By R.H. Melton
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, February 13, 1998; Page B01

RICHMOND, Feb. 12—With telephone banks, mass mailings and other trappings of a statewide campaign, the Gilmore administration launched a speedy publicity effort today to blunt new Democratic attacks on the proposed rollback of Virginia's car tax.

One senior aide to Gov. James S. Gilmore III (R) said "thousands upon thousands" of voters will be reached as the governor answers Democrats who are challenging official estimates about the tax's ultimate cost to local governments.

Led by Del. C. Richard Cranwell (Roanoke), Democratic legislators have begun crafting in recent days a spirited -- and sometimes emotional -- critique of Gilmore's proposal, saying it ignores enormous statewide needs in school construction and renovation.

At the same time, some General Assembly members have embraced a more modest proposal to sharply cut the state's 4.5 percent tax on food, saying it would be more equitable than reducing the car tax, which is felt most keenly in affluent regions such as Northern Virginia.

Republicans insisted they weren't in a panic over the car tax, but the Democrats' incessant attacks have begun to worry them: A political action committee founded by Gilmore after his November victory mailed letters warning of the "powerful special interest groups and liberal politicians" who are fighting the governor.

"Citing vague 'unmet needs,' they are working hard against cutting the car tax," said the letter, which is signed by PAC chairman and former state attorney general Richard Cullen. "Only your show of support can offset the intensive lobbying efforts of the tax and spend crowd." In addition to urging voters to contact their legislators, the PAC letter asked for donations of $100, $50 "or even $25" to help get its message out.

Gilmore, meanwhile, prepared to fly across the state Friday to hold news conferences in four major media markets covering the state -- Northern Virginia, Norfolk, Roanoke and far Southwest Virginia.

Asked today whether the publicity effort was a sign he was on the defensive, the governor told reporters, "I'm not feeling the heat; I'm applying the heat." Gilmore has promised to virtually eliminate the tax on cars and trucks over five years. During last year's campaign he estimated that would cost $1.6 billion, a figure that since has nearly doubled to $2.8 billion.

Several Republicans said the PAC's mailing and phone bank operation was a signature tactic of Gilmore's chief of staff, M. Boyd Marcus Jr., a veteran of several tough political campaigns.

Ray Allen, a Richmonder who runs the PAC, said tonight that corporate money will help finance the publicity effort, but he declined to say what the total cost will be.

The PAC will target nominally Democratic districts that Gilmore carried and those where the state senator or delegate is sitting on the fence about whether to vote for the tax rollback.

"There's nothing like having a member's phone light up," said one PAC strategist. "It's Politics 101. Boyd's taking nothing for granted."

The targeted politicians include a number of senior Democrats, including Del. Alan A. Diamonstein (Newport News) and Sen. R. Edward Houck (Spotsylvania), who head their party's caucuses, as well as more junior members such as Del. James M. Scott (Fairfax).

Scott, who was first elected to the House by the slimmest of margins -- one vote -- said that although he is concerned about the harmful effects of the rollback, he would endorse it in some form.

"I'm worried about some implications for schools and transportation, but I think we have to do something because the voters have said that's what they want," Scott said.

Although his district went for Gilmore opponent Donald S. Beyer Jr. last fall, Scott is typical of the moderate Democrats who are already feeling the pressure from the governor's convincing victory.

Scott recently conducted a voter survey back home and found that while there is no consensus on the car tax, a plurality of those who responded said they would keep paying it if necessary to maintain vital local services.

Those results may conform to a recent statewide survey of about 500 voters by Democratic pollster Alan Secrest, of Alexandria, who found that voter support for the rollback declined if respondents were warned that it could result in program cuts, according to party leaders.

The results of the Secrest poll, which leading Democrats will not discuss for the record, reflects the strategy pursued by Cranwell and his allies in the House. A 26-year veteran of that rambunctious chamber, Cranwell seems determined to be a daily thorn in Gilmore's side on the car tax.

Today was no exception.

Phasing out the tax "is going to inflict pain on Virginia not in the future, but currently," Cranwell said as the House opened its floor session.

He spoke again moments later, blasting Gilmore for wildly underestimating the impact of the rollback during the campaign. "If they thought it was going to be $400 million-$500 million during the campaign, they would have said so," he said. "But it's double or nothing now."

Both sides of the debate have imperfect numbers, partly because neither can predict accurately what the state's economy will do in the years to come.

Gilmore has estimated the two-year cost -- Virginia has biennial budgets -- at $493 million, a number that some legislative staff members said tonight was actually too high.

In a related development, Virginia's counties and cities renewed their request that their treasuries be protected in any car-tax rollback.

Pierce R. Homer, the longtime lobbyist for the Prince William County government, told a special Senate subcommittee that safeguards and flexibility were crucial to fast-growing jurisdictions such as his. Homer also pointed out that language creating a voucher system -- allowing counties to be reimbursed by the state for lost car-tax money -- was not yet in the proposed legislation.