Posts tagged ‘Bob McDonnell’
McDonnell Proclaims April 2010 Confederate History Month
The Washington Post reported today that Gov. McDonnell (R-VA) has “quietly” issued a proclamation declaring April 2010 as Confederate History Month. This comes on the heels of the 149th anniversary of Virginia’s succession from the union on April 17, 1861. Here’s part of the proclamation:
WHEREAS, April is the month in which the people of Virginia joined the Confederate States of America in a four year war between the states for independence that concluded at Appomattox Courthouse; and
WHEREAS, Virginia has long recognized her Confederate history, the numerous civil war battlefields that mark every region of the state, the leaders and individuals in the Army, Navy and at home who fought for their homes and communities and Commonwealth in a time very different than ours today; and
WHEREAS, it is important for all Virginians to reflect upon our Commonwealth’s shared history, to understand the sacrifices of the Confederate leaders, soldiers and citizens during the period of the Civil War, and to recognize how our history has led to our present…
The Post notes that former Republican governors George Allen and Jim Gilmore made similar designations, while former Democratic governors Mark Warner and Tim Kaine refused to do so. They also noted that in 2002, “Warner broke with…[his Republican predecessors actions], calling such proclamations a ‘lightning rod’ that does not help bridge divisions between whites and blacks in Virginia.”
I think Sen. McEachin (D-Richmond) said what most Virginias were thinking in that he was “stunned” by McDonnell’s decision to issue such a proclamation. The Post goes on to say that he was “even more stunned that the proclamation did not include any reference to slavery,” calling it “offensive.”
Frankly, I’m not surprised at all. From day one, since he was sworn in as Governor, he has sought to move Virginia backwards. After all, he originally supported Cuccinelli’s efforts to allow public universities to discriminate against gay students (eventually reversing his stance, sort of). I guess if McDonnell had it his way, he would move Virginia back to the 1860s.
In the end, the only thing that Virginians should “recognize” is how out of touch McDonnell is with the priorities of everyday Virginians!
Republican Controlled Prince William Board of Supervisors Passes Resolution to Send Cooch a Letter Thanking Him for Frivolous Health Care Reform Lawsuit
In a press release from the Prince William County Democratic Committee today, Chair Pete Frisbie blasted the Republican controlled Prince William County Board of Supervisors for voting to send a thank you note to Cuccinelli (R-VA) for his lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the new federal health care reform law.
As I previously wrote, this lawsuit has little (actually, ZERO) chance of being successful on constitutional grounds and would come at a very steep cost to taxpayers. Instead of filing frivolous lawsuits, Cuccinelli and Gov. McDonnell (R-VA) should focus on using our currently scarce dollars to fully fund education and fix our transportation problems.
All I can say is wow. I thought the current Stafford County Board of Supervisors were nuts. This takes the cake! Here’s the press release from Pete:
The Republican controlled Prince William County Board of Supervisors have passed a motion along a party line vote to send a letter to Virginia’s Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to thank him for protecting their rights as a result of the law suit against the federal government on the health care reform law on the behalf of all of the residents of Prince William County. This is yet another frivolous lawsuit filed against the Federal Government by Virginia’s right wing ideologue Attorney General.
Click here (Go to the 5:00 mark) to watch the debate and the vote amongst our supervisors for yourself
There was no citizen input on this directive from the Board of Supervisors. The Board has no jurisdiction over the federal health care legislation yet they are spending your taxpayer money on letters when our school system just cut $50 million from their budget.
Board Chairman Corey Stewart has even said that he will bring forth a proposal to the Board of Supervisors to ensure that Prince William County will refuse to implement the health care law that was signed by President Obama.
These actions have become typical of the Republicans on the Prince William County Board of Supervisors. Please tell Supervisors Corey Stewart (R-At Large), John Stirrup (R-Gainesville, Mike May (R-Occoquan), Marty Nohe (R-Coles), Maureen Caddigan (R-Dumfries), and Wally Covington (R-Brentsville) to stop wasting our tax dollars on their personal political agendas.
We urge them to focus on the issues that face Prince William County every day — such as home foreclosures, rising utility costs, cuts to our school system and predatory loans — rather than writing letters, resolutions or proposals that support frivolous lawsuits against the federal government.
Help us remind our Supervisors of the priorities that matter to Prince William County residents like you and me and lay the groundwork to take back the Board of Supervisors.
