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R-T-D: Jul 21 |
Jul 19 |
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Va.'s future shortchanged, says former Gov. Baliles
BY TYLER WHITLEY
RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Jul 19, 2002
CHARLOTTESVILLE - Recent governors have shortchanged Virginia's investments in education and transportation in return for short-term political gains, former Gov. Gerald L. Baliles said last night.
"Too often . . . far too often. . . . long-term extends no further than the next election date," Baliles said in prepared remarks at the annual Virginia Governors Conference.
The annual conference sponsored by the University of Virginia Center for Politics and the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service examines the public life of former Virginia governors. Baliles, governor from 1986 to 1990, was the subject of this year's conference, the fifth.
"Somehow in recent years, we have lost our way," Baliles said. "While we have witnessed people arriving in Virginia by the hundreds of thousands . . . we have experienced a decreased commitment to our infrastructure, especially education and transportation.
"Roads are congested. Many of our schools are overcrowded, college buildings have had maintenance deferred for years," he said.
"Mental hospitals have lost their accreditation. The Chesapeake Bay is fighting to improve its health. Thousands of kids are still at risk in their communities. Instead of tax investments, we talk of tax cuts."
As governor, Baliles became known as the "transportation governor," securing passage of an estimated $470 million annual package of tax increases dedicated to transportation. The Democrat also became known in some circles as "the tax governor," a reputation that he proudly embraced.
"I think of the word as embracing more than revenue . . . investments are those things we do, not only in our self-interest, but in the interest of others," he said. "Indeed, investments are what we do in the name of posterity - for what lies beyond the horizon."
"Instead of making investment decisions, we can defer and demand that our institutions of government . . . become more efficient and effective, and many have been doing so for years," Baliles said. "But there comes a point where it is no longer fat that is being cut. It is muscle and bone."
Baliles, a Richmond lawyer, delivered the keynote address at the Boar's Head Inn to an overflow crowd, many of whom served in his administration.
He did not name names in his condemnation of preceding governors, but singled out for praise former Govs. Albertis S. Harrison Jr., Mills E. Godwin Jr. and Linwood Holton.
Baliles plugged the general obligation bond issue for parks and education that will be on the ballot this fall.
He also urged the movers and shakers in the audience to get involved in supporting the sales tax proposals that will be on ballots in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads to fund transportation needs.
All are important to the future of the state, he said.
The two-day look on Baliles' governorship and political career concludes today.
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