of the Motor Age Street.”

But the clash continues. Norton sees modern-day activists carrying on the fight by advocating bike paths and bike lanes, traffic-calming measures in residential areas, and pedestrian malls, which ban cars and reclaim the street as public space for strolling, street performers, sidewalk cafes and vendors selling their wares from carts.

“People who live OR (emphasis added) work in Northern Virginia would pay steep new fees and higher taxes under a $578 million transportation plan being circulated by six Republican delegates from the region.” The opening sentence in a story headed “GOP Plan Would Raise N.Va. Taxes for Area Roads” WaPo for 27 June 2006. Metro section page 1.

“People who live and work in the Virginia portion of the National Capital Subregion would pay less in taxes and variable fees based their level of travel demand if they lived in Balanced Communities and the Washington-Baltimore New Urban Region evolved into a sustainable NUR.”

We start with a title that reflects the fact, documented by the recent and continuing rainfall, that for 60 years VDOT and the municipal jurisdictions have been building infrastructure that is deficient.

Instead of building first class infrastructure our governments have been expanding asphalt that enable the scatteration of urban land uses to dysfunctional locations.

Just Sunday “Parade Magazine” (of all places) had a cover story on what to expect from climate change. It looks like evidence arrived with the Sunday paper.

Citizens need to insist that the governance structure builds infrastructure to more than just 100 year flood standards but first we have to up grade what a 100 year storm really is.

One wonders if the hundred-year-old elm falling on the White House lawn will bring in to perspective the relationship between partisan politics and reality.

Next we rewrite that fist sentence of this important “transportation” story. Enough said on that.

Readers of our columns at Bacons Rebellions at db4.dev.baconsrebellion.com are invited to see how many errors there are in the original opening sentence.

Here are some clues:

Will more money improve mobility? See yesterdays column “The Free Ride is Over.”

Is this a “transportation plan”? See “Regional Rigor Mortis,” 6 June 2005.

Where is this place called “Northern Virginia’? See “Where is Northern Virginia,” 11 August 2003.

There are several more.

Note that these “GOP” taxes and fees hit enterprises hardest.

Will MainStream Media or pandering politicians ever catch the boat?

EMR

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine promised to link transportation and land use planning, and so he will, thanks to passage of Senate Bill 699. The legislation, which goes into effect in July 2007, will require rezoning projects in fast-growth counties to be subjected to review by the Virginia Department of Transportation for their traffic impact.

The law is essentially toothless — there are no sanctions for local governments that spurn VDOT’s advice — but the Kaine administration hopes that it will force local governments to at least consider the traffic impact of their rezoning decisions.

The law doesn’t go into effect for another year because VDOT needs time to write the regulations. But that won’t stop the Kaine administration from initiating a “pilot project” in Loudoun County, where the board of supervisors will make decisions this summer on a number of massive development proposals that could shape the county for decades to come.

Road to Ruin writer Peter Galuszka has the skinny here.

For my current contribution to the Bacon’s Rebellion e-zine, I interviewed Patrick Gottschalk, Tim Kaine’s secretary for commerce and trade. Kaine campaigned for governor promising continuity with the Warner administration, and that’s clearly what we’re getting. But there are some new wrinkles.

First, the Kaine administration is tackling a problem that confounded both the Gilmore and Warner administrations: streamlining Virginia’s redundant and tangled workforce training programs. Kaine has appointed Daniel LeBlanc as a senior advisor with cabinet-level status in charge of workforce development. (After all the hoo-ha regarding LeBlanc’s rejection by conservatives in the House of Delegates as Secretary of Commonwealth, did the MSM ever report this? If so, the story was buried.)

Second, following up on legislation enacted this year, the Kaine administration will be conducting a 10-year comprehensive energy plan to address off-shore drilling for natural gas, as well as alternate and renewable energy sources such as solar energy, biofuels and tidally generated power. Read the full story here.

Doug Koelemay, a regular contributor to the Bacon’s Rebellion e-zine, devotes his current column to an important topic totally overlooked by the Mainstream Media: how Virginia universities treat intellectual property.

Since the time of Gov. Charles Robb in the early 1980s, Virginia’s political leaders have taken a holistic approach to economic development, recognizing the potential for state universities to conduct research and development that could be commercialized locally and provide the basis for new, knowledge-based industries. That insight led to the creation of the Center for Innovative Technology and has justified significant state support for the expansion of engineering, life sciences and other research-intensive programs at public universities.

The fly in the ointment is tech transfer. It’s one thing for state universities to conduct R&D, quite another for the intellectual property to make its way into the local business community for conversion into new businesses and jobs. Although there have been some modest success stories, university research has not had the transforming effect upon Virginia’s economy that some had hoped.

As Koelemay tells the story, a key barrier has been the uniform, top-down state policy dictating intellectual property policies for all state universities. In a 180-degree turn, the state is moving toward a system in which universities can devise policies that work best for them. Read Doug’s story here.

