Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 19, 1993 TAG: 9305190120
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: BY ROB EURE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
Williams, in a new booklet touting his platform, backs home schooling for the first time in his campaign. The stand is an apparent effort to woo Republicans supporting lieutenant governor candidate Mike Farris, a home-school advocate.
Williams said his position was not calculated to appeal to Farris' delegates to the state GOP convention next month. But "I have no objection to anyone voting for me based on that issue," he said.
"Since we aren't spending state money to teach their kids, they ought to at least be able to recover the cost of their materials," Williams said.
Williams is trying to catch frontrunner George Allen of Albemarle in the nomination contest. Farris, whose candidacy is thought to have attracted some conservatives who remain undecided on the gubernatorial race, could control an important bloc of delegates on the convention floor.
Allen claims he has the nomination locked up; Williams and the third gubernatorial candidate, Del. Clinton Miller, R-Woodstock, say he is shy of a majority and losing ground. Williams said Tuesday he believes he is about 5 percentage points behind Allen with three weeks remaining before the June 4-5 convention.
Williams' 64-page booklet, much like an issues document published four years go by then-candidate Marshall Coleman, was mailed this week to 14,000 convention delegates.
In the book, "Solutions for a Change," Williams outlines other positions new to his campaign. He calls for indexing state income tax brackets for inflation. And he proposes several tax breaks or increased deductions for businesses.
Williams also calls for a constitutional amendment to require a three-fifths majority vote in the legislature for an increase in income or sales taxes. A majority is needed now.
Williams, who retired last year as chief executive from BDM, a McLean-based defense contractor, criticized Gov. Douglas Wilder's budget management, which the Democratic incumbent regularly touts as his proudest achievement.
Virginia, one of the few states that did not raise general taxes in the past four years, missed "a real opportunity to completely restructure our state government," Williams said. Instead, Wilder "decided to raid various trust funds, delay capital investment, jack up college tuitions and protect the bureaucracy and our growing welfare state," he said.
by CNB