Contact these Republicans Supervisors here…
Thanks so much for everything you are doing to stand with Prince William’s families and support the values we share.
Sincerely,
Pete Frisbie
Chair, Prince William County Democratic Committee
The Cooch has apparently met his match in crazy in Prince William County Chairman-At-Large Corey Stewart (R-Prince William). As Pete notes above, Stewart actually
proposed to refuse to implement what he regards as a costly, unconstitutional Federal mandate. He intends to submit a proposal for consideration by the Board of County Supervisors[, which will refuse to implement the new federal health care reform law in Prince William County].
He made these comments at a recent Prince William County Republican Convention held to select party leadership. He also praised the Tea Party movement and drew comparisons between this movement and the movement that drafted the Declaration of Independence. What a complete nut!
Here’s the resolution that passed, courtesy of the Prince William County Democratic Committee:
MOTION: STIRRUP March 23, 2010 Regular Meeting SECOND: COVINGTON Res. No. 10-243 RE: LETTER THANKING THE VIRGINIA ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR THE EFFORTS OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA TO CHALLENGE THE CONSTITUTIONALITY OF THE FEDERAL PATIENT PROTECTION AND AFFORDABLE CARE ACT ACTION: APPROVED WHEREAS, the U.S. Congress passed on March 21, 2010, and the President of the United States signed into law on March 23, 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA); and
WHEREAS, on March 23, 2010 the Commonwealth of Virginia filed suit against Kathleen Sebelius in her official capacity as the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services for the United States seeking to declare the PPACA unconstitutional (Commonwealth v. Kathleen Sebelius); and
WHEREAS, many other States and private organizations are also seeking to challenge the constitutionality of the PPACA through the federal courts;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Prince William Board of County Supervisors wishes to thank the Virginia Attorney General for his efforts, for protecting the rights of Prince William County residents, and to wish him good luck on his efforts.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Prince William County Attorney’s Office is instructed to look into whether or not the Prince William Board of County Supervisors could file an amicus curiae brief in support of the Commonwealth’s position in Commonwealth v. Kathleen Sebelius.
Votes: Ayes: Caddigan, Covington, May, Nohe, Stewart, Stirrup Nays: Jenkins, Principi Absent from Vote: None Absent from Meeting: None
And here’s the subsequent letter from Stewart, also courtesy of the Prince William Democratic Committee:
Board Letter Thanking Cuccinelli
The Honorable Kenneth T. Cuccinelli, II
900 East Main Street
Sixth Floor
Richmond, Virginia 23219
Dear Attorney General Cuccinelli:
Attached please find a copy of a Resolution of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors. On behalf of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, I am writing to thank you for your efforts regarding your recent law suit Commonwealth v. Kathleen Sebelius.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA), which was signed by the President of the United States on March 23, 2010 creates a template for federal action that will affect all levels of government and all citizens for years to come. The Prince William Board of County Supervisors would like to thank you for protecting our residents’ rights by filing this action.
Thank you for your leadership on this very important issue. We wish you good luck on your efforts.
Sincerely,
Corey A. Stewart
Chairman
Attachment
Cc: Board of County Supervisors
County Attorney
County Executive
Virginia Congressional Delegation
Cucinelli’s going to need more then luck to win an unwinnable case. I applaud Pete for standing up to the Republican fringe, which is becoming all too common place throughout the Commonwealth, and being the voice of sensibility and fiscal responsibility on behalf of all Prince William residents.
Cooch Denies Existence of Health Care Lawsuit Records, Pushes Forward With Frivolous Lawsuit
In case you somehow missed it, Virginia Attorney General (AG) Ken Cuccinelli (R-VA) recently filed a lawsuit (Virginia v. Sebelius) that challenges the legality of the health care reform legislation signed into law by President Obama last week.
Cuccinelli is certainly no stranger to controversy. From the moment he assumed office in January, he has made a point of using the Attorney General’s office to push his right-wing social agenda. This includes arguing in a letter to the state’s public colleges and universities that “sexual orientation” could not and should not be included in any anti-discrimination policies.
So his latest push to mount a legal challenge to the recently passed health care reform legislation should come as no surprise? This is simply another attempt to use the AGs office to further his political agenda – and that of Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-VA).
As Virginia is facing a severe budget crisis that will affect so many folks throughout the state, Cuccinelli and McDonnell file a frivolous lawsuit that is politically motivated. Not to mention that this lawsuit comes at a cost to taxpayers, right? You’re darn right!
