Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 9, 1994 TAG: 9402090138
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: WARREN FISKE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
"Time is of the essence," Allen said. "Virginia cannot wait until later for this project that would create 19,000 new jobs and pay for itself."
With General Assembly money committees slated to vote on the project in the next few days, Allen called reporters to his office to make an hour-long pitch for Disney.
Today, Allen is scheduled to tour the 300-acre site in Prince William County, meet with theme park supporters, hold a news conference in the afternoon and attend a Richmond reception sponsored by Disney.
Later in the week, the governor will appear on talk shows to promote the park, aides said.
The effort comes as a growing number of lawmakers have begun expressing reservations about the theme park.
Most legislators still expect the General Assembly to approve a package of subsidies for Disney this winter, although they say it may be less than the governor wants.
Several lawmakers said Allen needs to lobby hard, because a defeat could get his administration off to a rocky start and embolden Democrats to buck him on future initiatives.
"If he loses, it certainly deters him from stellar performance," said Del. Glenn Croshaw, D-Virginia Beach. "It will not be very helpful in creating momentum for his leadership."
In return for the state's help, Disney is pledging to build a $650 million park that will combine thrill rides with re-creations of American history.
Allen made his case Tuesday in one word: jobs. "There's a very vocal minority opposed to the Disney project and the 19,000 jobs it would create," he said, citing the rosiest of three estimates of employment the theme park and related development would create in Virginia by the turn of the century.
"If this didn't work out, I think Disney would go somewhere else," he added. "I think that would be a black eye for Virginia."
Allen, who campaigned last year pledging to create 125,000 jobs, vigorously defended the use of tax money to subsidize Disney. He predicted the park would generate $47 million in annual taxes by 1997, more than enough to repay the state's investment.
"The Disney Company does not have to make an investment at this site," he said. "The project has to make sense to them."
Allen dismissed criticism that most of the jobs created by the project will be low-paying blue-collar and seasonal positions. He said a study estimated that the average annual salary of each job would be $20,000.
"It's much better to have a job than not to have one," Allen said. "True, many are entry-level jobs, but that doesn't mean people can't work their way up the ladder."
Allen denied suggestions that he caved in to Disney in negotiations. He said the state refused to pay for $12 million worth of interior roads at the park, refused to pay to relocate and train employees, and refused to fund public promotion of the facility.
Many lawmakers said they would like more time to study the project. Sen. Charles Waddell, D-Loudoun County, has introduced a resolution that would postpone consideration of Disney for a year and allow General Assembly auditors to review the proposal.
Keywords:
GENERAL ASSDEMBLY 1994
by CNB