Running the Virginia state Senate for an entire day isn't exactly how the 83-year-old dean of the upper chamber hoped to spend a Wednesday night in April, but it is what he signed up to do.

State Sen. Chuck Colgan (D-29th), first elected in 1975 and current president pro tempore of the Senate, presided over the Senate while Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling (R) was stranded with his wife in Italy due to the Icelandic volcano that erupted last month.

Colgan managed a day-long session dedicated to deliberating Gov. Bob McDonnell's (R) budget and legislative amendments. In all, he led the chamber that debated scores of amendments until it adjourned around 9:45 p.m. His fellow senators gave him a standing ovation, McDonnell praised him during a press conference for doing an "extraordinary job", and Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw (D-35th) presented a commemorative gavel to him as a token of appreciation.

"I think it went pretty smooth," Colgan said of the special session during an interview last Thursday. "I was very tired by the end."

The Senator from Nokesville is arguably the most powerful member of the Virginia General Assembly, rivaling only House Speaker Bill Howell (R-28th). As a member of both the Senate Finance committee and the budget conference committee, Colgan played an out-sized role in shaping what he described as a financially tight budget that forced the 12 negotiators to actually put a lot of partisanship aside.

"Usually there was a great deal of hostility between the two sides," said Colgan. "This year, the whole atmosphere was much more congenial."

What that meant locally and throughout the state is that bills designed to spend money on future transportation projects had to take a back seat.

Referring to McDonnell, Colgan said, "What he may have in mind is have a special session on transportation. But he won't have it unless he's certain something will happen."

He added, "We did not really pick up anything on transportation because that is an issue on to itself."

Among Colgan's top transportation priorities for the area is extending the Virginia Railway Express west of the Broad Run station near the Manassas airport.

"I think the big thing that we need to do out in Gainesville is we need to get the VRE out there. I think that's going to happen," said Colgan.

He described the area of Lee Highway (U.S. 29) near the Interstate 66 interchange as "just a mess" with traffic being "a big problem" out there. Though the westbound widening of I-66 at the U.S. 29 interchange is mostly complete, Colgan said "no money has changed hands yet" for upcoming phases of the interchange project.

Even if the governor calls the General Assembly back into action this year, Colgan likely will not have to preside over the chamber for longer than a bathroom break by the lieutenant governor as Bolling is back in the country. Despite speculation that Colgan may retire early, as raised by Chief Deputy Clerk of the Circuit Court Bob FitzSimmonds, Colgan said during the interview that he would complete his ninth term in office.

He will be 85 by Election Day next year and told the Times in 2007 this would be his last term. FitzSimmonds ran as a Republican for Colgan's seat in 1999, 2003 and 2007 and announced he is running again in 2011.

Colgan, who holds a reputation as being the most conservative Democrat in the state Senate, gave the Republican governor more accolades for the working out the budget than he did McDonnell's predecessor, former Gov. Tim Kaine (D), who is now chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

"I guess, here's the big issue: when Governor Kaine left office, he in my opinion did not complete the budget," said Colgan.

What happened is Kaine left McDonnell and the legislature with options for raising more revenue for the cash-strapped state. The most prominent idea was to replace the car tax with a 1 percent hike in the income tax. That proposal died in the House of Delegates.

Speaking about McDonnell, Colgan said, "I think the governor did an excellent job." Members of the Senate, himself included, met with McDonnell and Colgan said he told him that, "You are the governor, you are the leader" while discussing the budget.

One Prince William priority Colgan and McDonnell agreed on concerned the workforce development center at the Northern Virginia Community College campus in Woodbridge. The campus wanted to spend $3.5 million to construct a building on campus, but due to Virginia's status as a Dillon Rule state, it needed permission from the state before it could get to work.

McDonnell "put an amendment in the bill to override the House," Colgan said. Colgan and state Sen. George Barker (D-39th), who represents parts of Prince William south of Manassas, sponsored an amendment that allowed the school to spend its own money and it passed the legislature.

"It's our money, it belongs to the college. It's not taxpayers' dollars," said Colgan, later adding, "I do think we need that building."