Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, September 11, 1993 TAG: 9309110072
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
George Allen, the GOP candidate, received the same briefing later and said there will be enough money to pay for the programs he has proposed.
Wilder briefed his fellow Democrat and Allen on Virginia's economy and the outlook for the 1994-96 state budget. Also participating in the private sessions were Secretary of Finance Paul Timmreck and Karen Washabau, director of planning and budget.
Terry said after the meeting she remains convinced a $500 million gap in the 1994-96 budget can be plugged and that she can find an extra $100 million for her plan to reduce elementary school class sizes.
But she said Allen's proposals to eliminate parole, refund illegally collected taxes to federal retirees and return a portion of lottery profits to localities would be too expensive.
"While we can make the necessary adjustments to close the zipper on a half-billion dollars - and perhaps $100 million more - to think there would be budgetary shifts to accommodate $2 billion to $3 billion more is absolutely false," she said.
Allen said his spending priorities differ from those of the Democrats, and he has some cost-saving ideas that would free up money for his programs.
"Every administration will have its own priorities," Allen said. "The bottom line is, we are going to have to make do with the revenues we have coming in."
Terry said she found the meeting helpful, although she already had obtained much of the information on her own. Terry said she had projected in February that the shortfall would be about $700 million, but the economy picked up enough to bring that figure down.
Wilder said he took the unusual step of briefing the candidates because he wished he had been given the same opportunity four years ago. He said he would have campaigned differently had he known the state's bleak financial picture.
"I was saying things like I wanted to give 10 percent of the lottery revenue to capital projects for schools," Wilder said. "I wouldn't have been saying that."
Allen said the fiscal situation the next governor will inherit "could be better, and I would endeavor to make it better."
He was referring to a plan he announced earlier Friday to create regional economic development councils to attract jobs to Virginia. Accompanied by former Tennessee Gov. Lamar Alexander, Allen talked about his proposal at several stops throughout the state, including Roanoke.
Allen refused to say whether he believes Wilder's projection of a $500 million shortfall is accurate. House Majority Leader Richard Cranwell, D-Vinton, has said he believes the figure is overstated.
Allen said there is nothing wrong with Wilder's math, but added that he might not agree with all the assumptions that were used in computing the shortfall.
by CNB