Comments on: Is Dave Albo The New Russ Potts?

By: Wine Please

Wine Please — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 19:57:39 +0000

Hampton Roads Voter said on 29 Jun 2008 at 11:03 pm:
I would dare to naively guess that NOVA and HR/TW have more miles of road constructed than the more rural areas of the state. And again there seems to be little-to-no oversight on these regional boards (not that there seems to be much more on the state level…).

Is it too simplistic to get the verbiage ammended to state it needs to be based on population, tax influx, and traffic needs and not by some arbitrary language of “road miles constructed”? If 40% of the population of Virginia resides in NOVA (and that is just a number I pulled out of the air), why should we get 40% of the transportation money? That way if populations shift and suddenly the Blacksburg area has 40% of the state population, they can then get the money they need.

By: Hampton Roads Voter

Hampton Roads Voter — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 03:03:37 +0000

It’s amazing to me that you have just asked an elected official to vote FOR gridlock. You must be an idiot, as your only mention of voting is “refuse to vote for any transportation bill that doesn’t have NOVA “fair” share.” If you would engage the question, you will see that bills don’t come up with a “FAIR SHARE” clause. The state-wide funding formula is based on road miles constructed, NOT population. Therefore, YOU WILL NEVER GET A FAIR SHARE IF YOU DO IT THROUGH RICHMOND. THAT’S WHY YOU NEED A LOCAL SOLUTION.

By: Thumper

Thumper — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:09:41 +0000

Delegate Albo, I understand whole revenue mismatch. I think we hear it time and time again from every NOVA delegate every two years and every two years, we send the same people who continue to tell us they are getting us more money. Every year they come back empty handed.

Personally, I see regional taxing authority to be copout instead of fighting for funding I’m sure you talk about every two years to your voters. Personally, I’m sick of it. However Delegate Albo, your not my delegate, Delegate Miller is so you can completely ignore me. Instead of setting up regional taxing authorities which voters/courts/dog catcher reject, refuse to vote for any transportation bill that doesn’t have NOVA “fair” share. It’s gridlock now, by refusing to cooperate can’t be any worse.

By: Dave Albo

Dave Albo — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 17:15:18 +0000

The article is interesting and raises some good points. However, it does not offer a SOLUTION on how to build roads in NOVA and Hampton Roads. Let me comment from the NOVA perceptive and let HR people comment on their situation independently.

The reason I am supporting the regional transportation concept is that I am trying to find a way to raise $ for transportation and have it stay in NOVA. If new money is put into statewide transportation, as the Governor and Senator Saslaw are proposing, the new $ goes through funding formulas that do not return it to where it was raised. For example, according to the Saslaw and Governor plans for statewide transportation, NOVA pays 40% of all revenue to the state but only receives 14% of the $. Obviously, I do not support that.

While in 2007 the General Assembly did put in hundreds of millions in new road $ statewide via HB 3202, the statewide portion of that bill plan did not come close to what NOVA needs. So the only SOLUTION available is to create these regional packages where all the money raised in NOVA stays in NOVA.

I don’t have all the answers. If people have better ideas for a SOLUTION, I am all ears.

Thanks

Dave

By: Bill Schmidt

Bill Schmidt — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 16:21:06 +0000

Something is wrong in your reporting on this. Delegate Jack Rust has not been a member of the House of Delegates since he lost to Chap Peterson in 2001.

The one rationale for forming local tax districts for transportation is that it has been impossible for various reasons to change the current allocation formula for transportation funding. Northern Virginia sees that they send funds to Richmond and get a smaller percentage back for transportation. How true this is is difficult to say, since the state budgeting and spending process is so convoluted that few if anyone really understands just where the funds come from or are spent.

By: Arlington Minority

Arlington Minority — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 17:09:16 +0000

The stench from this cabal of self-interest must be reminiscent of that created at the federal level when the GOP had control of Congress until 2006. Politicians of every stripe so easily lose sight of whom they are sworn to serve.

By: Free Citizen

Free Citizen — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 16:30:06 +0000

All sounds interesting to me. Many of the so called Conservative Repb. are not really conservative. They are interested in what they want. They will play games every which way to get what they want.
Look at McQuigg??? Shes a great example of play cards and tricks. All to get a high paying job before she goes under and she’s not equipped to do the job.
Now she has payback to Fitszy boy and he got a high paying job.

These people could care less about the average citizen and it’s time we wake up.