For those who wondered if Creigh Deeds was nothing more than Republican Bob McDonnell’s thesis adviser, Wednesday’s Washington Post op-ed page offered a glimmer of hope. Deeds’ journalistic patron gave the Democratic gubernatorial candidate ample space to outline his prescription for what everybody agrees is Northern Virginia’s top concern, transportation. But alas, Deeds’ piece offered only gaseous generalities about mass transit and — surprise — a promise to appoint a new commission after the election to write a comprehensive transportation plan. Having tried to distract voters by obsessively criticizing McDonnell’s thesis, Deeds hopes voters won’t notice that he offers little other than higher taxes and a political dodge to deal with the region’s stifling traffic congestion.
Shortly after answering “no” to a point-blank question during last week’s Fairfax Chamber of Commerce debate on whether he would raise taxes, the Democratic candidate for governor said he was “willing to sign a bill that raises new money for transportation.” Asked about the obvious contradiction, Deeds snapped at a female reporter: “I think I’ve made myself clear, young lady.”
Actually, what Deeds made clear is that, like most politicians, he can’t wait to get his hands on more of the taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars.
As for Deeds’ promised “bipartisan commission to craft a comprehensive transportation package,” there is little mystery about what a panel of Richmond politicians will do. According to a report by the Virginia Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, only $2.6 billion out of $17.5 billion in new state expenditures between 1998 and 2007 was actually spent on transportation, even though it is one of the commonwealth’s core responsibilities.
Otherwise, besides more state subsidies for rail, which is already receiving way more funding than its share of local commuters warrants, Deeds’ solution for Northern Virginia’s clogged highways is to “reduce rush-hour traffic through telecommuting and flextime tax credits,” according to his own Web site.
Virginia’s transportation funding imbalance is most pronounced in the Washington suburbs, where the vast majority of workers commute by automobile. Now, after closing rest stops and freezing construction starts, state Transportation Secretary Pierce Homer told the Commonwealth Transportation Board on June 17: “There’s nothing left to allocate.” Without creative alternatives to a punishing tax increase, there will be no money available for new primary or secondary roads by 2011. Mr. Deeds, meet Mr. Gridlock.
By contrast, McDonnell has a 19-page transportation plan, which contains concrete proposals that at least address Northern Virginia’s congestion problem. He would, for example, widen Interstate 66 and sell state-owned liquor stores, then use the proceeds for transportation upgrades. With Deeds, congestion will only get worse. With McDonnell, there’s a good chance things will get better.
