Thursday, March 05, 2009
McAuliffe, area business leaders meet
The Democrat is holding "roundtables" around the state as part of his gubernatorial bid.
Related
The latest from our Blue Ridge Caucus politics blog
- Va. Senate again votes to undo handgun purchase limits
- Va. House advances bill to restrict local taxing power
From The Roanoke Times
Nearly a dozen of the Roanoke Valley's business leaders met with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe on Wednesday to pitch ideas to fix the state's economy.
"We've got to think outside the box," McAuliffe said as he repeated one of his campaign's main themes. "We need some big ideas."
The meeting was his eighth state "roundtable" to collect ideas that will eventually become his economic platform, to be unveiled in the next two weeks. He's previously met with regional representatives in Norfolk, Martinsville, Harrisonburg, Richmond, Charlottesville, Lebanon and Hampton.
McAuliffe, a former Democratic National Committee chairman who lives in Fairfax County, is running against former state Del. Brian Moran of Fairfax County and Sen. Creigh Deeds of Bath County for the Democratic nomination for governor in a June 9 primary. The winner will face Republican nominee Bob McDonnell, who recently stepped down from his elected post as state attorney general to devote his time to the governor's race.
Wednesday's visit to Roanoke was McAuliffe's fourth since he began to explore a possible run for governor late last year. The roundtable attendees ranged from roofers and a union electrician to civic leaders and politicians. Many of their thoughts dealt with statewide concerns, such as building up Virginia's transportation network and giving the governor more cash to lure major manufacturers.
But there were some ideas and opinions that stem from local circumstances, too:
n Cindy Shelor, owner of John T. Morgan Roofing, asked about restrictions on a method of contracting known as "cooperative procurement," which allows one local government to piggyback on a contract signed by another local government. The city school system used the practice last year when it decided to piggyback on a Fairfax County roofing contract instead of pursuing a competitive bidding process.
n City Councilman Court Rosen -- a local Democrat who has endorsed McAuliffe for governor -- said the state's rules make it more difficult for cities to expand and attract companies with the lure of open land.
The group also talked about passenger rail service. McAuliffe directed most of his comments toward high-speed rail for Northern Virginia, Richmond and Hampton Roads. He said that a state agency's estimation of 2015 as a target date to deliver Amtrak service to Roanoke "sounds too far away" and could potentially be fast-tracked.
McAuliffe said he would use the governor's office as a hammer, relentlessly pounding on the General Assembly for prompt passage of changes in economic development and land-use policies.
"I know it's not the Virginia way, and I apologize," McAuliffe said. "It's what we've got to do."
