Administrator

A good administrator is someone who has the knowledge and experience to make the lives of the citizens in their state better. He/she needs to be able to make the tough decisions on policies, regardless of what the media says. Being able to relate to both the poorest and richest people in the state and understanding what their needs are is extremely important. It's been a while since I was last in Virginia, but I remember an adminstrator named Robert Antozzi, who is the director for the Parks and Recreation Department. A few years back he made huge improvements to some local Fredericksburg camp sites and lake fronts.

Budget Allocation

1. Transportation - Public safety on the roads is an important aspect in any state, most of this funding should come from the state but I will allocate 10% to transportation.

2. Public Safety - This is a major concern for the state. Law enforcement and and other emergency services deserve the best quality equipment and training neccessary to keep us safe. 25%

3. Education - Number 1 priority. Schooling and education for the youth in the state is what will power our state/nation in the future. 40%

4. Social Services - It's important to keep struggling families afloat, but stricter requirements for recieving and maintaining welfare/unemployment should be implemented. 10%

5. Research - Developing ideas for new jobs, public constructions and creating ways to making a more positive quality of life the citizens is priority. 15%

Ideal Governor

I think that the current governor of Virginia is an ideal governor. I feel that Tim Kaine (D) does an excellent job of taking the politics out of politics and makes decisions based on what he feels is best for the citizens of Virginia. Governor Kaine takes stances on controversial issues based on what he feels is right, not what his party wants him to do. Governor Kaine is a Roman Catholic and personally opposes any type of abortion, same sex marriage and executing death sentences. Kaine, however, puts his personal and religious views aside and opposes overturning Roe vs. Wade, opposed an amendment that would suggest marriage is between a man and a woman and is in favor of 2nd Amendment rights.

Influential Media Sources in Virginia

There are two main sources of political media sources, print and television, in Virginia. The Washingston Post is a very prominent newspaper that has been around since 1877. The Post covers all things regarding Virginia politics as well as national level news. The Richmond Times Dispatch and the Fredericksburg Free Lance Star are also among the most popular print media sources. The most popular television station is WRLH-TV, which is a Fox company. WRLH-TV takes a somewhat conservative approach to news coverage. The following are links to the media sources I will be endorsing throughout the course of this class.

The link to the Fredericksburg Free Lance Star is (http://fredericksburg.com)
The link to WRLH-TV is (http://www.foxrichmond.com)

Virginia State Legislator

Mark Warner (D) was elected in 2006 as a state senator. Warner attended college at the George Washington University and later earned a law degree from Harvard, but never practiced. Warner first ran for the Senate in 1996 but lost to incumbent Jim Warner (R), no relation. In 2001, Mark Warner was elected Governor of Virginia and was very successful. He worked to reduce taxes and improve funding for public education. Throughout his tenure as governor, Warner attained one of the highest approval ratings in Virginia with 80% and left the office with an overall 71%. in 2006, many believed that Warner would try and run for president but turned down the oppurtunity because of an opening in the state senate.

Mark Warner has been extremely successful throughout his career in politics. He was elected with 66% of votes in 2006. Warner is pro-choice, eliminated family rule so unrelated people can buy homes together, favors the death penalty, strongly believes in the second ammendment and believes qualified individuals should receive some form of free health care. Overall, Mark Warner is in a very strong position to keep his seat in the senate.