From The Post
Allen leaves a solid economy and a state transformed.
Allen Touts Gains and Looks Ahead
 "We kept faith with the people of Virginia," Allen told lawmakers. (By Robert A. Reeder – The Washington Post) |
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, January 15, 1998;
Page D01
RICHMOND, Jan. 14 – Outgoing Gov. George Allen said farewell tonight to lawmakers and Virginia voters in a triumphant review of four years of conservative activism that position him for a future run for statewide office.
In his final State of the Commonwealth address, two days before the inauguration of his ideological heir, James S. Gilmore III, Allen recited a record of achievement that even Democrats say will endure for some time.
Four years after entering office as a fiery partisan, a more mellow Allen cited gains in such areas as criminal justice, welfare reform, job creation, education standards, tuition assistance and the size of state government, which shrank by 10,000 full-time employees.
"We kept faith with the people of Virginia," Allen told legislators and state government dignitaries gathered in the ornate chamber of the House of Delegates.
Invoking Theodore Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, Allen announced no major budget initiatives, but he did say he was proposing for the next two years about $350 million in tax reductions, including $260 million to pay for the first phase of Gilmore's planned car-tax rollback.
Other tax cuts, he said, include a deduction for the purchase of prepaid college tuition and the long-delayed elimination of the sales tax on nonprescription drugs.
Allen also said the budget will include funding for 1,350 new elementary school teachers and an initiative to reduce class size in schools.
The governor ticked off a series of accomplishments that he acknowledged were made possible, at least in part, by the growing economy, which will pump an additional $1.8 billion into the next budget. His administration, he said, cut taxes by more than $600 million and maintained the state's high bond rating. On the transportation front, Allen took note of the Route 234 bypass in Prince William County that is nearing completion and the ongoing improvements to Interstate 66 as examples of major construction projects that moved forward during his administration.
Allen's hour-long address was interrupted by applause 30 times and showed off his trademark folksy style. However, at the outset of the speech, he had sharp words for Democrats about today's wrangling for control of the House of Delegates.
Departing from his original draft, he said, "Here in Virginia – Virginia, the birthplace of American freedom – it is never right to silence the voices and the will of the people!"
There were rare moments of bipartisan feeling. When Allen singled out Lt. Gov Donald S. Beyer Jr. for recognition, the legislators jumped to their feet with an ovation and later applauded him a second time.
And when Allen praised Gilmore's plan to repeal the dreaded personal property tax on vehicles, Republicans cheered loudly – and many Democrats applauded, too.
A tantalizing moment came toward the end when Allen said, "Ladies and gentlemen, this may be the last time I address you as governor in this chamber . . . at least in this century," suggesting that he may run for governor again when Gilmore leaves office in 2002. Republicans cheered again.
Political activists and members of the General Assembly, which convened today, said one of Allen's greatest legacies may be the revitalization of the state's Republican Party, which was playing havoc with Democrats in the House chamber at the very moment Allen was rehearsing his speech earlier in the day.
"He crystallized what you see happening right now," said Robert L. Calhoun, an Alexandria lawyer and former Republican state senator, cocking his head toward the House, where GOP delegates temporarily brought proceedings to a standstill.
"Republicans had been a factor, but he really made them a controlling factor," Calhoun added.
Allen aides said the day was bittersweet for the governor, whose plans for tax cuts and other initiatives were frustrated by Democrats early in his term. With three days left for him in the Executive Mansion, he was witnessing what had so long eluded him: Republicans on equal footing with Democrats in the state Senate and House.
"It all could have been easier if he had the numbers he has today," said Ken Stroupe, Allen's press secretary and an aide for the past seven years.
Allen's address capped what has been a remarkable career that took him from freshman GOP congressman to governor, riding a conservative wave that crested in the fall with a Republican sweep of the top three jobs in state government.
"He presided over a realignment of statewide politics," said Robert Holsworth, a Virginia Commonwealth University professor and longtime commentator on the state's electoral currents.
Holsworth said Allen helped lead the state away from many years of Democratic rule to a climate in which a more strongly partisan brand of Republicanism could flourish.
Along the way, Holsworth and others said, Allen achieved some big victories, whether it was trimming the number of state employees or abolishing parole.
Some Democrats continue to scoff at Allen's accomplishments, even as they concede that although he started with little more than his aw-shucks charm, he left office with a reputation as a can-do executive.
"Welfare reform had already happened, and on parole we merely fixed the terms that were already being handed out," said House Majority Leader C. Richard Cranwell (D-Roanoke), a 26-year delegate who served in the legislature with Allen.
Asked why Allen's popularity seemed to rise over time, to the point where today he is Virginia's most popular officeholder, Cranwell said, "I wish to hell I knew."
Frank B. Atkinson, a Richmond lawyer and Allen confidant who has written a history of Virginia Republicans, said Allen had the good fortune to run for governor just as Virginia was taking on a more conservative flavor.
"There's an old saying about the instance when a man and moment converge, and this was a moment where he was able to take that mandate, transforming policy and making political gains for the party," said Atkinson, who served three years as Allen's top in-house lawyer and policy director.
Betsy Davis Beamer, a longtime Allen friend and his patronage chief in government, said his personality is solid gold, politically.
"Whether it's George Allen the delegate, congressman, candidate, governor or as a friend, what you see is what you get, and that's really refreshing to find that in a person," Beamer said.
"He connects with the average voter. People trust this man," said Chris LaCivita, executive director of the state Republican Party and Allen's chief political adviser when he went to Congress in 1991.
In the final five weeks of the 1995 state campaign, LaCivita recalled, Allen maintained a brutal pace of appearances, helping GOP candidates by showing up for 80 fund-raisers, luncheons and door-knocking swings.
He was not always a sunny good old boy, this son of the late Washington Redskins coach George Allen. Early on, he picked fights with the General Assembly, then seemingly in firm Democratic control, and he argued incessantly with the senior leadership of the Republican Party.
But he matured, say a number of observers.
"He grew in his four years," said Rep. Thomas M. Davis III, a Northern Virginia Republican, who was here today. "There is a sobering transition from campaigning to governing. It took him a bit of time, but he did it."
Allen's closest aides see a bright future for their boss. His perch at one of Richmond's silk-stocking law firms – not to mention a salary well into six figures – will keep him smack in the middle of the capital city's politics.
"The Senate [in 2000] or a run for governor are very real possibilities for him," Stroupe said. "He's going to stay involved with the party and the community.
"He'll be very high-profile for the next several years."
© Copyright 1998 The Washington Post Company
