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Virginia Capitol C onnections, Winter 2017
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As Governor, Kaine was considered a centrist, and championed
a host of issues, including conservation, health care, and
transportation. In balancing the budget, he received flak for shutting
down rest stops, but the closure proved to be temporary. Kaine had
the misfortune of being Governor during the Virginia Tech shooting
in 2007, in which 32 people lost their lives. He was in Japan at
the time, and was praised for cutting his trip short so that he could
return to the Commonwealth and provide leadership to the stunned
citizens. He set up a review panel to break down the causes and
solutions for the tragedy.
Kaine’s “brand” includes not only political know-how, but he is
also known as “a quite humble, down-to-earth, genuine nice guy.”
(Mark J. Rozzell . What’s more down-to-earth than
a harmonica player?
“Playing the harmonica with great musicians and bands was one
of the highlights of the campaign,” said Kaine. And this reporter can
testify that he is known and loved at one of my own personal haunts:
the City Diner on Broad Street. “The great thing about Richmond is
that they are so used to me that they treat me as their neighbor rather
than as an elected official. And that’s the way I like it.”
Kaine has contributed to our community just by the way he
carries out his daily life. African American Catholic Churches are a
little scarce in the South, and it pains this Southerner to say this, but
in some parts, the Catholics have had a hard time being accepted.
The Kaines are an active family at St. Elizabeth Catholic Church,
well known for its pastor (and my longtime friend through NCCJ)
Sister Cora Marie Billings, one of the first black nuns in the U.S.
The three Kaine children attended Richmond Public Schools, one
of which was named for their grandfather, The Honorable Linwood
Holton.
What comes now for America’s Dad?Well, to his three children,
he’s still “Dad.” To Virginia, he goes back to being a Senator, and to
Richmond, he goes back to being a friend.
“I was honored to be the first Virginia political leader on a ticket
in 170 years, honored to run with Hillary Clinton and proud that we
handily won Virginia and the popular vote. I was back in the Senate
one week after Election Day finishing work on our annual defense
bill and will keep doing all I can to represent the Commonwealth
with energy, creativity and heart.”
Bonnie Atwood, “chief poppy” at Tall Poppies Consulting, was
named “Communicator of Achievement” runner up by National
Federation of Press Women in Wichita Kansas, 2016.
Kaine
By Bonnie Atwood
“Before the campaign, I didn’t even
know there was such a thing as a Dad joke”
Oh, yes, Senator Kaine, Dad
jokes are “a thing.” With your other
accomplishments, you will now go down
in history with the great good-natured
Dads who have contributed to our national
addiction to humor.
Just kidding. The Honorable Senator
Tim Kaine is many things. One of
them—and this is crucial to why I like a
person— is that he is a good sport. Being a Richmonder myself for
the past 35 years, I’ve known the Senator for a long time. Truth be
told, I was stunned when, according to the national conversation, he
sort of came out of nowhere.
I remember sitting with him in the library at Thomas Jefferson
High School in about 1995 when he was on the Richmond City
Council. He helped me strategize a way to keep the school open as
a comprehensive high school. This was one of the most important
fights of my life, and I’m happy to say that we won.
Our community watched with pride as he moved up from city
council to mayor. It felt right. Kaine’s personality was suited to
the job. He was positive, approachable, amiable. Whenever I
avoid a collision in the Richmond’s fan district, I thank him for
the abundance of stop signs. All those factors contributed to his
political success (as well as his later title as “America’s Dad.”) We
heard about his devotion to his mission work in South America,
his marriage to a Virginia governor’s daughter (Anne Holton, an
accomplished woman in her own right), and his love of public
service. As mayor, he negotiated a compromise in a contentious
debate about whether a picture of Robert E. Lee should be included
on a mural on the city’s new floodwall. The result was that Lee’s
portrait was one of a number of historic likenesses.
A few years later, my son (a Thomas Jefferson alumnus),
videotaped Kaine in his bid for Lieutenant Governor. The scene
was the front view of the renovated Maggie Walker High School, a
project that he had worked hard on. With humility, Kaine recently
honored the late Senator Emily Couric, a fellow Democrat, whose
death hastened his path to Lieutenant Governor and then Governor:
“I have no doubt that Emily would have been elected Governor
of Virginia,” he said for this publication, just last spring. Gracious
then, as now, Kaine acknowledged that fate, for better or worse, has
its way in the political life.
One Foot Out
The Door
By Ken Jessup
Twenty some years ago, I worked out
of a cozy cubicle in the second story suite
of David Bailey Associates. Chances are
that you know that DBA is a lobbying firm
based until recently at the majestic Old
City Hall, right next door to the General
Assembly Building.
What a time that was! Our “technology” consisted of desktop
telephones. To hunt down a bill, one had to trot over to the bill
room, either at the GAB or the Capitol. Instead of getting our news
on twitter or Facebook, we got it over coffee at the tall tables at
Chicken’s snack bar. My colleagues and I had a lot of fun—chatting
at the water cooler, schmoozing at legislative receptions, following
bills from their inception to—win or lose— their grand finales.
You probably remember me—I was the guy with the floppy hat
and sunglasses, doing my level best to articulate the needs of small
nonprofits, people with all kinds of disabilities, and working on
environmental issues. I made a lot of friends, and I value that time
of my life.
As I write this, December is trying to decide if it’s winter or
fall. The changing seasons can be a dramatic time. One day it’s
warm; the next day sleet; with the correct season eventually taking
control.
With much kicking and screaming, I have moved into my correct
season, too. I am spending more time with family, traveling with
my wife, and taking care of a few medical issues. I am in—dare
I say it?—retirement. It’s the time of life when your personal life
starts to demand more attention, and you become busier than ever.
Looking back at the lobbying life, I see it as a special calling.
Lobbyists often get a bad rap, but they are the voices of people
and organizations who have the right to address their concerns to
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