BY DAN TELVOCK
Gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe says he will push for more renewable energy sources and partnerships with the private sector to bring high-speed rail here.
But his main goal, he said, is to create more jobs.
With blue-and-white post-ers proclaiming "New Energy for New Jobs," McAuliffe touted these ideas and his business acumen to about 25 people who gathered for a town-hall-style meeting yesterday at Caroline Street Cafe in Fredericksburg.
McAuliffe started a driveway paving business when he was 14, and at age 30 he helped a bank on the verge of liquidation turn a profit. He saved a construction company from bankruptcy. He lifted the Democratic National Committee out of debt.
McAuliffe said the state needs to bid on what he called "mega-project deals," like the $5 billion investment BMW made in South Carolina. He said he wants to increase the state's Opportunity Fund, which stands at $20 million, hardly enough to compete for big business.
"Job creation. That is something I have done my whole life," he said.
He wants a mandatory renewable energy standard for Virginia. He will support the creation of bio-diesel plants, so farmers can get paid for the half-million tons of chicken waste produced in Virginia every year. By 2012, he wants power companies to produce 12 percent of their energy from renewable sources.
McAuliffe said several private firms have interest in building high-speed rail connecting Northern Virginia, Richmond and Hampton Roads.
"We should do it as a public-private partnership," he said.
Virginia's Democrats are preparing for their first contested primary since 1985. McAuliffe, state Sen. Creigh Deeds and Del. Brian Moran will vie for the party's nomination.
Possibly the biggest threat McAuliffe poses to his challengers is his ability to raise money. A former DNC chairman with strong ties to the Clinton family, he helped raise almost a billion dollars for the Clintons and the DNC over 18 years. He chaired Hillary Clinton's bid for the presidential nomination and worked with Bill Clinton during his presidency.
History shows he'll have an uphill climb if he wins the nomination. Since 1976, Virginia has elected a governor of the party opposite to that of the president. Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell is expected to win the Republican nomination.
McAuliffe wouldn't speculate on how much money he will need to win.
"If you have big, bold ideas, you don't need money; people are going to vote for you on the ideas," he said.
Dan Telvock: 540/374-5438
Email: dtelvock@freelancestar.com
All four people running for governor have Web sites: BRIAN MORAN (D): brianmoran.com CREIGH DEEDS (D): deedsforvirginia.com TERRY McAULIFFE (D): terrymcauliffe.com BOB MCDONNELL (R): bobmcdonnell.com |