Kaine stumps downtown Staunton

Former Virginia governor and U.S. Senate hopeful Tim Kaine makes it a point to bring along his harmonica whenever he is passing through downtown Staunton.

“You never know when music will break out,” Kaine cheerfully told a crowd of supporters gathered at the Mill Street Grill on Saturday afternoon.

As part of a meet-and-greet with local businesses in downtown Staunton, Kaine stopped by Fretwell Bass and Acoustic Instruments and played his harmonica with a quintet of musicians on the third and final leg of his downtown tour.

“I like coming to Staunton to enjoy myself, and the voters here and the people in this community have always treated me really well, so that’s one of the reasons I always love coming back,” Kaine said during a walk down South Augusta Street, adding that he and his wife spent part of their 1984 honeymoon in the Queen City.

In addition to Fretwell Bass, the former governor visited Cranberry’s Grocery & Eatery, a natural-food grocer and restaurant on South New Street, as well as the three-story building at 1 East Beverley Street that is currently under restoration.

Chip Clarke of EHC Properties said he hopes to have a tenant in the building by the end of spring, and added that it is in a prime location at the center of Staunton’s Beverley Historic District.

“I’ve really enjoyed seeing a lot of what’s happening with the downtown area in Staunton,” Kaine said. “I think the town leaders have done a super job of taking advantage of all these beautiful places and making sure that they’re renovated.”

            Kaine also mentioned the importance of federal tax credits for historic renovations, such as what is under way at 1 East Beverley St.

“Taking advantage of local and federal incentives is a really smart thing to do,” he said. “At the federal level, making sure we keep these tax credits in place so that people can use them for these renovations is something I pledge to work together with local officials on.”

Following his meet-and-greet, Kaine returned to Mill Street Grill to speak to supporters. In his introduction, Staunton City Councilman Bruce Elder pointed out some of the key projects Kaine helped secure for the city during his tenure as governor, including keeping the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind in Staunton and the creation of The Villages at Staunton.

Kaine shared his “talent economy” approach for creating jobs in America, which encourages companies to invest in people’s individual talents in hopes of attracting more talented people and better business.

When Sen. Jim Webb announced in February that he would not run for re-election in 2012, Kaine said that a “tremendous need to fix Washington” was the major reason he decided to run for the seat.

“We need more people in Washington who will try to work together,” Kaine said. “You can have the best idea in the world for fixing the economy, but if the two parties go into their own separate corners, it’s just an idea.”

Kaine’s opponent in the U.S. Senate race will likely be another former Virginia governor, George Allen, who also served as U.S. senator from 2001 to 2007. Kaine noted that in approximately 15 polls taken, he and Allen are in a virtual tie. 

“As President (Barack) Obama’s hand-picked partisan chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Tim Kaine supported every major initiative to come out of Washington in the last three years, leaving us with 35 consecutive months of unemployment above 8 percent, massive debt and punishing energy policies that destroy jobs and drive up costs," said George Allen campaign spokeman Bill Riggs in an email. "George Allen will fight to repeal and replace Obamacare, unleash our energy resources and help reinvigorate our economy with proven, pro-growth policies that empower businesses to invest, expand and hire.”