As Blue Virginia reported on Tuesday, the Democratic Party of Virginia formally filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) formally requesting records of:
hours spent by Cuccinelli and Office of the Attorney General staff preparing Commonwealth of Virginia v. Sebelius; cost to taxpayers of staff work on the suit; a list of conference calls or written correspondence that the Office of the Attorney General had with other states’ attorneys general or national conservative groups in planning the lawsuit; any outside firms contracted to assist on the lawsuit; and, the Attorney General’s full schedule since taking office, including any scheduled television interviews in the Washington, D.C., metro area.
David Mills, Executive Director of the Democratic Party of Virginia summed up things best when he said that
the Attorney General is acting like taxpayer funds are just a piggy bank for his personal political agenda. More than 10,000 Virginians [(in a petition launched by the DPVA)] have demanded that Ken Cuccinelli come clean about his use of taxpayer-funded state resources. This week, we’ll find out if Ken Cuccinelli still believes he’s accountable to the taxpayers of Virginia. We’re looking forward to his response.
Drum roll please. In response to the FOIA request, Stephen R. McCullough, senior appellate counsel for AG Ken Cuccinelli has responded by saying that “No such record exists” listing any attorney’s, both inside or outside the AGs office, that worked on producing the legal filing and any hours that they may have billed to the state to prepare it.
McCullough did acknowledge that existence of “correspondence between Cuccinelli’s office and the offices of 13 other state attorneys general who have also filed suit against the federal government, as well as Cuccinelli’s schedule since his took office Jan. 16.”
There were a total of 40 records related to correspondence between the Virginia AGs office and the offices of 13 other state attorneys general; and 170 pages that would provide insight into Cucinelli’s schedule, since he took office in January. McCullough said that the AGs office would not be releasing them, since the office considered them “working papers of the attorney general that are entitled to remain confidential.”
In a release yesterday, Cucinelli actually made the claim that all work “was being done in-house and said costs would be minimal beyond the $350 fee to file the suit in U.S. District Court.”
Color me skeptical, so much for government transparency. Taxpayers deserve to know the cost that is being accrued to fund Cucinelli’s personal political agenda, especially when the health care lawsuit has zero chance of being won. That’s right, ZERO!
Nevada’s Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto provided a good analysis in a letter to Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons on why joining Cuccinelli’s health care lawsuit was essentially pointless and “would not come without a cost.” When looking at Supreme Court precedence, AG Masto writes:
One theory to consider is that Congress lacks authority under the Constitution’s Commerce and Spending Clauses. However, the authority give to Congress is extensive and appears strong enough to support the Act. Health care costs affect our nation’s economy, and the Act is Congress’ answer to alleviating those costs. The United States Supreme Court long ago determined that insurance is commerce and is therefore subject to federal regulation. United States v. South-Eastern Underwriters Ass’n, 322 U.S. 533 (1944). Since the 1930s and the “long-rejected Louchner-era precedents,” MeadWestvaco Corp. ex rel. Mead Corp. v. Illinois Dept. of Revenue, 553 U.S. 16, 128 S.Ct. 1948, 1510 (2008) (Thomas, J. concuring), Congress’ broad authority has been acknowledge to, among other things, uphold mandatory contributions to the Social Security Act system, Helvering v. Davis, 301 U.S. 619 (1937), and legislate many other federal programs.
So while Cuccinelli and McDonnell defund our public education system (and make several other extreme cuts) they have no problems wasting taxpayer dollars to further their radical political agendas. Hey while national Republicans plan to “sweep problems under the rug,” Virginia Republicans have become masters at creating problems. Where’s the TEA Party when you need them!
Howell Supports Gutting K-12 Education, Misleads Constituents With Dishonest Letter (Should We Expect More?)
Here is the letter a teacher received in the mail from Speaker Bill Howell (R-28th) yesterday:
There are so many things wrong with this letter; I don’t even know where to begin. Howell couldn’t be more dishonest and misleading – I’ve come to expect nothing less from him.
He justifies the House’s cuts to K-12 education by claiming that
prior to last year, state funding for public education was largely protected…
This is simply not true. Gov. McDonnell (R-VA), like Howell, has also tried to justify cuts to K-12 education by falsely asserting that these sorts of cuts have been largely “spared” in recent years. Again, not true. Cuts in Direct Aid have already led to a 15 percent reduction in K-12 funding in just the last 2 years.
