Gilbert on VDOT at Lincoln Day Dinner
As we noted the other day, Delegate Todd Gilbert has been putting more and more fiscal issues of late. You might think this is obvious given the mess Richmond’s budget is in and the currently dire economic situation. However, Delegate Gilbert is resisting the siren call of higher taxes as the way to “save” our republic and instead is looking for ways to make government more streamlined and effective.
His current target: VDOT. VDOT has decided to cut back services and close reststops alll up and down the I-81 corridor. Delegate Gilbert believes we’re seeing a repeat of 2004, when many departments played games with the citizenry of the commonwealth, with the full cooperation of the Warner administration, to force the General Assembly into raising taxes. From the Daily News Record:
Gilbert, however, said it was the current administration that was playing politics. The delegate, whose 15th district includes parts of Page, Shenandoah, Rappahannock and Rockingham counties, was more blunt in his assessment of the purpose of the proposed residency closings. He drew a comparison to a budget battle in recent years when the Department of Motor Vehicle offices were closed during a debate over raising taxes.
When the debate was over, the offices stayed open, he said.
Instead of a knee-jerk reaction to raise taxes this time, Gilbert said, VDOT is similarly proposing cuts after resisting an independent analysis of its spending practices.
“I am not sure that the motivation behind this plan isn’t political,” he said during the meeting.
