Some people think I’m anti-business or anti-development because I don’t buy into the political agenda of Virginia’s real estate industry. Nothing could be further from the truth. I’m convinced that creative, entrepreneurial developers are Virginia’s best hope for creating more liveable communities. Government can make rules, but they can’t innovate. If anyone is going to…

The twin thesis of my latest column, “The Oregon Solution,” is this: (a) Virginia’s gas tax has a limited life expectancy before revenues start plummeting, and (b) that the best replacement, both from a policy perspective and a political perspective, is a “road user fee” that combines a mileage-based tax with congestion pricing. I’ve made…

The Virginia blogosphere has suffered grievous losses with the departure of veteran bloggers Norm Leahy and Conaway Haskins, but there is no lack of young pretenders to replace them. Here are some of the new blogs that I have come across: Gray’s Commonwealth Gazette, a Virginia-focused blog maintained by Rick Gray, a Chesterfield County Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-independent.…

Whoo, it’s been a long weekend — a “long march,” to borrow some revolutionary symbolism. I cranked out two full-length columns and edited/pasted up more than the normal number of columns. But it’s been worth it. We have some very strong content. The Jan. 8, 2007, edition of the Bacon’s Rebellion e-zine is now online.…

I ran into Jeff Schapiro at a cocktail party last night and had a long, entertaining chat. Jeff, with whom I worked at Virginia Business magazine some 20 years ago before he joined the political staff at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, is truly one of the great conversationalists of all time. He’s smart, engaging and well…

Here is more response to Gov. Timothy M. Kaine’s transportation/land use package, none of it favorable. If there’s any consolation for the Governor, it’s that his opponents are not united in their criticisms — they are focusing on different aspects of his plan. The Home Builders Association of Virginia is blasting the Governor’s main land…

The Times-Dispatch has dredged up a perennial favorite: Does Virginia need a two-term governor? Tyler Whitley polled Virginia’s former governors and found them to be divided on the point — and not along party lines. Former Govs. Charles Robb and George Allen prefer the status quo. Former Govs. Gerald Baliles and Linwood Holton favor a…

Data courtesy of Virginiaperforms.com: Virginia’s overall crime rate is only 60 percent of the national average, and significantly lower than our neighboring states of Maryland and North Carolina (gloat! gloat!) However, pockets of unpleasantness do stand out: the cities of Richmond, Roanoke and Petersburg, most all of Hampton Roads and… Caroline County?

Coy Barefoot, communications director at the Sorensen Institute, interviewed me Tuesday about transportation issues in the upcoming session of the General Assembly for his WINA radio show. Forget Rush Limbaugh — even Richmond radio yakker Mac Watson is safe with his job. It’s funny how your perspective changes. As I was speaking, I thought I…

I’ll update reactions to the Kaine transportation package as information comes out. Environmental/conservation community: The first e-mail to my inbox came a press release from a coalition of environmental and conservation groups: Withholding comment on most of the Governor’s package, they praised the provision that would empower local governments to block rezoning projects that would…

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has unveiled his package of proposed transportation/land use reforms, reprising some familiar themes but adding some new ones. (See his press release here.) Among the new initiatives: Subdivision streets. One proposal, bearing similarities to a bill introduced by the House of Delegates, would tighten criteria for accepting subdivision streets into the…

Public policy wonks and gurus in Virginia now have an incredible new toy to play with — the Virginia Performs website. Thank you, Gov. Kaine, for best Christmas present ever! (Technically, yesterday was the ninth day of the “Twelve Days of Christmas.”) Virginia Performs, developed in partnership with the Council on Virginia’s Future, benchmarks Virginia…

Ho, hum. Virginia ranks No. 1 in another national survey. According to Education Week, Virginia is the state where children have the greatest opportunities to succeed. The report compared states based on 13 factors, including parents’ education, student test scores, the percentage of English-speaking residents and the percentage of adults working full time. Virginia’s favorable…

Ya leave town a couple of days to visit to the in-laws, and what happens? The Governor sneaks in a couple of announcements regarding transportation and land use policy! Good thing I eyeballed the Governor’s latest press releases, or this news might have slipped by me completely. Actually, it’s pretty boring if you’re not a…

Norm Leahy, author of One Man’s Trash, has posted his last post. “The time has come to move on,” he says. What a shame. Norm, who hails from the advertising business, was arguably the sharpest, wittiest writer in the Virginia blogosphere. He brought maturity to the field, elevating the level of discourse and setting high…