How Howell can claim that the “net impact [of the House’s cuts] would result in [only] a decrease of $80 million (statewide) for K-12 education over the biennium,” is dubious, if not an outright distortion of the facts, at best?! The House has actually proposed $863.6 million in cuts to Direct Aid for FY’11-12, compared to the level of Direct Aid funding for FY’08-09. Consequentially, this will lead to 24, 225.3 K-12 jobs lost. Let us not forget that the cuts present in the FY’10 budget resulted in the elimination of state funding for 8,758 positions. That’s nearly 33,000 jobs lost; or a nearly 19 percent reduction in force for Virginia schools, based on the 2007-2008 Annual Superintendent’s Report that reported a total of 177,017 support and instructional positions statewide.
Howell actually goes on to say that
by lifting expensive state mandates, instituting structural reforms to VRS and giving local school divisions greater flexibility in state funding for education for Stafford County (an additional $3.5 million) and the City of Fredericksburg (an additional $597,000) as compared to the initial budget bill proposed in December by former Governor Kaine.
By state mandates, Howell is referring to the Standards of Quality (SOQ). The SOQ defines the basic standards of a minimum quality education in Virginia. These minimum standards define the minimum number of personnel (e.g. teachers to students, principals to students) required to meet the SOQ. Many of the more affluent school districts greatly exceed these minimum standards, while many of the poorer school districts simply meet these minimum standards. Virginia is ranked 37th in the nation in per pupil spending, actually trailing the national average by $1,238. These “state mandates” are hardly expensive, comparatively speaking to what 36 other states are paying and the fact that we are well below the national average.
So Howell and his Republican allies in the House plan on lowering the minimum standards to save money and put our children at even a further disadvantage. This will inevitably mean larger class sizes. If that isn’t bad enough, the House also plans on rolling back the rates, to FY 2008 levels, that the state will pay out to the localities in order to meet their share of these minimum staffing standards.
As I discussed in an earlier post, the Local Composite Index (LCI) determines the state and local shares of funding a minimum education in Virginia. Anything above these minimums are paid for entirely by the localities. I also mentioned that Gov. McDonnell planned on cutting the SOQ staffing requirements (leading to larger class sizes) to reduce the required amount of funds provided to the localities by the state to meet these new lower minimum requirements.
| City or County | FY’11 State Direct Aid ($) | FY’12 State Direct Aid ($) | Net Change from Kaine’s Budget ($)
(FY’11/FY’12) |
Percentage Decrease from Kaine’s Budget (%) (FY’11/FY’12) |
| Fredericksburg | 7,152,463 | 7,595,026 | (-134,150) /
(-394,065) |
(-1.8) / (-4.9) |
| Stafford | 125,265,993 | 129,623,562 | (-2,556,523) /
(-6,519,253) |
(-2.0) / (-4.8) |
| Table 1. FY’11 and FY’12 State Direct Aid to Fredericksburg and Stafford (03.05.10) | ||||
The additional state funds that Howell quotes for Stafford and Fredericksburg are as a result of re-benchmarking the LCI, which is done on an annual basis to reflect the local economic climate. Howell seems to imply that this is in some way related to “lifting expensive mandates [and] instituting structural reforms to VRS.” This couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, because of the watering down of the minimum educational standards contained with the SOQ, Stafford and Fredericksburg will be receiving less money – not more (see Table 1). This actually exacerbates the funding cliff that exists for Stafford and Fredericksburg in FY’12.
While utter panic and fear set in, fear not, Howell and the Republicans have a plan (Snark). It’s not bad enough that they have proposed to lower the minimum educational standards in Virginia, resulting in a decrease in funding, but they plan to make up this difference on the backs of our teachers and support staff. You heard me right. The same folks who have gone without raises and who have seen health care premiums rise significantly over the last several years. Thanks to Howell, local school boards will now have the option of requiring employees to pay up to 5 percent of the cost of the Virginia Retirement System. This is how Howell defines “giving local school divisions greater flexibility.” Well thanks, Bill! This equates to another reduction in teacher and support staff pay.
