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Something Wilder
Richmond Mayor L. Douglas Wilder wants the three candidates for governor to devote more of their platforms to the problems that afflict Virginia's cities, from truancy to violent crime.
Mr. Wilder, who served as governor from 1990 to 1994, will make his endorsement based on the response to his proposals from Democrat Timothy M. Kaine, Republican Jerry W. Kilgore and independent H. Russell Potts, Wilder senior policy adviser Paul Goldman said.
Though not critical of any of the candidates, Mr. Goldman said all three have courted swing voters in suburban and rural Virginia, perhaps at the expense of the cities. "It would be nice to get that in the mix," he said.
Mr. Wilder, who is Richmond's first popularly elected mayor in more than a half-century, plans to approach the campaigns to seek their support for up to 10 pieces of legislation that he defines as critical to the cities, Mr. Goldman said.
They include:
• Drug testing of any drug offenders for 18 months after their release from prison.
• Ending the practice of allowing public housing authorities to hire their own legal counsel, which costs Richmond $1 million in legal fees annually.
• Giving cities more power to deal with unruly students and to hold parents more accountable.
• Giving parents more freedom to remove their children from schools they deem dangerous.
Mr. Goldman said Mr. Wilder is in a unique position to discuss urban issues with the candidates as a former governor and because of Richmond's "strong mayor" form of government, a change he helped to make.
"I think he can say these things, and he can say, 'Look, I'm not one of your competitors,'?" Mr. Goldman said. "Let's not forget our cities."
Though Mr. Wilder has not endorsed a candidate for governor, his name has emerged in recent days in the campaign. Last week, Mr. Kilgore suggested to reporters that Mr. Wilder criticized Mr. Kaine in a magazine article.
The reference was to an issue of the New Republic, in which Mr. Wilder railed against decades of public embarrassment over the capital city's corruption and missteps. Mr. Wilder denied he was "slamming" anyone in particular, including Mr. Kaine, who served as mayor from 1998 to 2001.
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http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20050814-095411-8626r_page2.htm
Is Mr. Goldman implying that Kaine was not a "strong mayor?"
hmmmm...
Any reason these shouldn't be immediately added to the Kilgore platform?