New governor, old issue

by Robert C. Powell
Virginia Business
January 2006

A new governor faces an old issue this month. Timothy M. Kaine will be sworn in as governor in Williamsburg on Jan. 14. Since his election in November, Kaine has been barnstorming the state in a series of town hall meetings to discuss the state’s overloaded transportation system, a nagging issue that has eluded solution in the General Assembly for several years. Contributing writer Garry Kranz of Richmond reports in our cover story that Kaine and the legislature have a variety of transportation proposals for this year’s session.

Organizations that promote Virginia’s film industry hope that, in addition to dealing with transportation, the General Assembly considers legislation offering rebates to production companies that shoot movies in the state. Contributing writer Lisa Antonelli Bacon of Richmond reports that, for many years, the state was one of the favorite sites for movies filmed outside of California. Virginia, however, has lost ground to other states that offer generous rebates. The issue is important because the spending of film production companies gives local economies a shot in the arm.

Lastly, this edition includes a column by author and publisher Stephen Hawley Martin on the first steps every new executive should take. Look for his column weekly on VirginiaBusiness.com.