Printer-Friendly
Email this Story
Post a Comment (0)
McDonnell focuses transportation pitch on private sector
For the time being, Bob McDonnell is under relatively little pressure compared to his three Democratic opponents.The retiring state attorney general has no primary challengers for the Republican nomination in the run-up for what has shaped up to be the marquee race in 2009 for political junkies. Meanwhile, as Democrats Brian Moran, Terry McAuliffe and state Sen. Creigh Deeds (D-25th) battle it out prior to their June 9 primary election, McDonnell is taking more time putting together the nuts and bolts of policy proposals while he crisscrosses the commonwealth on the campaign trail preparing for Election Day on Nov. 3.
When discussing transportation policy during an interview with reporters and editors from Times Community Newspapers on Feb. 12, McDonnell said, "I want to give you just maybe some bigger picture because I intend, over time in the spring, to roll a number of policy positions on jobs, on education, on transportation, on environment and other things like that. And we're still working on some details as you might imagine."
McDonnell instead offered guiding principles for coming up with transportation solutions as well as a look at his legislative past.
As attorney general, the Republican supported HB 3202 in 2007, which would have brought in $1.3 billion into the state for transportation. But the state Supreme Court ruled the part of it that allowed non-elected regional authorities to wage and levy taxes was unconstitutional.
“[I] don't think it was clearly unconstitutional. We think the court was wrong,” said McDonnell, who blamed amendments to the bill offered by Gov. Tim Kaine (D) as the reason part of the bill was struck down.
“We thought it was a different approach to have unelected officials at the authorities make that decision,” he said. “But, look: my job is, once a bill passes, my job as attorney general is to defend the constitutionality of bills. Unless I think they're absolutely, patently unconstitutional, my job is to go to court and defend them.”
That is exactly what happened and a challenge by a member of his own party, western Prince William County Del. Bob Marshall (R-13th), invalidated one of the biggest funding mechanisms of the bill.Also, when the legislature convened in 2008, it did away with the so-called abusive driver fees, which much of the public deemed as excessive.
So what to do about raising money?
First, he said he would not raise taxes during a recession, which the country as a whole is currently mired in. As for where the money for transportation would come from, McDonnell focused on the private sector.
"I think you can't just be a general fund transfer versus tax increase discussion. That's the old paradigm. I think we're way beyond that," he said.
Offering incentives, like tax credits, to private-sector road construction companies that compete over public-private partnership bids is one possible solution for McDonnell, who endorses projects like the High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes being built on the Interstate 95 and the Capitol beltway in Northern Virginia.
"I think it's a great idea. I think that privatization overall is a great idea. For instance, we've only got two percent of all our state roads that we use the private sector to do the maintenance. And it's only the interstate," he said.
McDonnell later added, "I know there's some objection in Prince William because they like those free roads right now, but there aren't any free lunches with transportation and I really believe that being able to have this congestion-pricing model is a good idea. I really believe strongly in the free market that people ought to have choices when it comes to road. If you want to be able to pay a little more to move a little bit faster during rush hour by using a HOT lane, to me, that makes sense. That's why congestion pricing is a good idea."
Unless McDonnell found a way to bring in more revenue without tax increases, he would be forced to cut spending. He specifically targeted school administrators that do not work directly in the classrooms as one group that could see some cuts.
"So, I'd spent a lot of time cutting central administration like this current board did under Tim Kaine,” he said.
Given the funding squeeze of the commonwealth, the former Virginia Beach delegate is still counting on the economy recovering some time in the next two years. If that is to happen, McDonnell may find himself in a fight with the Democratic-controlled state Senate and possibly the House of Delegates if Democrats net a gain of six seats this fall over general fund transfers versus tax increases.
"Thirdly, I think that once the good times do return, which they will, whether it's six months or 15 months or so, if transportation's really the priority that is, I think there's some additional general fund monies that can be used for transportation," he said.
The private sector would also play a role for McDonnell in terms developing non-petroleum-based refueling stations throughout the state. He honed in on hydrogen and liquefied coal as two power sources that may be fueling more vehicles in Virginia within two governorships from now.
"Well, I think the market will take care of a lot of it because I know this: you've got the technology available right now in order to power these cars. The problem is the refueling stations. And I've thought about incentives and we're going to be talking about some of these, maybe to incentivize some of these sectors to come up with the ideas," McDonnell said.
He admitted though that issuing state-sponsored incentives "costs a little money. But every proposal I have, if I've got something that's going to spend money, I'll come up with a way to pay for it because you all will expect that and hold me accountable if I don't".
You must be logged in to post a comment.