Our Man in Arlington

Virginia's Lt. Governor Tim Kaine was in Arlington Sunday and showed every sign he was rarin' to go in next year's gubernatorial race.

Kaine was the guest of honor at a meet and greet at the Arlington Ridge Road home of John and Chris Milliken. John was a member of the Arlington County Board and recently was Virginia's Secretary of Transportation. Chris is currently a member of the State Commission on Higher Education (SCHEV). Both have been very active in Arlington and Virginia politics for many years.

The event was more or less social - meaning that it was not a fundraiser. It was an opportunity for many prominent Northern Virginians to meet Kaine and hear from him about his plans for the race and his program when he is elected governor of Virginia.

Kaine will in all likelihood be unopposed for the Democratic Party gubernatorial nomination next year. And it is expected that Attorney General Jerry Kilgore will be the Republican nominee, probably unopposed, too.

Kaine is a very impressive candidate: articulate, assured, intelligent without being arrogant, friendly, and upbeat. He has a clear idea of what he will do as governor and the confidence to pull it off.

Health care is one of his top priorities. As reported in this column a couple of months ago, Kaine heads the Commission on Small Business Health Care that is traveling around the state seeking solutions to ameliorate the rapidly rising cost of health care and health insurance.

Kaine also made appoint of the need to reverse the state's decline in financing both K-12 and post secondary education, stressing that a sound education program at all levels is critical for the economic health of the state. This was music to the ears of several in the crowd who are very prominent in higher education circles in the state and have been warning of a significant decline in the relative quality of the higher education system because of the starvation of funds.

Transportation was another point of emphasis. He again stressed that an efficient and balanced transportation system is an important part of a thriving economy. It has become an issue of almost crisis proportions in Northern Virginia.

There was a fair amount of discussion about the internecine battle within the Virginia Republican Party between those Republican members of the General Assembly who voted with Mark Warner on the budget and those Republicans who voted against it because it included tax increases. Kaine, in response to a question, said that this was essentially an internal fight that would affect the Republican races in a negative way, but if the intra-family fight continued, it would probably help his campaign for Governor.

Kaine is a lawyer who has worked on various civil rights and fair housing issues as well as representing businesses and local government in a myriad of business-related issues. He takes a reasonably liberal stand on several important social issues, but his distinguishing feature is not ideological. It is the very practical approach he takes to the concrete issues that face Virginia in the economic arena and his experience in local government he brings to the problem-solving table that will be the hallmarks of his campaign. (He has been Mayor of Richmond and a member of the Richmond City Council.)

He shows all the signs of being a winner in Virginia, and an almost certain winner in Arlington. Take a couple of weeks' rest after the November election, then start paying attention. This will be the most important gubernatorial race Virginia has had in quite a while.