
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, January 18, 1994                   TAG: 9401180224
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: A7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

HOW THEY REACTED

"He used a velvet hammer to express his desire to work with the General Assembly to do the peoples' work. But he made a thinly veiled threat to go over their heads to the people with initiatives and referendums.

"On Saturday, he sort of denounced them. Tonight, he showed what the stakes really are. It was a very savvy speech. He took his 58 percent of the vote and used it very well tonight."

Bob Holsworth\ Virginia Commonwealth University political analyst.

"The tone tonight was somewhat less partisan [than Saturday's inaugural address]. He'll find as he reduces the rhetoric, he will find some in the General Assembly willing to work with him for the betterment of the people of Virginia."

Del. Clifton "Chip" Woodrum\ D-Roanoke.

\ "I think he laid the blueprint for putting Virginia back where it needs to be, and that is first in the nation again. . . . Unfortunately, we haven't had time to decide how it's going to be paid for. That's the subject for another day, but it's going to be done.

Senate Minority Leader\ Joseph Benedetti\ R-Richmond

\ "No milquetoast governor, he. We have a tiger among us who is going to bring that wave of refreshing change everyone has been looking for. . . . All in all, the speech gives us a point from which to start."

Sen. Charles Hawkins\ R-Pittsylvania.

\ "A vision for the future and a road map for how to get there. No one should have been surprised by the initiative and referendum [proposal]. George has always been in favor of initiative and referendum. Either you trust the people or you don't trust the people."

Sen. Kenneth Stolle R-Virginia Beach.

\ "I am pleased with the posture of the Harper case," involving refunds of millions of state tax dollars illegally collected from more than 200,000 federal and military retirees. "The state is in a good position to settle this now. But it's premature to say for how much or how refunds will be made."

Attorney General Jim Gilmore.

\ "I thought it was great that he opened and closed with a call for bipartisan support. . . . There were a lot of specifics. . . . Initiative and referendum [is worth considering]. The wisdom of a democracy is that we put our faith in the people. Now, we have to ask very careful questions. We don't want a small interest group to be able to raise a lot of money and influence the future of the commonwealth . We don't want Virginia to be another California."

Lt. Gov. Don Beyer

\ "I heard a lot of things that sounded like dollar signs - abolishing parole, meeting transportation needs, capping college tuition, improving our schools, refunds for the pensioners. I agree with each position, save one - referendum. But this body is going to have to be shown where he will get the money to pay for all this. And he if comes up with it, we'll listen."

House Speaker Thomas Moss\ D-Norfolk.

Keywords:
GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1994

by CNB