Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 10, 1995 TAG: 9505100032
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ROBERT LITTLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
Want to pass on some advice, some praise, maybe even that family recipe for peanut soup?
Whatever. Call him up.
Because when you ring the governor's Capitol office from now on, you get more than a chance to have your say. You also get an earful of George Allen himself.
Yup. A greeting from the The Guv. It's a telephone phony, mind you, not an in-the-flesh executive. But it's still the governor, and at his solicitous, Virginia-est best.
``Hello, this is George Allen,'' the new executive phone message answers, leaving all the Governors and Honorables and other such pretensions for the stationery. ``I sure appreciate your taking time to call,'' he drawls.
Allen's aides say the system was activated Friday not only to ease the workload of the office's two operators but also to keep from taxing the patience of callers. When the phones get flooded, the new system can answer five calls at once.
Some 300 callers a day ring Allen's office - twice that when the General Assembly is in town - and most just want fax numbers, addresses or their local legislators. Now they'll press a number for recorded accomodations - after a little warm-hearted welcome from George.
There are other options. Got a problem? Want a human? Option six gets you constituent services. A real person, no less.
Policy office? Option seven. Press office? Option eight.
And, of course, there's that daily march of callers who want simply to vent their frustrations or offer political postulations. They get cast into the magnetic wilderness of option No. 1.
``I'm still with you,'' the governor shines, when callers press one and enter his ``opinion line'' recording.
The cost to taxpayers: nothing, the staff says. And the phone number stays the same: 804-786-2211.
by CNB