Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, August 16, 1993 TAG: 9308160143
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Medium
When it was her turn to speak to about 900 locally elected government officials, Democratic candidate Mary Sue Terry pledged to give them more hands-on help from state government and to foster regional cooperation.
"We need to give local officials more support from Richmond, not more red tape," Terry said.
All six candidates for statewide office appeared before the annual Local Government Officials Conference. They didn't debate, but gave standard stump speeches slightly tailored to the audience.
The Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, Mike Farris, also criticized state regulations imposed on local governments. He told of complaints he received from a mayor in Southwest Virginia who had to spend most of the funds allocated to build a sewer line on state-required engineering studies.
"Regulation is not only killing local governments in Virginia, it's killing business in Virginia," he said.
Allen said during the past 12 years with Democratic governors, state spending has grown 143 percent and the number of state regulations have increased. In the past two years, 29 new mandates have been imposed on local governments, but only 32 percent of the state requirements now include state funds to carry them out.
Terry said state government needs to be streamlined so it's an asset rather than a roadblock to local development. She said she would put someone in the governor's office whose "chief responsibility will be to work with local governments and address their concerns in a substantive way."
She also said she also would create an economic development council that would have representatives from the state's regional economic development groups.
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB