Monthly Archives: March 2005

The mini-scandal/kerfluffle/soap opera over at the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries continues. The Richmond Times-Dispatch has the story on page one, above the fold, with another story inside. Last week the Washington Post did a story on employee discontent at the agency and the Virginian-Pilot later picked it up.

What’s remarkable about the story to me is that there’s no comment or reaction from the Governor’s office. I recall other little dust-ups, such as a few at the Department of Social Services, where the Governor’s fingerprints were nowhere to be found. Maybe I’ve just totally bought into left-wing media conspiracy theories, but I remember every problem in state government that made news pages during the Gilmore Administration was laid at the Governor’s feet.

Governor Warner seems to be coated with teflon. Good for him–I think it’s another indication of the good work Press Secretary Ellen Qualls does for him. I’ve praised her in these pages before. A Governor doesn’t control all the stuff that goes on in agencies. He does control appointments, though, and he ought to make it clear that when something goes wrong, his appointees better fix it fast or get out of town.

In this case, it’s indefensible that agency brass go to Zimbabwe on a safari to learn about game management techniques, while two guys making $30,000 each have to patrol five sprawling counties back in the Old Dominion, responding to every McMansion report of a gunshot in the woods.

Barnie, I just read your Roanoke Times column on Russ Potts. I have to wonder if you’re eating corn flakes with Jeff Schapiro!

While I’ll grant that Russ Potts got fawning coverage of his gubernatorial bid announcement and a few follow-up articles, where do you get this assessment of the Winchester Senator?

How is it possible that he’s already toe-to-toe in media coverage, toe-to-toe in the political coin that means the most, in “legitimacy,” with Jerry Kilgore, the GOP’s Six Million Dollar Man?

Here’s a guy who needs 10,000 signatures to get on the ballot and he doesn’t even have one volunteer with a petition on election day in Panny Rhodes’ old Henrico District? Potts lacing up his running shoes? He’s not even in the locker room!

Just as soon as Steve Sisson, the “Blue Dog,” made this provocative comment about political blogging, I learned from a Bob Gibson Daily Progress story that Virginia blogger Waldo Jaquith is considering a run for Mitch Van Yahres’ 57th District seat in Charlottesville:

Former City Council hopeful Waldo Jaquith have been mentioned as potential candidates, Democratic Party officials said.

Jaquith said Wednesday night that “It’s important to me that Charlottesville be represented by a progressive Democrat in the mold of Van Yahres. A number of people have suggested to me that I may be that progressive Democrat – and I’m certainly considering it – but I’m still looking for a candidate.”

I’ve not read Jaquith (a smart, partisan guy) extensively, but I’ve noted some fairly intemperate characterizations from time to time. Right now he’s calling Republican efforts to oust Russ Potts a “lynching.” It will be interesting to see, if he becomes a candidate, whether anyone will try to use some of his blog commentary against him.

From Jacob Weisberg, editor of Slate:

The great cacophony of voices in the blogosphere means that more views are being represented, that more subjects are being examined in detail, and that more sunlight shines into institutions of all kinds. Thousands of bloggers ranting from their soapboxes mean that our political culture encompasses bracing debate about everything people disagree about. If you don’t like this raucous clamor emanating from cyberspace, you’re not really comfortable with democracy.

It’s exciting to be part of the growing Virginia “raucous clamor.”

Paul Anderson submits this post:

I’ve heard plenty of talk on here about George Fitch’s brilliant money cutting schemes for Virginia, but not much analysis of what he’s actually going to cut. I’m impressed with some of his plans (especially the emphasis on subcontracting state services to private contractors, much like Clinton), and not so impressed with others. For example, Fitch has claimed that we can save a boatload of money by cutting expenditures at mental health facilities.

According to a recent Bacon’s Rebellion article:

By way of specifics, Fitch points to the treatment of the mentally ill. The state pays $100,000 a year to treat a mentally ill patient in an institutional setting. By moving patients to local community centers, the state can cut costs down to $30,000 – and improve the quality of care.

