Kaine conference call

I was one of several bloggers invited to participate in a conference call with Governor Tim Kaine this afternoon. (As this was my first such call, I am not sure what the rules are on identifying the other participants so I’ll leave it up to them to identify themselves if they so choose.) The governor opened the conference by giving us some information he expects to be discussed in the upcoming special session on transportation, which begins September 27. Specifically, the governor discussed the following three areas:

1. VDOT reform/privatization. VDOT has made strides in being on time and on budget. They have developed a business plan. Increasingly, maintenance is being done by private contractors, with the goal being 100% by such contractors by 2009. More public/private partnerships are being pursued and we should expect some announcements of appointments related to this in the next week.
2. Land use and transportation connections. The governor believes we have seen a sea-change in these areas this year, with a number of good bills being passed. He has established a community development sub-cabinet to be involved with this.
3. Reliable long term funding. Kaine said that we cannot pay for transportation with the current budget, as the gap is about $1 billion per year. We need reliable resources, but this is the hardest piece to reach consensus on. Some of the pieces of the current funding debate:
   1. The $340 million in surplus money now available to be used.
   2. Regional plans. Although a consensus on this has not yet emerged, such plans can be part of the solution.
   3. Nearly everyone agrees on a transportation lock box.
   4. Nearly everyone agrees that auto insurance premiums and abuser fees should be dedicated to transportation.

Kaine thinks we have a good opportunity to get something done and is optimistic about the upcoming session. Next Kaine took some eleven questions from the participants. (No, I’m not going to list them all here 🙂 ) I managed to get in two:

• Q: With the $137 million mistake in the budget, do you support changing the budget cycle to move it back by a year so that a new governor is not dealing with the budget as soon as he takes office?
  • A: Kaine strongly supports moving the budget cycle back or forward a year. He mentioned the Cuccinelli bill that does this very thing. Kaine said that he actually only had four days to put amendments in the budget. While he had been privy to the budget process in his role as Lt Gov, not all new governors will come in under such friendly circumstances.
• Q: Four years ago as Lt Gov, you indicated a willingness to loosen the Dillion Rule. Do you still support this?
  • A: Kaine clarified his position on this. He believes that powers should be divided into two kinds: inside City Hall powers (such as organization) and outside City Hall powers (such as zoning and taxation). The rules on the inside powers should be relaxed. It would be a tough sell politically to get the rules relaxed on the outside powers. But he believes that localities can be given some tools to work within those powers.

Snippets of Kaine’s answers from some of the other questions:

• He believes the electorate demonstrates a willingness to vote for Democratic candidates.
• We need to look at the circumstances by which subdivision roads are accepted into the state road system. Also, we need to look at road standards.
• He believes he has the executive authority to institute a non-smoking ban in government buildings.
• Road construction budgets are being cut due to the need to allocate so much money – about $450 million per year – to maintenance.
• All of what needs to be done to address Virginia’s transportation needs will likely not get accomplished in the upcoming special session.

I believe we have an awful lot to look forward to in the next 3+ years of the Kaine administration.

UPDATE: Other bloggers weighing in on the conference call
James Martin – Virginia Progressive
Jim Bacon – Bacon’s Rebellion