Kicking off this year's General Assembly session and a year-long celebration of Virginia's founding in Jamestown 400 years ago, Gov. Kaine gave his State of the Commonwealth speech calling for compromise on the transportation issue, among other things.Together, we changed the way we think about transportation and land use in Virginia. Last yearGÇÖs traffic impact statement legislation was a turning point in connecting state transportation planning with local land use planning. As a result, we are beginning to make better decisions in managing VirginiaGÇÖs growth.And the press and reactions to his speech sound good:When we work together, the state of the Commonwealth is strong.
But I think we would all agree that our work together isnGÇÖt finished. Let this session be characterized as one in which we work together to put the needs of Virginians first.
Kaine began the 38-minute speech with a wide, confident grin and two thumbs up. He praised the GOP efforts to reach an agreement and expressed the steadfast optimism for which he is becoming known. He spoke glowingly about the state's achievements and vowed to pursue a higher minimum wage, expand preschool opportunities, raise benefits for the Virginia National Guard and improve health care....Of course, some Republican doubted his bipartisan intentions. To them, I'll simply say that compromise and bipartisanship is a two-way street.Reaction to Kaine's remarks generally was positive. Democrats praised him for rising above partisanship. Republicans said the cooperative tone was the right beginning for a 46-day session that could get testy.
I hope to watch the speech and provide thoughts on its different aspects later. In the meantime, watch it at the WaPo's video feed.