So the VRS “flexibility” simply shifts a portion of what the localities were paying onto the backs of teachers and support staff. In addition to shifting a portion of VRS contributions onto these employees, Gov. McDonnell and Howell are also planning on steep cuts in contributions, overall, to the VRS. The effect of this will be nothing short of devastating and will most likely result in significant future budget woes – possibly having to be covered through increased taxes. As the Richmond Times-Dispatch noted,
The problem is the widening gap between what retirement experts say is necessary to fully fund the pension plans and what the state is willing to pay. Virginia’s pension plans were funded at 84 percent of their future liabilities for state employees last summer and 76 percent for teachers; by 2013, VRS projects the plans would fall below 62 percent of their obligations for state employees and 59 percent for teachers at current contribution rates.
Gov. McDonnell and Howell also plan on additional “reforms” of VRS for new employees. As the Virginia Education Association explains,
Future hires will have a reduced retirement benefit.
The House lowers the multiplier for future hires from the current 1.7% to 1.65%. The Senate does not change the multiplier.
The House uses the “Rule of 90” for future hires. Your age and service would need to add up to 90 for you to qualify for full retirement. The full retirement age in the Senate bill for future hires is age 60 with 30 years of experience.
The Senate conforms the full retirement age for new hires having less than 30 years of experience to the Social Security retirement age.
For new hires, both chambers change the formula for determining the Average Final Salary (AFS) to the average of the highest 5 years. This is a change from the average of the highest three years.Finally, the House and the Senate both change the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA). The COLA is intended to protect your retirement income from inflation. Currently, the COLA is capped at 5%. You get a 1% increase for each of the first three percentage points of inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and 0.5% for each additional point up to seven percentage points of inflation. The current cap is 5%. Under the new proposal you get a 1% increase for the first two percentage points of inflation, followed by 0.5% for the next eight points up to ten percentage points of inflation. The new cap is 6%.
The state saves money on the new COLA if inflation is low, but loses money if inflation is high.
The problem with all of this is that it will take a very long time to realize any savings, let alone in FY’11 or FY’12. The math simply does not add up.
If you can’t take anymore, I would stop reading at this point. The Washington Post also describes how the House budget plans on lumping
together funding for the Virginia Preschool Initiative, early reading and other targeted programs for at-risk students. Instead of distributing the money based on the number of students who qualify for free or reduced-cost lunch programs (proven barometers for identifying at-risk students), block grants then would go to localities according to student enrollment as defined by average daily membership.
The effect would be to take money intended to help students who are at risk of educational failure and redirect it to districts that are larger and wealthier.
These “block grants” would now be awarded based on student enrollment and not on need. This is what Howell calls “flexibility.” Oh yeah, according to Del. Kay Kory (D-38th), the “block grants” will also be slashed by $500 million.
All of what I’ve just talked about represents catastrophic cuts to public preK-12 education. What’s sad is that Howell tries to dupe constituents with misleading data and false conclusions. He is the worst of the worst type of politicians. So while Gov. McDonnell and Howell provide significant tax credits to businesses and funds them with these catastrophic cuts, our children are being victimized. Hey I guess since our schools are being gutted, the only way to attract businesses is to provide huge incentives to come here. Our school system certainly wouldn’t be what attracts them.
Gov. McDonnell and Howell clearly don’t understand the economic benefit of a strong education system: gutting preK-12 education, creating a huge VRS liability and laying off 30,000 workers is clearly a better economic plan. Anyone want to call for a re-vote?
McDonnell’s War on K-12 Education
The Commonwealth of Virginia is currently facing a $4.5 billion shortfall in the 2010-2012 biennial budget. All of this is on top of the $7 billion already cut under the prior biennial budget. Information continues to emerge in small doses about rumored cuts to be proposed by Gov. McDonnell. It’s hard to figure out exactly what McDonnell will propose, since many of his meetings are taking place behind closed doors and he has continuously refused to share his ideas with the public. Based on various published reports, it appears that McDonnell plans on recommending more than $680 million be cut from K-12 education. This would represent more than 40% of the $1.7 billion in cuts he has been rumored to be proposing. This savings would be realized by moving away from the state’s Standards of Quality mandates. I’ll discuss this more in a moment.
The main funding formula that is used to determine state versus local education funding responsibility is something called the Local Composite Index (LCI). The LCI is the result of a four-decade old Supreme Court ruling that sought to uphold the constitutional guarantee that all children are required to receive an equivalent education. How the LCI is calculated is a bit complicated. Basically it weights a localities real property value, per capita income and student population against the rest of the Commonwealth.