I have given insufficient visibility to a regular feature that Conaway Haskins is penning for the Bacon’s Rebellion e-zine, a regular column entitled, “Blogology.” Each edition, Conaway compiles a Q&A with a Virginia blogger covering state/local politics. In previous editions, he has profiled Waldo Jaquith, Will Vehrs and Kenton Ngo.

You might have seen these features if you had the patience to read the Bacon’s Rebellion e-zine table of contents I publish on the blog each issue. But that’s clearly insufficient. Committed to building the Virginia blogosphere, Bacon’s Rebellion needs to do more to highlight the contributions of other Virginia bloggers. From this edition henceforward, we will promote the “Blogology” Q&As in separate posts.

Conaway’s current Q&A shines the spotlight on blogger/activist Lowell Feld, founder of the Raising Kaine blog. Not only is Feld a tireless and talented blogger, he combines his writing with political activism and a political action committee. As a key player in the Jim Webb senatorial campaign, he arguably has had more impact on Virginia politics than any other blogger to date. Read the Q&A here.

The June 26, 2006, edition of Bacon’s Rebellion is now available online. Articles and columns include:

Gottschalk Got Game
Virginia’s new secretary of commerce and trade is eager to help Tim Kaine put his own imprint on Virginia’s economic development policy. Likely starting points: energy and workforce development.
by James A. Bacon

Ip, Ip Hooray!
Virginia is conducting a 180-degree turn in its approach toward intellectual property originating at state universities. Lighter central control could stimulate more commercialization of R&D.
by Doug Koelemay

A New Political Laboratory
The days are gone when Virginia politics were of local interest only. Campaign themes and strategies in the Old Dominion are increasingly visible on the national stage.
by Patrick McSweeney

It’s Never Enough
Even the next two-year budget, at $74 billion, isn’t big enough to satisfy some legislators. Spending discipline isn’t likely to be restored as long as Republicans are divided.
by Patrick McSweeney

The Free Ride is Over
The General Assembly paid lip service this year to the transportation-land use connection but it didn’t come close to Fundamental Change. Until it does, Virginia’s mobility crisis will only get worse.
by E M Risse

Envision This!
What the “Washington region” needs is not another visioning session — it needs a rational definition of the region, an understanding of the nature of its problems and the political will to enact real change.
by E M Risse

Failure is OK – When It’s Cheap
Virginia’s transportation system is a mess. But with state spending hitting $74 billion, up 20 percent, in the next two-year budget, Virginia government can hardly be described as cheap.
by Geoffrey Segal

Dumb as Rocks
If the “fiscal conservatives” in the House of Delegates think they held the line against spending in the state’s new $74 billion budget, John Chichester’s epithet may well be justified.
by Phillip Rodokanakis

Why Not Webb?
Senatorial candidate Jim Webb exerts a strong, gut appeal for many Republican constituencies. He could give Sen. George Allen a good run for his money.
by James Atticus Bowden

Want Students to Learn?
Try Enforcing Truancy Laws.
The city of Richmond has among the worst attendance records of any Virginia school system — and is doing very little about it.
by John Butcher

Nice & Curious Questions
Behind Bars: Virginia’s Jails and Prisons
by Edwin S. Clay III and Patricia Bangs

Blogology
Caught in the Webb: Lowell Feld
by Conaway Haskins

The premise of Christina Nuckols’ story in the Virginian-Pilot this morning is that “[Gov. Timothy M.] Kaine’s freshman year has gotten off to a difficult start.” Few would disagree. The question is why. For Nuckols, Kaine’s problems are mainly about personal style and legislative tactics.

Kaine has only begun to seek out allies and nurture relationships in the Republican-controlled legislature. Legislators say Kaine’s leadership style bears little resemblance to that of his predecessor, fellow Democrat Mark Warner. … Some Republicans said the governor has failed to reach out to them and has alienated them with a blitz of campaign-style automated calls. …

Although Kaine aligned himself with state senators, who shared his desire to increase investment in transportation, they clashed over strategy at times. Senators, who included a gasoline tax increase in their own plan, resented Kaine’s public statements that a fuel levy was politically unwise.

Those observations are all true — yet they miss the point. Kaine and the Senate leadership share a very different vision for Virginia government than that of the House leadership. No amount of schmoozing on Kaine’s part could have papered that over. The fact was, Kaine was heading for a show-down with the House the day he announced his taxes-for-transportation plan, and he put himself at a severe disadvantage from the very beginning because it was a plan he’d never mentioned in his campaign and he could not by any remote stretch claim a mandate for it.

If Kaine continues pushing the taxes-for-transportation plan in the upcoming special session of the General Assembly, no amount of kissy-face is going to sway the GOP delegates. Kaine would be best advised to seek areas of common ground with the House — reforming VDOT, promoting public-private partnerships, reforming land use — declare victory and start preparing for the inevitable confrontation next year over his universal pre-K plan.