$30,000 per patient is way less than $100,000 per patient…sounds good, huh? Here’s the problem: I spoke to a friend who has worked in mental health her whole life, and they found this blanket statement to be a bit misinformed.

It can cost less to house people in community centers, but not much less (the numbers he’s using are patently false).

Also, a great deal of the current residents in state facilities are forensic patients. They require more security. There are not comparable places to house them in the community. Jail is not the place you want them. For mental rehabilitation services, my friend told me that community care costs range from $50,000-$120,000 depending on the need. That is slightly less than institutional care (according to Fitch, $100,000 per patient).

As for other cost cutting measures: Lately, the state has been trying to reduce beds to save money, but now there is uproar all over the state, particularly in northern Virginia that there aren’t enough psych beds. This is largely due to the fact that private hospitals are getting out of the mental health business. They make more on medical or surgical beds.

He also fails to face a political reality. There have been repeated attempts to close state facilities. These attempts are always opposed by local politicians, families who use the facilities, and especially employees, because they are a major employer in communities around the state. It just won’t happen.

The state has a responsibility to provide these sort of mental health services, one way or the other, because as I explained, the private sector doesn’t want to do it. We can move some non-forensic patients into community care centers, and sometimes that saves money, but sometimes it’s just not a good fit for the patient or the surrounding community). But the $30,000 figure that Fitch is using just isn’t realistic.

My main point? When politicians throw out these magical cost cutting numbers, sometimes they haven’t done their homework. You want to cut things? Fine. But it’s going to take tough choices, not easy ones.

Voters in Henrico County narrowly defeated a meals tax by 151 votes in an election yesterday that featured 14% turnout. All bond issues on the ballot for parks and schools passed. It’s difficult to glean much about the mood of voters from those results, except maybe that they couldn’t be bothered by an off-off election day that made no sense.

One Man’s Trash and the The Jaded JD have analyzed the vote. Both use the expression that the voters wanted to “have their cake and eat it, too.” The Jaded JD pursues this line vigorously while Norm at One Man’s Trash thinks the Henrico Board of Supervisors may have been bluffing in warning of large increases in real estate taxes if the meals tax did not pass.

I would have voted against the meals tax were I a Henrico voter, but I have mixed feelings. It’s interesting that one of the only type of retail sales that isn’t in competition with the internet is singled out for extra taxation. You can’t get your Red Lobster Shrimp Feast delivered by UPS from out-of-state.

If anyone has gone to a restaurant lately, you know the places are jam-packed. Granted, on the few occasions when I go out, I’m eating in meal tax-less Chesterfield County. Still–at six o’clock last Saturday the Olive Garden had over a one hour wait. The lobby was packed with people who obviously represented all income groups. I doubt if a few extra bucks on a check for a meals tax would depress those numbers.

But for the worker trying to grab a sandwich for lunch, the price on the menu bears no resemblance to the price rung up on a cash register in a meals tax jurisdiction. I think it’s at the lower end of the prepared food spectrum where the meals tax has a negative impact and is the most unfair.

Does anyone know what’s going on with Reporterette? She hasn’t posted since February 27th–her views from Afton Mountain are missed.

The 4 March post on Kilgore’s words (“Blow Right Over” – Isn’t That…) has become swamped by irrelevancies and non-sequiturs but the importance of discussing these words has not diminished.

Kilgore’s quote comes from an interview with Times Community Newspapers editors and reporters. If one reads the story, Kilgore is saying if elected he would support the “Techway” not one of the other two Potomac crossings that the Road Gang supports. Many of the posts in the last thread addressed these corridors.

The Eastern Bypass in theory relieves congestion on I-95 from South of Fredericksburg to North of Baltimore. VDOT and MDOT studies show a roadway in this location would not meet this goal. Scattered urban land-use would generate traffic in eastern Virginia, southern Maryland and in the DelMarVa Urban Support Region that would swamp the new roadway. As is the case with I-81, moving freight to rail (plus an Auto-Train that would carry cars and RVs from North of the Susquehanna to Florida) would be far more efficient.

