THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, April 3, 1996 TAG: 9604030396
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DAVID M. POOLE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium: 59 lines
Anne Kincaid, a high-profile anti-abortion activist, confirmed Tuesday that she has tendered her resignation as a senior adviser to to Gov. George F. Allen.
Kincaid - known for her anti-abortion zeal and dramatic ``flying nun'' hairdo - said she is leaving to pursue other opportunities, confident the Allen administration has accomplished many of its conservative goals.
``I'm so proud of this governor I don't know what to do,'' she said.
The departure of Kincaid and Kay C. James, a welfare reform leader who left three months ago for Regent University, comes as the Allen administration passes its mid-way point and signals that some ``Allenistas'' are pondering their future after the Republican leaves office in January 1998.
``I don't think it's unusual at this point in an administration for people to pursue other options,'' said Ken Stroupe, Allen's press secretary.
So far, Allen's youthful inner circle has been notable for its cohesion and dedication.
Kincaid, 49, is one of the few senior Allen aides who was old enough to vote for Richard Nixon in 1968. ``She has a very endearing, mothering quality that we all appreciated here in the office,'' Stroupe said.
In her capacity as constituent affairs liason, Kincaid oversees a staff that responds to the daily flow of letters and phone calls to the governor.
Kincaid said her decision to leave the $50,000-a-year post had nothing to do with possible conflicts created by her husband - William Kincaid, a Richmond lobbyist - representing clients before the Allen administration.
``That did not create controversy with the governor,'' she said. ``The governor never said anything to me about it.''
``I just felt that so much of Governor Allen's promises he made during his campaign have been kept. I just feel like I'm not leaving him in the lurch.''
Kincaid said she had no regrets that she is leaving without helping Allen keep the promise she cares about with such passion: A law requiring unmarried, under-age girls to notify a parent before seeking an abortion.
The 1994 General Assembly passed a version of the bill. Kincaid urged Allen to veto it because the measure would have allowed girls to notify a grandparent or adult sibling, instead of a parent. A ``pure notification'' bill died in a parliamentary snare earlier this year, even though the measure cleared both chambers.
Kincaid vowed to continue the fight for parental notification.
``I'm sure she's not gone from Virginia politics,'' said Karen Raschke, a Planned Parenthood lobbyist who has squared off against Kincaid for years. ``I know her heart is in making abortion illegal in Virginia if not the United States. I'll be eager to see where she pops up next.''
Kincaid said she leaves with the highest regard for Allen.
``If he needs me for anything, I will be there for him. I can walk out of the administration, but not away from him.''
KEYWORDS: RESIGNATION by CNB