ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, January 11, 1996 TAG: 9601110124
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: RICHMOND
SOURCE: DAVID M. POOLE STAFF WRITER
Republican Gov. George Allen went out of his way Wednesday to reassure Democratic lawmakers that his in-your-face style of politics is a thing of the past.
In his State of the Commonwealth Address, Allen heaped praise on Democrats for past bipartisan efforts to reform welfare and overhaul the state's criminal sentencing laws. He even singled out senior Democrats whom he vilified last year as "elitists" and "dinosaurs."
"I've never heard the governor stroke so many Democrats in my life," exclaimed Sen. Louis Lucas, D-Norfolk. "You talk about the olive branch. He really stuck it out there."
Allen has struck a conciliatory tone out of necessity; his effort last fall to gain GOP majorities in both chambers of the General Assembly fell short. The goal for his final two years in office will be to scale back his sweeping conservative agenda and try to achieve more measurable goals.
"Whatever our differences may be," he said, "let us each fulfill our duty - without regard to pride or petty political advantage - to bring forth the full flowering of our Virginia Renaissance."
Republicans and Democrats alike said the tone of the speech bodes well for a more harmonious General Assembly session, which convened earlier Wednesday and is scheduled to continue for 60 days.
"I think we have more encouragement to work with this governor, and I welcome that," said House Majority Leader Richard Cranwell, D-Vinton.
"This was very positive," said Del. Allen Dudley, R-Rocky Mount. "If the Senate ever gets started, we'll do some business."
There were no surprises in the State of the Commonwealth Address, the third Allen has delivered since taking office in January 1994.
Allen began by crediting the Democrat-controlled General Assembly for helping keep his campaign promises of ending parole for violent criminals and nudging able-bodied parents off the welfare rolls.
Allen highlighted two of his more achievable goals for the coming session: overhauling the state's juvenile justice system and revamping local business license taxes.
He backed off his call for cutting the state income tax rate for individuals, an idea the legislature summarily killed last year. Instead, he announced the creation of a bipartisan commission to study the state's tax structure.
"This debate [over taxes] is older even than our Republic, and it certainly was renewed in Virginia last year. In the climate of an election year, that debate became harsh and negative. But it doesn't have to be that way."
Allen embraced the Democrats' agenda for more spending on public schools, with one caveat: accountability.
He renewed his call for spending up to $20 million to create standardized student tests that would gauge how well public schools are spending their state funds. School districts that do poorly would lose funding or face other sanctions.
Taking a page from populist Ross Perot, Allen held up a chart showing that while state spending on education has tripled since the 1980s, test scores have remained flat.
"Accountability is what is lacking in our schools today," he said, "and providing it will be the true test of leadership in education in this session."
On higher education, Allen took credit for coming up with an extra $350 million in his spending plan for 1996-98.
But Democratic lawmakers were quick to note that most of the money is either already in the budgets of state colleges and universities or would come from a one-time windfall from a proposed Trigon Blue Cross Blue Shield settlement.
Not all Democrats were thrilled with Allen's speech. Petersburg Del. Jay DeBoer, an Allen critic, said much of the Republican's agenda sounds identical to the proposals he put forward last year.
"I see no new message here," DeBoer said. "I see a new 'kinder and gentler' packaging of last year's message."
In his speech, Governor Allen ...
Reached out to his political rivals and called for a new spirit of cooperation. "Whatever our differences may be, let us each fulfill our duty -- without regard to pride or petty political advantage -- to bring forth the full flowering of our Virginia Renaissance."
Announced appointment of a bipartisan commission to study ways to make Virginia's tax structure more competitive with neighboring states.
Stressed the need to make schools more accountable for student performance. "Spending more money is easy. But ... insisting on accountability takes courage and vision. Accountability is what is lacking in our schools today, and providing it will be the true test of leadership in education this session."
Called for a broad-based juvenile justice reform that seeks to rehabilitate youthful offenders who want to set their lives straight and punish hard-core young criminals. "We must move the hardened juvenile murderers, rapists and other especially violent criminals into secure and separate facilities within the Department of Corrections."
LENGTH: Medium: 94 linesby CNB