Posted on 03/25/2005 6:44:10 AM PST by Coventry
Kilgore: Potts’s Candidacy Won’t Distract GOP Voters Local Support Is Clear During Stop at Airport By Michael N. Graff The Winchester Star
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Former attorney general Jerry W. Kilgore stood in Winchester Regional Airport’s lobby on Thursday afternoon — essentially on state Sen. H. Russell Potts Jr.’s front porch — and listened as Winchester-area Republicans whooped and hollered in support of his gubernatorial candidacy.
There was a time many in the crowd would have done the same for Potts.
But after Potts strayed from the party ranks last month and announced that he would oppose Kilgore as an independent candidate for governor, hard-line local Republicans have dropped Potts from their kinship.
Kilgore, it was clear on Thursday, is their choice.
“This area’s important to me regardless of the race,” he said at the airport, the 12th site on his 16-stop statewide tour. “It’s in the [Shenandoah] Valley of Virginia. Republicans need to run strong.”
Kilgore was obviously more focused on Democratic Lt. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, the gubernatorial hopeful who visited Winchester on Wednesday night.
But when addressing Potts, Kilgore abruptly shrugged off the assumption that the four-term Winchester senator would split the GOP vote in November.
“Russ Potts will take more votes from Tim Kaine than he’ll ever take from me because they both have the same views on the issues,” he said. “They’re both going to raise taxes.”
Kilgore will do anything but, he said.
The former attorney general offered plans to cap real estate tax assessments at 5 percent per year, give tax breaks to parents for buying school-related materials, and raise pay for Virginia’s exemplary teachers.
Moreover, Kilgore says he will take every increase to sales, gas, or income taxes to the voters through referendum.
“Government should not tell the people how much it wants,” he said. “The people should tell government how much it gets.”
Kilgore’s plan to help solve the state’s traffic gridlock includes establishing regional transportation authorities.
“I trust the people driving the roads, not the bureaucrats staring at a map in Richmond,” he said.
Del. Clifford L. “Clay” Athey Jr., R-Front Royal, this year proposed a cost-sharing bill that encouraged localities to improve their roads. State money that would have supported the bill did not make it into the final budget.
But at Kilgore’s speech on Thursday, Athey said he thinks things might run differently with the former attorney general in power.
“Many of the themes in his speech are the same things in our House Republican Caucus reform agenda,” Athey said. “If Jerry Kilgore is elected, we’re going to have a real partner in the House of Delegates to get our reform agenda through.”
Kate Obenshain Griffin, a Winchester resident and chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia, said Kilgore would be a welcome change for GOPs after four years with Democratic Gov. Mark Warner.
“Today marks the beginning of our official campaign to register our disapproval of the liberal policies of Virginia’s current Democratic regime, and to restore honor and integrity to the governor’s mansion,” she said. “In Tim Kaine, Virginia Democrats have chosen a candidate who is nothing more than a Howard Dean liberal trying to ride on the coattails of the state’s current tax-mongering administration.”
Kaine and Kilgore appear to be headed for a clash over the best way to relieve Virginians from soaring property taxes and assessments.
Kaine is proposing a “homestead exemption” that would give local governments the option of making up to 20 percent of the assessed value of a home or farm tax-free.
On Wednesday, Kaine called Kilgore’s plan a “California gimmick.”
On Thursday, Kilgore shot back.
“His plan is just an option,” Kilgore said. “It says, ‘Everybody be nice and play well together.’ My plan caps the real estate tax assessment at 5 percent. I take a stand and say to local governments, ‘Be honest.’”
Potts hasn’t unveiled too much of his agenda. But he has said he wants to reinstate the car tax, which the state started rolling back under former Republican Gov. Jim Gilmore. The General Assembly stopped the phaseout in 2004 to help balance the budget.
Kaine said on Wednesday that he does not support reinstating the car tax, and would like to find a way to finish the rollback.
Kilgore said on Thursday that he also wanted to finish eliminating the car tax.
“Sen. Potts and I disagree on almost every issue,” Kilgore said. “But at least in this election, he’s being honest about what he’s going to do with taxes. He’s going to increase every tax coming and going, from the car tax to the gas tax.
“It is my opponent, Tim Kaine, who’s not being honest. While he has the same views as Russ Potts, he’s going to increase taxes, too. He’s just not being honest with Virginians about it.”
That's a refreshing statement.
I know for a FACT that Potts' name is MUD in Winchester and all around there. That dastardly RINO trying this "independent" run will rally people to Kilgore and backfire on the DUmbocRATS he was trying to help. PREDICTION: Kilgore wins by a mile in November. Big-time Apple capital of the world bump!
Come to think of it, I don't recall ever seein' the two of 'em in the same room.
I doublt ol' Russ would pick up the tab either...
Kilgore ping
What is that, 5% of value or 5% yearly increase per property? Artificial caps on increases are inherently unfair, subsidies to those who see their property appreciate at the expense of those who aren't so fortunate.
HEY!! Tell the PUTZ to git his own screen name...MUD
Youse guys crack me up
As a Virginian, I'm quite proud of our State Flag/Seal, in which a valiant lady warrior--holding a longspear and sword--stands with her foot upon the chest of a slain Tyrant King, whose crown has been knocked from his head. The VA State Motto is strung accross the underside of this glorious scene, "Sic Semper Tyrannis"...Thus Always Be To Tyrants!!
I feel it's important to point out that resorting to violence is something we should leave to the Leftist Sociopaths like Janet Reno and Bill Clinton, and the Right should fight heartily against those who would advocate taking Justice into their own hands. However, felling the Tyrant Clinton-- politically, legally, and constitutionally--is something we MUST endeavor to accomplish!! For to accept the Evil that is so rampant in Bill Clinton's character and his Administration is to accept--and condone--Tyranny!!!
RE-IMPEACH. CONVICT. DETHRONE.
DISBAR. DE-PENSION. DE-LEGITIMIZE.
INDICT. CONVICT. IMPRISON. DISCARD KEY.
Quite Sincerely...MUD
FReegards...MUD
Yeah right. My plan is to get rid of it. Let's be honest it's rent paid to the government to live on your own land.
Winchester Tennessee, I presume?
How difficult is it to include some small clue in the title?
Like the name of the state.
I hope he can swing some of the liberals in Northern Virginia.
Ouch - you're mean :)
But still around, you'll be hearing "Governor Kilgore" a lot...
Thanks and FReegards
P8riot
Hey Mud, in case you haven't seen this - http://jerrykilgore.com/contents/ontheroad/kickofftour/kickoffspeech.shtml - it's the kickoff tour speech.
Will do...we need to do another RTM before too long...MUD
IMO Winchester isn't the area Kilgore needs to focus on. It's more likely that Potts will pull the RINO vote in northern VA, especially Tom Davis's district.
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