Taxes and Transportation Top Va. Debate

The chamber debate is historically a forum on Northern Virginia's transportation problems, a key concern of many in the region's business community.

Kaine and Kilgore seized on that topic. Kilgore promised repeatedly to widen Interstate 66 inside the Capital Beltway and said he would work to build another bridge across the Potomac River. Kaine talked about raising money for roads and transit with Warner and vowed to do more of the same.

But both spent more time trying to discredit the other's plans than in offering details about their own.

"Talk about a hollow plan," Kaine said of Kilgore's promise to improve transportation in Northern Virginia. "My opponent has never done anything in the area of transportation except fight against our efforts to fund it."

Kilgore accused Kaine of supporting a gas tax increase during the fight over the 2004 budget even though the Democrat says he does not support one now. "He wanted to raise the gas tax -- double the gas tax -- make the gas tax the highest in the nation," Kilgore said.

David Guernsey, who sat at a table with other former chairmen of the chamber and Potts at the debate, dismissed both Kaine and Kilgore.

"Transportation lip service," Guernsey said. "One of the reasons we wanted Russ Potts up there was because we have at least one guy -- albeit a guy with no chance -- who is telling it like it is."

Mike Lewis, another former chamber chairman, said he was especially disappointed with Kilgore's performance.

"He stayed with pre-scripted themes and didn't address real issues," Lewis said after the debate. He said Kilgore repeatedly promised new roads and bridges for Northern Virginia without saying how he would pay for them.

Del. Timothy D. Hugo (R-Fairfax) said Kilgore did well by criticizing Kaine repeatedly for supporting the tax increase that ended the 2004 budget stalemate. Kilgore opposed the increase, which raised $1.5 billion over two years for state services, but said he had no plans to seek its reversal.

"He made the point that Kaine is a liberal who is going to raise your taxes," Hugo said.

Discussing his stand against public funding for centers to help day laborers, some of whom might be illegal immigrants, Kilgore said the problem is "politicians encouraging the breaking of the law." Kaine responded by saying "there's a mean-spiritedness in your attack."

Russert questioned Kaine about whether the Democrat's personal opposition to the death penalty would influence his decisions as governor.

"I'm not going to spend my time fighting a quixotic battle that I can't win," Kaine answered.

Kilgore dismissed the second debate as "a stunt" and announced he would be discussing education policy with the Fairfax superintendent of schools and the U.S. secretary of Education Tuesday afternoon.

In the second forum, Potts chastised Kaine for promising an expensive preschool program and for failing to offer specific plans to raise money for transportation projects. Potts has said the state needs to raise taxes by $2 billion or more for transportation improvements.

Kaine said that Potts's attacks on him as immoral showed an inability to lead. "If you hurl a charge like that . . . what kind of ability do you have to make things happen?" Kaine said. "If you're so quick to throw out a charge and not listen to what people have to say."

The debate telecasts were available to most cable TV subscribers in the region. The Kaine-Kilgore forum will be rebroadcast at 2 p.m. Sunday.

Both campaigns indicated yesterday that they have plenty of money left to get their messages out before the Nov. 8 election. Kilgore aides said his campaign took in $3.2 million during the past two months, beating Kaine by about $1 million for the period. Kilgore has about $6.7 million on hand; Kaine has $5.7 million; and Potts has $300,000.