The Western Bypass (aka, Western Transportation Corridor) would carry traffic from North of Fredericksburg to I-70 in Maryland. In theory this would serve Washington-Dulles Airport and the “fast growing” urban agglomerations west of VA Route 28 in Virginia and cross the Potomac to connect with I-70. Again the data does not support this roadway for the same reasons.

The Techway is a different roadway. It is a Potomac river bridge and access roads to get folks who live in Maryland and want to work in the northern part of Virginia or fly out of Dulles from the I-270 corridor to the Dulles Toll Road/Greenway corridor. For yet a third time, the numbers do not support the idea. Frank Wolf who sponsored a study of the Techway found out how strongly citizens felt and dropped it like a hot potato.

For 30 years Maryland (at the state, county and community levels) has been adamantly opposed to any and all of these roadways. Given the leanings of the current Governor, he may support one or more until he reads the pole results and considers the impact of voter views on his next election. That reversal is just what has happened land week to the Western Transportation Corridor in Loudoun County. Even the Build Everywhere board elected in 2003 can not ignore the lack of support.

Some roadway improvements in all three of these corridors may be needed. On the other hand PRT or some other technology may be better. It is very clear that Balanced Communities both inside and outside the Clear Edge will greatly reduce the demand for any new infrastructure.

What is the solution here? It is to have region-wide agreement on a future settlement pattern and on a mobility system to provide mobility. That means Balanced Communities. Sorry there is no alternative regardless of the length of filibusters and the number of non-sequiturs. For another view on this see Roger Lewis’ column in the Saturday TWP Real Estate section. The solution is not a badly informed comment by Kilgore which was our original post.

We will address some of the overarching issues in our next two columns including an easy to apply definition of Geographic Illiteracy.

EMR

We haven’t heard much here from our friend Barnie lately … could he be busy preparing for a Senate run in 2006? Jeff Schapiro, has Barnie been whispering in your ear or is this another Russ Potts-like fantasy for you?

Update: Norm over at One Man’s Trash is all over Schapiro and Commonwealth Conservative has a few choice words, too.

In a speech delivered Feb. 28, Republican Attorney General candidate Steve Baril raised the issues of gang violence, the crystal meth epidemic and convicted criminals getting off without jail time. They strike me as entirely legitimate topics for debate. I just wonder how they resonate with the public right now. Said Baril:

As I look across the landscape of Virginia, I am struck by the outbreak of gang violence in Northern Virginia, which is insidiously seeping down the Shenandoah Valley.

Violent crime is on the rise.

Is violent crime on the rise? I thought it was continuing to decline. What are the latest stats?

Baril wants to hire 100 more state troopers who could be deployed to “hot spots” around the state as needed. He also calls for reforming criminal sentencing guidelines, which “have degenerated to where a defendant is convicted and all too often serves little or no active jail time. … Sentencing guidelines should be grounded in common sense, justice and public safety,” he said in his speech. “Criminal sentencing should not be a tool for prison management.”

As a tough-on-crime kind of guy myself, I share Baril’s concerns and appreciate his tough-on-crime outlook. I’m just not sure how intensely I care about these issues. My perception is that crime is on the decline. Sure, it’s a problem. But it’s not top of mind.

Email from a Roanoke gay activist/attorney: “John Edwards has announced today that he is not running for Attorney General this year. It seems reasonable to assume that, among other things, he could foresee a tremendous, brutal, battle over his heroic consistent record of voting for LGBT rights, including against all versions of the evil State constitutional amendment.”

Roanoke Times, “Roanoke senator drops statewide nomination bid”
http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke%5C19578.html

Blue Dog:

Here’s the real story … the State Senator John Edwards was lagging behind in contributions to Democrat AG candidate, State Senator Deeds (but Creigh is not looking good financially – by any means).

But more to the point, Mr. Edwards has never been known for campaigning in the trenches.

