Kaine: Security cost will be reimbursed
TIMES-DISPATCH
Gov. Timothy M. Kaine says previous governors did not reimburse the state for security on out-of-state trips.
Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, who recently has been criticized by state Republican leaders for his out-of-town trips as chairman of the Democratic National Committee, says his security detail on those trips cost less than $10,000 in his first six months in the post.
Kaine said he has kept records of the security expenditures and has instructed the DNC to reimburse the commonwealth for the costs.
"That's not what previous governors have done, but I think it's the right thing to do, and I'm glad to do it," Kaine said during his monthly radio show on WRVA in Richmond.
Kaine said a review of previous Virginia governors showed that none reimbursed the state for security costs incurred during political trips outside Virginia.
That would include Gov. Jim Gilmore, who served as Republican National Committee chairman for about a year during his term as governor.
The DNC pays the costs of Kaine's travel for the party. But Virginia Republicans have noted that taxpayers have paid for Kaine's security detail, which is assigned by the Virginia State Police.
State GOP leaders have charged Kaine has been short-changing Virginia, in terms of the time he's devoting to the DNC and the cost of his police protection while on DNC duty outside the state.
The governor said he typically spends one day a week out of state on behalf of the party and part of a day at party headquarters when he travels to Northern Virginia on state business.
Kaine said Virginians are getting their money's worth despite the demands of his other job.
"When I'm on those [out-of-state] visits, I end up doing a lot of state work by phone or having meetings that are state-related," Kaine said.
"I work all the time on state business," he said. "The key, ultimately, is how is the state doing," he added, saying Virginia has a lower unemployment rate than most of the nation and has been handling the recession better than most states.
Kaine also said his part-time job has paid dividends in the state, allowing him access to "make the case . . . right to the decision makers" in the federal government.
"Working closely with the president in the White House does not have a downside for Virginia," he said.
Contact Jim Nolan at (804) 649-6061 or
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Reader Reactions
Why does he have lower unemployment than the most of the rest of the nation? Simple. The ratio of government jobs to private jobs compared to the rest of the nation is the reason… since when are government jobs on the decline? Taxpayer funded employment will keep Virginia unemployment numbers low in comparison, a convenient ruse for Tim Kaine.
I wonder if he’ll reimburse Virginia for his use of state equipment regarding his efforts as the DNC Chairman (Sounds like a fraud, waste and abuse hotline call is in order). How much you wanna bet there’s use of state-issued and paid for equipment and services related to a cell phone/blackberry, computer(s), office/mansion phones, printer(s), etc. And, I wonder if VITA/NG would be responsible for managing his email encryption running through the state networks? I wonder if he receives his DNC voicemail messages through his state-issued cell phone? Or how about if he receives his DNC voicemails as email attachments to his state-issued email address using the VITA/NG network? Boy, it’s a wicked web they weave, isn’t it?
Kaine needs to pay interest on the money he is returning. Kaine is not entitled to an interest free loan at taxpayer expense.
Integrity is doing what is right when no one is watching. Too bad the governor had to be called out about the trips in order for him to repay. That he didn’t come to that thought on his own says much about his ethics. I guess we shouldn’t expect too much from the man elected as our governor—even to serve his term of office FULLY, not part-time.
“Virginia has a lower unemployment rate than most and is handling the recession better than most…“. Whoever remembers the name of the guy that comes in second place? We didn’t vote for a Governor to give us 80% of his time.
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