Reporter’s Notebook
Notes and thoughts from the travels of Virginia Business writers and editors

Virginia Business
September 2005

Gubernatorial hopefuls Tim Kaine and Jerry Kilgore squared off for their first debate during the Virginia Bar Association’s annual summer conference at The Greenbrier in West Virginia.

After “losing” the battle of political signs at this year’s Shad Planking in Wakefield, Kilgore’s people weren’t taking any chances. Hundreds of “Kilgore for Governor” orange and blue signs covered every telephone pole and sign post in White Sulphur Springs. In fact, nary a Kaine sign was to be seen along the route to the resort. When asked about his candidate’s lack of presence in town, a Kaine operative responded “Doesn’t Kilgore know that this is WEST Virginia?”

Someone appears to be taking the presidential ambitions of Gov. Mark R. Warner seriously. The governor recently was savaged on the editorial pages of the Wall Street Journal, an event that can be seen as a sort of an endorsement in reverse for a Democratic candidate.

Under the headline “Virginia Ham,” a column by editorial board member Stephen Moore discussed the emergence of Warner as an alternative to (or possible running mate for) the presumed Democratic frontrunner, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Moore explores Warner’s reputation as a Democratic moderate and an effective governor in a state dominated by Republicans. He quickly concludes the governor’s image is all smoke and mirrors. “Mr. Warner can best be described as a fairly boilerplate tax-and-spend liberal,” Moore sniffs, giving the governor all the credit (and the blame) for the state’s recent tax hike.

In Moore’s version, dispirited Republicans were merely pawns in Warner’s drive to raise taxes. (How does state Sen. John Chichester always seem to disappear in the retelling of this tale?)

Moore says Warner appeals to “hate Bush” Democrats looking for a “charming, pro-business fiscal savior who can put red states like Virginia back in play.” The only thing standing in the way of a Clinton-Warner dream ticket, he says, is Warner’s “disappointing record as governor.”

Freddie Mac recently hosted a reception for companies interested in the formation of a Northern Virginia chapter of Black Data Processors Associ-ation (BDPA). The purpose of the national nonprofit organization is to advance the careers and skills of African-Americans in technology.
The organization has 53 chapters nationwide, including chapters in Washington and Richmond.

Wayne Hicks, national president of BDPA, said the Northern Virginia chapter’s main goal “is to be a powerful advocate for our stakeholders’ interests within the global technology industry.”

Northern Virginia would appear to be fertile ground for the chapter. The Northern Virginia Economic Development Coali-tion says that more than 12,000 technology-related companies operate in the region, employing more than 310,000 people.

The NoVA chapter of BDPA will offer a range of services, including career coaching, mentoring and technical training leading to various IT certifications. Information on the chapter and the BDPA can be found at www.bdpa.org.