Virginia Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell said Tuesday he would cut his Cabinet’s paychecks after he took office in a ceremony that would cost dramatically less than prior inaugurations, setting up an austere transition of power to reflect the bleak economy.
McDonnell, who will be sworn in Jan. 16, pledged an economical ceremony marked by visits to food banks, a jail and a homeless shelter along with the traditional parade and balls.
The incoming governor said he planned to raise $1.5 million to pay for the inauguration, with major state employers such as Dominion, MeadWestvaco and Altria contributing to the event, according to the Virginia Public Access Project, which tracks money in state politics. Gov. Tim Kaine raised $3.1 million for his inauguration four years ago, while former Gov. Mark Warner pulled together $2.5 million.
Dialing back the swearing-in ceremony to suit the times is not without precedent in the Old Dominion, said Mark Greenough, tour supervisor and historian for the Virginia Capitol. Former Gov. Colgate Darden pared down his 1942 inauguration during World War II.
“That was a case where he thought less was more, given the circumstances,” Greenough said.
Virginia did little to mark the change of executives for much of its history, especially before 1851 when the General Assembly, not voters, selected the governor for a single-year term. The current concept of the inauguration “is pretty much a 20th-century phenomenon that’s been reasonably consistent in the last three or four generations,” Greenough said.
McDonnell said Tuesday he would cut his 15 Cabinet members’ salaries by 5 percent, on top of his own, a largely symbolic gesture given the state’s yawning budget deficit estimated at $4.2 billion through 2012. After he takes office, McDonnell is expected to roll out a raft of cuts to replace Kaine’s proposed tax increases.
“In these tough budget times, everybody’s got to contribute, and I intend to do our part,” McDonnell said.
