Kaine reflects on ’08

RICHMOND - One of Gov. Timothy M. Kaine’s favorite mementos in his office is a black, autographed baseball bat from former Baltimore Orioles all-star slugger Rafael Palmeiro.

Like Palmeiro in his prime, Kaine swung for the fences in 2008. He hit his share out of the park — most noticeably helping his chosen candidate, Barack Obama, carry traditionally Republican Virginia.

But legislatively, Kaine’s year had its share of strikeouts and foul balls, particularly in the collapse of his plan to fund transportation.

Politically, Kaine’s successful year went far beyond Obama’s win. On Election Night, Virginia added a new Democratic U.S. senator, Mark R. Warner, and three Democratic members of Congress to secure a 6-5 majority in the state’s delegation.

“Politically, I think we had the best night we’ve ever had as a party,” Kaine said during a year-end interview yesterday with the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

This year, Kaine also won approval for a bond package to aid construction projects at colleges and universities; more funding to expand his pre-kindergarten initiative; and reforms to the state’s mental-health system following the 2007 Virginia Tech tragedy.

“All of those things were enormously satisfying,” the governor said.

But “legislatively, you know, I’ve got to say it was mixed,” he added.

The Republican-dominated House of Delegates tossed out the governor’s bid to fix the state’s massive funding problem for transportation construction and maintenance.

“Finding money for rural roads in Virginia and in maintenance, that’s been a big disappointment,” Kaine said.

Kaine also continues to be vexed by questions about the actions of Virginia Tech officials on the day of the shootings — and about school officials’ failure to disclose documents that contradicted the version of events in a state review panel’s report.

Kaine says members of Tech’s board of visitors need to speak directly with victims’ families and address their concerns, from school policy to the future of the university’s president, Charles W. Steger.

Kaine said that by the end of the year he will set a timetable for families and other parties to submit corrections to the record.

“If we determine that something in the report is factually inaccurate .¤.¤. then we will issue an addendum that makes those factual corrections,” he said.

The General Assembly session that begins Jan. 14 will present challenges and opportunities for Kaine.

He hopes his “Renew Virginia” program, that envisions the commonwealth on a path toward alternative energy and environmental conservation, will become part of his legacy.

But Kaine enters the last year of his four-year term needing to shore up a nearly $3 billion budget shortfall during the worst recession in decades. Kaine faces a Republican majority in the House of Delegates and all 100 delegates will be mindful that they are up for election in November.

The governor again defended his proposal to raise the tax on cigarettes by 30 cents per pack. He said that if state lawmakers don’t like it, it’s up to them to come up with an alternative to make up nearly $150 million.

“I couldn’t cut another $150 million out of the Medicaid budget without kicking people off the Medicaid rolls,” Kaine said. “I couldn’t cut another $150 million out of the education budget .¤.¤. I didn’t want to cut any more out of the higher ed budget.”

The governor said his plan to allow the release of some nonviolent inmates from state prisons up to 90 days early would alleviate overcrowding and save the state the need to build another prison.

He said he is “not overly concerned” that giving the Department of Corrections the option to extend the early release period from 30 days to as many as 90 days would lead to more crime.

“I think that flexibility will be used wisely,” he said.

Kaine does not expect to pitch transportation again in the upcoming legislative session. He said the House has made it clear that it will not support new state funding for transportation.

“The House’s position is ‘we’re OK with voting local governments the authority to raise money’ and apparently ‘we’re OK with going to the federal government and asking for more money’,” Kaine said. “¤ ‘We just don’t want to do anything on the state’s side.’ That’s a little bit of a cop out.”

Ahead of the General Assembly session Kaine has been working with other governors and Obama advisers on the infrastructure component of Obama’s economic stimulus package. He expects Virginia will receive a portion of the funding for transportation. Kaine said the state has up to $2 billion in projects that could be started within six months.

Kaine, the first governor outside of Illinois to endorse Obama, and a finalist to be his running mate, enters 2009 knowing he’s got a big bat behind him in Washington.

“We have a high regard for each other, and I think I have his trust,” Kaine said of Obama, who takes office Jan. 20.

But he notes that there will soon be a subtle change in their relationship.

“It’ll be ‘Barack’ until January 19, but it will be ‘Mr. President’ after that,” Kaine said.

Jim Nolan is a staff writer at the Richmond Times-Dispatch.