Category: Governance
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Election’s Over; Time to Govern
by Dick Hall-Sizemore The fall in the NAEP test scores of Virginia fourth-graders is alarming. A decrease itself is not surprising; in fact, it was expected in the wake of the disruption in schools caused by the pandemic. It is the magnitude of the decrease that is surprising and alarming. That it was the largest…
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Oops! Look What We Just Found!
by Dick Hall-Sizemore The Youngkin Department of Elections just recently began processing more than 107,000 voter registration applications dating back to last spring. This is after early voting had begun. These applications involved residents who had registered through the Department of Motor Vehicles. The snafu is blamed on a computer “glitch” that caused “intermittent network…
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Progressive Initiatives in Virginia to be Blocked by Environmental Laws?
by James C. Sherlock Sometimes we are too clever for our own good. American environmentalists have been hugely successful and have done a great deal of good. We have them to thank for cleaner water and air. But traditional environmentalists, supported by legal interests, incorporated two features in America’s environmental laws that may prove as…
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To Be Elected Or Not
by Jim McCarthy The exploits of Robin Hood and his band of merry men in the cover of Sherwood Forest have been colored heroic as they engaged in a redistribution of wealth from one class of Englishmen to another. The Sheriff of Nottingham was a spoiler, though his mission was one of law and order…
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Transformation to Achieve Effectiveness and Efficiency–Again
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Amid great fanfare as one of his Day One actions, Governor Glenn Youngkin issued Executive Order No. 5, establishing the position Commonwealth Chief Transformation Officer within the Office of the Governor. The Governor identified the responsibilities of the position to be “to help build a culture of transparency, accountability, and constructive challenge…
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What Leadership Looks Like – Teacher Shortages, Learning Losses and Gov. Youngkin
by James C. Sherlock Sometimes you just have to let leaders speak for themselves. This is one of those times. Faced with critical teacher shortages and learning losses, I publish here the Governor’s Executive Order 3 and Bridging the Gap: Learning Loss Recovery Plan I don’t just congratulate the governor, but everyone involved, especially including…
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Taking on Workforce Development — Again
by Dick Hall-Sizemore The Richmond Times-Dispatch (RTD) reports that Governor Glenn Youngkin plans to present a major restructuring of Virginia’s workforce development efforts to the 2023 General Assembly. I commend the Governor for taking this issue on. It is the sort of “good government” initiative that needs to be done, but requires a lot of…
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A Chance for Petersburg
by James C. Sherlock The Youngkin administration is doing an unalloyed good thing the exact right way. In partnership with two Democrats. The Governor, in an extraordinary joint presentation with his cabinet secretaries and Democratic Mayor Samuel Parham, laid out a plan for broad state help to Petersburg. Standing on the stage with Democratic State Senator…
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Uh, Governor? This is How It Works
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Someone needs to tell Governor Youngkin or his Secretary of Finance how things work in the state’s financial structure. According to a recent report in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the Governor said that he has directed Randy McCabe, the Comptroller, or director of the Department of Accounts, to “to set aside $397 million…
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Bad News for Governor Youngkin
by James C. Sherlock The New York Post has a story by Dana Kennedy that has put Governor Youngkin in a tough spot. It recounts nasty business transactions by Carlyle Group Co-Founder and Co-Executive Chairman David Rubenstein. The story links Mr. Rubenstein to the trashing of two founding fathers by tour guides at Monticello and Montpelier,…
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Portsmouth, Norfolk and Newport News – New Applications for Section 8 Vouchers, Public Housing Mostly Closed
by James C. Sherlock I authored a piece here recently about the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority (NRHA) and the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program. I made the point that it is very difficult to find housing that can profitably be rehabbed to Section 8 standards. I note that the only open waiting list…
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Zombie Senates
by Jim McCarthy Zombies have been depicted in ancient cultures such as that of Norse mythology (draugar) very similar to those in contemporary culture. The Roman senate with the iconic SPQR dates to 753 B.C. as an advisory body to the king composed of elders (senes, Latin root for senescent or deteriorating in age) of…
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The VITA Exodus Continues
by Dick Hall-Sizemore The fourth high-ranking executive at the Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA) has left since Governor Youngkin took office six months ago. Those that have resigned include the chief information officer that Youngkin appointed to take the place of Nelson Moe, the agency head under previous administrations; the chief operating officer; the deputy…
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Charlottesville’s Dysfunctional City Government and the Left’s Four-Card Monty
by James C. Sherlock In Canada, three-card monte is illegal. It is banned by name in Canadian law because the mark has no chance of winning. In fact, anyone who wins can be presumed to be a shill. Four-card monte dominates public debate in America. Like its street game counterpart, only shills win. For the left,…
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Regulations and the Costs of Doing Business in Virginia
by James C. Sherlock About the only category I found interesting in the “Top States for Business” rankings by CNBC, other than the progressive metrics that are featured in many of the categories, is “Cost of Doing Business.” Virginia’s worst score among the six categories of metrics is that one. The methodology used for costs…