Defections undermine Gilmore's claims

When Republican Jim Gilmore was elected governor, he was determined to keep his campaign promise and eliminate the car tax, come hell or high water.

Despite a sputtering economy, he bull-dogged his pet project through the legislature with crafty budget maneuvers and some heavy arm-twisting. He's paying the price - with defections by two respected party conservatives - for those old battles this year as he campaigns for a seat in the U.S. Senate.

The two Republican chairmen of the General Assembly's budget committees during Gilmore's tenure have endorsed the Democratic candidate, Mark Warner. Senate Finance Chairman John Chichester and House Appropriations Chairman Vince Callahan, who both retired last winter, are ignoring party allegiances. But they contend they remain true to one of the core principles of the GOP.

"There wasn't fiscal prudence during the Gilmore administration," said Callahan in an interview. "Warner inherited a big mess, and Gilmore denies it ever happened."

Warner, who succeeded Gilmore in the governor's mansion, is airing a television ad that brags he solved the "worst budget shortfall in Virginia history" by cutting $6 billion in state spending. Gilmore accuses Warner of concocting a "math myth" to justify his decision to raise taxes in 2004.

Warner adopts the most eye-popping figures available to polish his budget-cutting credentials. The $6 billion figure is a cumulative tally covering a three-year period, which means some reductions are counted three times. The Warner campaign also exaggerates the degree to which Gilmore underestimated the budget shortfall when he left office.

Rather than quibble over particulars, however, Gilmore simply labels the entire budget crisis a hoax. That defense rings hollow for the lawmakers in both parties who vividly remember the painful choices they were forced to make in 2002.

The national economy had been shaken by the 2001 terrorist attacks, but Virginia's ability to recover was compromised by a series of decisions Gilmore made during his term.

n Gilmore pushed ahead with his car tax relief program after discovering it would cost the state well more than $1 billion rather than the $650 million he had estimated.

n When the economy slowed, he glossed over deteriorating tax collections with a proposal to sell off the state's share of a national settlement with tobacco companies. Legislators balked at the deal, but Gilmore counted the anticipated revenues in his budget plan and used the artificially inflated cash flow to justify the continued phase-out of the car tax.

n A show-down over the car tax prevented lawmakers from agreeing on budget revisions in 2001, delaying college construction projects and putting the squeeze on local schools.

n Gilmore continued to start new road projects without paying off debts on completed contracts, creating a $2 billion backlog that forced Warner to delay or cancel 163 projects during his first year in office.

Those budget wars are ancient history for most voters, but they may prove crucial in this year's Senate campaign as Virginians weigh which candidate has the most credibility when offering solutions to the current economic downturn.

Christina Nuckols is an editorial writer for The Virginian-Pilot. Reach her at (804) 697-1562 or christina.nuckols@pilotonline.com.