The Senate Finance committee is scheduled to vote on the transportation plan today. Chairman John Chichester is no fan. In an interesting article in today’s Virginian-Pilot, Chichester is profiled as an “old school” politician who is more concerned about doing what is best for the state than playing politics. Speaking of his fellow members of the so-called “Gang of Five” – Kenneth Stolle, Thomas Norment Jr., Walter Stosch, and William Wampler – who have agreed to support the House plan, Chichester said:
“It’s all politics, and they’ve told me that,” he said. “I’m disappointed that they would fall prey to that. The sweet aroma of elective office has lured them into a sense of irresponsibility.”
Ouch.
Former State Senator and Virginia Beach mayor Clarence Holland weighed in on the transportation plan in a letter to the editor today, echoing Chichester’s thoughts:
As a former Republican president once said in his inaugural address: ‘He serves his party best who serves his country [state] best.’
We’ll see whether politics wins out soon enough.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 