To the Editor:
The election on Tuesday offers voters nothing less than a stark choice between moving forward or slipping backward as voters elect a new governor. I hope voters will make the smart choice by electing Tim Kaine (D) to continue the progress and excellent management initiated by the Warner administration.
Gov. Warner (D) and Lt. Gov. Kaine have spent four years cleaning up the mess left by the Gilmore administration that had a single-minded focus on cutting the car tax without regard to the devastating impacts on services and financial well-being of the Commonwealth. Under Warner’s leadership, Democratic and Republican legislators came together last year to pass a budget and tax reform that put our financial house in order and preserved our bond rating, invested more than $1 billion in our schools, directed desperately needed funding to mental health and Medicare programs, and funded transportation initiatives. Warner leaves office with a 75 percent approval rating, Virginia was named the best managed state in the country this year, and Tim Kaine would continue that progress to address the many challenges that still remain.
His opponent, Jerry Kilgore (R), has run the most appallingly negative campaign in memory. He has made promises to improve transportation, but without identifying the funding sources, while simultaneously saying he’ll cut tax revenue. He has said he would rollback the 2004 budget agreement, eliminating the critically needed investment in schools, transportation and human services. And he has sought to drive a wedge and divide people over the issues of race and illegal immigration, instead of looking for ways to address this issue in a manner that acknowledges its complexities and challenges.
This race will be extraordinarily tight. Every vote will make a difference. Let’s keep Virginia moving forward and elect Tim Kaine on Nov. 8.
Jennifer Heinz
Springfield