It’s not his style.

Back in 1992, John Edwards blew his big chance to run for the 6th District Congressional seat because he did not organize the local Democratic caucuses.

The straw that broke his back? Rockingham County Democrats and locals who resided next to Skyline Drive Parkway voted for Steve Musslewhite in the county caucus due to a bogus “property rights” issue involving the state park. These folks arrived in vans and buses from the west side of the mountain to vote against “environmentalist” Edwards.

Hmm …

If Democrat John Edwards won the party nomination, he might have possibly beat GOP candidate Bob Goodlatte in the November election. After all, the seat was occupied by Roanoke-based Democrat, Congressman Jim Olin, for 12-years.

In 2001, Edwards lost the Democrat primary for AG to Delegate Donald McEachin by 4-percentage points. He should have won that race as well. Democratic AG candidate Donald McEachin boasted about his NRA F-rating and lost big to Kilgore that year in rural Virginia.

Now, State Senator Creigh Deeds, who patron the hunting & fishing constitutional amendment, will become the lone AG Democrat candidate in 2005.

And local valley ‘Pubs say small town attorney, Creigh Deeds, could possibly win the statewide race.

Thoughts, comments?

But I think we’re headed for a Kaine-Baskerville-Deeds ticket for the Dems.

If there’s a bigger boondoggle than spending billions on new roads and highways, it’s building billions on mass transit where it is economically infeasible. Ken Reid (an advocate of more roads) has sent out an e-mail communique justifiably blasting the wastefulness of the Virginia Railway Express (VRE). Says he:

According to the latest data from the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission — which is supposed to oversee VRE and WMATA costs, but spends more time on pro-transit propaganda — VRE is only carrying about 14,529 average trips a day. This equates to about 7,500 actual physical passengers. 7,000 is about what four lanes of I-66 heading eastbound can carry in ONE hour. For this, taxpayers in the affected jurisdictions where VRE operates will have to pay $28 million a year.

$28 million a year could build ONE diamond interchange, thus providing true congestion relief. If we allow rail into the Dulles Corridor and Loudoun County, Loudoun residents, like those of Spotsylvania county, will be asked to fork out money to subsidize the select few and there will be less money for other needs.

But why stop our examination of the alternatives there? Imagine if we invested $28 million in, oh, say, promoting telework and hotelling programs, or traffic light sequencing, or better GIS tools to analyze the impact of land use decisions on the regional transportation network.

The Virginia Progressive thinks Jerry Kilgore has “gone crazy” for saying this in defense of his support for a third Potomac River crossing to relieve I-95 congestion:

“We’re coming through. It’s necessary to this region. If you don’t want an exit ramp in your locality, fine. We’ll blow right over you, but we’ve got to move people that are just going north-south through this region more quickly. “

Inartful as his phasing may be, don’t we want new roads to be limited access so as to move existing traffic, not spawn development and more traffic around interchanges?

Radford University had three choices when it set out to choose a new president: hire from within, hire a credentialed academic from another institution, or hire an unconventional candidate with a compelling skill set.

In choosing Penelope Kyle of the Virginia Lottery, Radford took the unconventional option.

Only time will tell if Ms. Kyle was the right choice, but I applaud Radford’s Board of Visitors for its willingness to take a risk on a candidate from outside of academia. Most institutions would benefit from the different perspective someone from outside the “club” brings.

From what I have read, my alma mater, William and Mary, is only considering conventional candidates for its presidency.

So you think transportation funds are tight? According to this Washington Post story,

[Metro] wants to find out if trading seats for space will help people get on and off the subway quicker.

Board members are considering whether to approve a pilot study to redesign 16 cars. The proposed designs would remove between 8 and 24 seats, while adding bars to aid standing passengers.

Cost of the pilot study? $750,000. That’s chump change when you’re talking $4 billion for rail to Dulles, the project E. M. Risse discusses below.

Still–read the story and make the call. A project worthy of funding? (I guess no other rail system in the world has ever tested this brilliant idea.)