Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, December 30, 1994 TAG: 9412300117
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DAVID M. POOLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
Woodrum, a Roanoke Democrat, zeroed in on a single page of Allen's budget that includes these recommendations:
An increase of $316,528 to double the personal staff of Health and Human Resources Secretary Kay Coles James.
A decrease of $347,182 to eliminate ``nonessential'' respite care, home-delivered meals, transportation and in-home services for the elderly.
``These proposed changes emphasize that the administration is certainly getting `meaner' but not `leaner,''' Woodrum said,
Allen spokesman Ken Stroupe shot back that Woodrum was misrepresenting the overall impact of the governor's downsizing efforts by singling out two items in a 163-page budget document.
Stroupe said the new positions do not represent new spending, but are part of an effort to streamline public relations, policy-making and legislation liaison functions once performed by each individual agency.
James - the Cabinet secretary whom Woodrum blasted for adding six positions to her personal staff - has cut 131 positions from agencies under her purview.
``Secretary James ought to be commended for her management practices,'' Stroupe said. ``She's consolidated a lot of functions and has saved a great deal of money.''
Woodrum insisted that beefing up Cabinet staffs, which historically have consisted of no more than a handful of advisers, runs contrary to Allen's agenda of reducing the size of state government.
``Let me tell you that Cleopatra on her barge on the Nile did not have as many people attending to her as the Cabinet secretaries in the Allen administration,'' he said.
Woodrum, a lawyer known for his razor-sharp wit, is one of the few Democratic legislators who has been willing to do battle with Allen over parole reform, tax cuts and government downsizing.
Thursday, he fired off a letter asking the House Appropriations Committee to draw up amendments restoring money for the homebound and stripping the ``press flacks, political operatives and flunkies'' from James' staff.
Woodrum said in an interview that James should set an example if she is going to eliminate meals, medical care and transportation designed to keep older people out of nursing homes.
``I'm sure she can be leaner, as well as meaner,'' Woodrum said.
``You can count on us being leaner, but not meaner,'' James said in response. ``We will be more compassionate. You can count on us working in the best interests of the taxpayers and constituents we serve. Some folks haven't figured out how to do both - but we have.''
by CNB