Every year the LCI is rebenchmarked to reflect the economic climate. Gov. Kaine had proposed, prior to leaving office, to delay rebenchmarking for one year to save approximately $29 million. When Gov. McDonnell took office he had initially said that he would uphold Gov. Kaine’s decision and actually took it a step further by proposing to delay rebenchmarking the index until FY ’12. In Stafford County, this would have resulted in a $4.5 million reduction of education funding from the state. The state would have only been required to provide 63.71 percent of Stafford’s school budget.
Gov. McDonnell finally succumbed to public pressure and announced that he would indeed allow this key index to be rebenchmarked this year. The winners locally would be Stafford and Fredericksburg. The state would now be responsible for providing 66.38 percent (a 2.67% increase) of Stafford’s and 22.37 percent (a 1.8% increase) of Fredericksburg’s school budget. Spotsylvania County would actually receive 2.59 percent less funds from the state. I’m hearing that would reduce Spotsylvania’s state funding by $1.1 million.
As I mentioned earlier, Gov. McDonnell is rumored to be planning on cutting more than $680 million of K-12 education funds by moving away from the state’s Standards of Quality mandates. These mandates define the “minimum” requirements of a “basic” education in Virginia. The major budget driver is the staffing standard contained within the Standards of Quality. The staffing standards prescribe teacher to student, principal to student, librarian to student, school counselor to student and clerical to student ratios; maximum class sizes; the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) instructional positions for students needing Prevention, Intervention, and Remediation services; limited English proficiency teacher to student ratios; art, music and physical education teacher to student ratios in grades K-5; and technology support to student ratios. Also, depending on a school division’s combined failure rate on the English and Mathematics Standards of Learning tests the teacher to student ratio ranges would fluctuate within those areas. What I just described is at a high level and things are broken out in much more detail within the Standards of Quality. Additionally, the staffing requirements must also conform to the 2009 Appropriation Act.
It is important to reiterate that these standards represent a “minimum” standard. Many school districts exceed these requirements by further reducing the aforementioned ratios. Based on these “minimum” standards a locality does not currently receive any state funds for any art, music or physical education teachers above 5th grade. If a school wants to provide these essential positions, they must find the funding for them locally. Again, the Standards of Quality are “minimum” education standards.
Let’s get back to what is rumored to be Gov. McDonnell’s education war plan. He wants to move away from the Standards of Quality, which could only mean that he will propose increasing the aforementioned student ratios, potentially eliminate intervention funding for struggling students, and potentially eliminate K-5 state funding for the arts, music and physical education. So at a time when we should be talking about raising our education standards, McDonnell’s solution may be to drop them. How will this lead to a more competitive workforce? While other countries are investing more money and raising standards, we are going to reduce them?
Let me state in no uncertain terms that McDonnell’s plan to allow the LCI to rebenchmark combined with a lowering of the Standards of Quality will lead to a decrease in funding for most school districts, regardless of the results of the rebenchmarking. Anything now above these even lower “minimum” standards will now have to be paid for by the localities. With many localities struggling, this could only mean an even deeper cut to our education services and many more teacher layoffs.
I strongly urge everyone to contact the Governor’s office and demand that our standards be raised and not lowered! It’s past time for Gov. McDonnell to level with all Virginians and end the closed-door meetings.
Del. Pollard Named to McDonnell Transition Advisory Group
Del. Albert Pollard (D-99) did his part. He endorsed Creigh Deeds for Governor prior to the Democratic primary in June and appeared with him at multiple events in Fredericksburg and the Northern Neck. But the dust has settled and the voters of the 99th district have spoken: Pollard for Delegate and McDonnell for Governor.
Pollard, who has a lifetime 96% rating from the Virginia League of Conservation Voters and is a recipient of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation Legislator of the Year award, has been named to Bob McDonnell’s Transition Team Advisory Group for Natural Resources.
Delegate Albert C. Pollard, Jr., was recently appointed to Governor-elect McDonnell’s Transition Team Advisory Group for Natural Resources.
The news which first appeared on the Washington Post website is an effort of the incoming administration’s efforts to reach across the aisle.
“It’s an honor to be appointed to Governor-elect McDonnell’s transition team,” said Pollard. “At this point in our nation’s history, we cannot waste time with petty partisan politics. Future generations will not care if the Chesapeake Bay was cleaned by one party or another – only that the job was done.”
Now maybe Speaker Howell will wise up and put Pollard on the Agriculture, Chesapeake, and Natural Resources Committee where he belongs?
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