As if the Rail-to-Dulles project didn’t have enough hurdles already, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s inspector general is launching an audit of the project, which is projected to cost $4 billion or more. Reports the Washington Post:

In a letter sent last week to the Federal Transit Administration, the inspector general’s office said such a “major project monitoring effort” was needed in this case because of the large amount of federal money expected to be spent on it: roughly $900 million.

Also justifying extra scrutiny, the letter stated, was Virginia’s transferal of control of the project to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. Because the authority leases its airports from the federal government, the letter states, the authority’s role in the rail project gives further reason for the federal government to have a “vested interest in ensuring that the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project is completed efficiently and effectively.”

The project, a top priority of the Kaine administration, has stalled while a task force recommends whether or not to include a tunnel underneath portions of Tysons Corner. The addition of a tunnel would add to the project’s expense, threatening to render it cost ineffective according to federal guidelines, which would threaten the loss of federal funds. But many Fairfax County officials deem the tunnel crucial for long-term plans to re-engineer Tysons into a more cohesive, pedestrian-friendly community.

In today’s WaPo Page A 3: “Social Isolation Growing in U.S., Study Says: Researcher Cite Drop in the Average Number of Confidants as an Indicator.” The story reports on the General Social Survey funded by the National Science Foundation being published today. The conclusions receive “I-told-you-so’s” from the likes of Robert Putnam (“Bowling Alone”) and others.

With those billions of cell phone calls occupying what seem to be everyone’s ear and attention how can there be growing isolation? Is this another failure of IT to overcome the impact of dysfunctional human settlement patterns?

Dysfunctional (disaggregated, scattered, unconnected) human settlement patterns (sometimes called “urban sprawl”) cause social isolation? Who would have thought it?

Anyone who has been reading Bacons Rebellion. For details see the social chapters of “The Shape of the Future.” (Chapters 8 and 9.)

EMR

Hampton Roads Transit has invested $8 million in equipping its buses with Global Positioning System locators, upgrading bus communications and installing signs at some bus stops to tell passengers when the next bus is due. Reports the Virginian-Pilot: “Through GPS, Hampton Roads Transit will know the location of all 250 buses at all times. HRT says it will allow the agency to reduce delays and tell customers at stops just how long they have to wait.”

People hating waiting for late buses, not knowing when they’ll arrive, not knowing if they’ll be late to their destination. In theory, predictability is key to inducing people to rely upon mass transit for transportation. It will be interesting to track what effect these investments have on ridership.

The Virginia Department of Transportation is ceding responsibility for maintaining roads in the City of Suffolk — and turning over $4 million a quarter to pay for it.

I cannot comment upon the significance of this development, as the Virginian-Pilot article describes the turn-over without explaining why it is happening. But the shift does seem to be consistent with a devolution of responsibility for local roads from VDOT to local governments that is taking place in other localities across the Commonwealth. The key points in the agreement, according to the Pilot:

– The city will begin handling all permitting and licensing procedures that were previously handled by VDOT, such a reviewing subdivision street plans and overweight-hauling approvals.

– The city will handle all grass, ditch and stormwater issues. The city has contracted with a private company to handle mowing along all the city’s primary roadways, beginning July 1.

– VDOT will allocate urban-construction funds to the city based on population. That agency will continue to oversee all new construction, although the city can request to handle special projects, Nielsen said.

– VDOT will retain all ownership for the portions of Interstate 664 and Route 164 in Suffolk. Also, the truck scales on U.S. 58 will remain state property.

This chart, prepared by reader/blogger Jim Patrick, breaks down high school graduation rates in Virginia by demographic category, making several points more forcefully than I managed to do in my recent post, “Grievance Mongers Strike Again.”

The good news: Virginia seems to be doing something right — H.S. graduation rates are higher across the board in Virginia than they are nationally. (Hopefully, the difference reflects reality, not just different definitions of “drop out” or different methodologies for calculating the rate.)

Especially encouraging is the fact that blacks in Virginia are graduating at a significantly higher rate than elsewhere in the country. Much work remains to be done, of course. The key is figuring out what needs to be done. Is throwing more money at schools the answer? I’m skeptical.

The bad news: Take note of the disparity in graduation rates between males and females, which exists among both blacks and whites. It is tempting to accuse Virginia’s school systems of bias and discrimination, of favoring girls over boys. Such a ploy would turn the Conventional Wisdom of the grievance lobbies and the Mainstream Media — the notion that American institutions systematically discriminate against girls and women — on its head. It’s tempting, but I won’t take the cheap shot.

The numbers do, in fact, reveal a problem, although it’s not clear whether the problem resides in the schools or in the way we raise little boys. Perhaps it’s both. One possible explanation has gotten insufficient attention: The epidemic of Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder among boys. The problem barely existed 50 years ago, which suggests that the epidemic is a cultural phenomenon. But that’s a topic for another post.