Virginia delegates soon will christen a portrait of their former speaker, who was forced to resign amid accusations of sexual misconduct two years ago.
A portrait of S. Vance Wilkins Jr. will be unveiled in the coming weeks, as will the portrait of one-time interim Speaker Lacey E. Putney.
Mr. Wilkins, Amherst delegate who was the first Republican speaker, was forced to resign after acknowledging that he paid a 26-year-old woman $100,000 to settle a sexual-harassment case against him.
Mr. Putney, Bedford independent, took over for Mr. Wilkins after he resigned.
Mr. Putney’s portrait is not finished, House Clerk Bruce F. Jamerson said.
Mr. Wilkins’ portrait, which will hang along with the Putney portrait in the House chamber behind current Speaker William J. Howell, is complete.
A formal unveiling was scheduled for Wednesday, but that event was postponed until Mr. Putney’s portrait is completed.
Mr. Wilkins, who was in the legislature for 24 years, will be present at the formal dedication event, Mr. Jamerson said. The portrait has become a quiet joke among Capitol insiders. Many wonder how the disgraced former delegate will be dressed and posed in the painting.
• The setting Sun
The parents of Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. no longer subscribe to the Baltimore Sun after more than 54 years.
Robert Ehrlich Sr. said he canceled because of the “bad editorials” that cast his son, a Republican and an avid reader of The Washington Times, in a bad light.
“I buy a Washington Times every day,” he said.
• Warner ’on the list’
Is Virginia Gov. Mark Warner a possible vice presidential running mate for Sen. John Kerry?
Mr. Warner was asked that question Wednesday by a student at the University of Virginia, where he spoke about the state budget.
“I haven’t spoken to John Kerry since the Virginia primary,” Mr. Warner said of the presumptive Democratic nominee for president. “Some people in his campaign have talked to me. … But I’ve got more than enough to say grace over in the state of Virginia.”
Mr. Warner spoke to about 500 students attending Larry Sabato’s introductory class to politics. Mr. Sabato, a well-known political specialist, was much more blunt than Mr. Warner.
“He’s on the list,” Mr. Sabato said after the speech.
Mr. Warner’s political future was brought up again when another student asked whether he planned to run for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Republican George Allen in 2006. Mr. Warner did not seem enthusiastic.
Mr. Warner, who spoke of his frustration in dealing with the state budget crisis, said he could “see frustration in Congress that would be that times 100. … I have a life to go to after politics. I think the Senate would be a frustrating career.”
• Audit? Done that
Metro has got a message for the D.C. Council member who wants an audit of the transit agency’s finances: Been there, done that.
Council member Harold Brazil, at-large Democrat, is calling on the General Accounting Office (GAO) to look at Metro’s books. Mr. Brazil points to a laundry list of problems, including the reputed theft of millions of dollars by cashiers at Metro parking lots.
But Metro spokesman Ray Feldmann said last week that Mr. Brazil appears to be “out of touch with current events.” Mr. Feldmann said the agency has been audited “countless times” in the past four years by the GAO, as well as the Federal Transit Administration and independent auditing firms.
• Graduation address
Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. will be the keynote speaker at Washington College’s 222nd commencement on May 16.
Mr. Ehrlich, the state’s 60th governor and the first Republican to hold the office in more than three decades, also will receive an honorary doctorate of public service, the Chestertown, Md., college announced last week.
• Wolf challenger
U.S. Rep. Frank R. Wolf of Virginia has a challenger for his 13th term.
James Socas announced last week that he is taking on the veteran Northern Virginia lawmaker, saying he plans to fight for families. Mr. Socas lives in McLean and has been on the staff of the Senate Banking Committee. He is also a former investment banker who says he wants to cut the federal deficit.
Mr. Wolf, whose 10th Congressional District extends from the D.C. suburbs to Winchester, is in his 12th term and is a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, which oversees all federal agency budgets.
• Aiming for No. 2
Virginia Delegate Joe T. May, Loudoun Republican, announced last Monday that he will run for lieutenant governor in 2005.
“Virginia deserves a lieutenant governor who will roll up his sleeves and tackle the issues people care about,” Mr. May told a group of supporters in Leesburg.
Mr. May, 66, has served in the House of Delegates since 1993. He is chairman of the Science and Technology Committee and is a member of the Appropriations Committee.
A Harrisonburg native, Mr. May is an entrepreneur and inventor. He is chairman and chief technology officer of EIT, a technology company he founded in 1977.
Sen. William T. “Bill” Bolling of Hanover County also is seeking the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor. Possible Democratic candidates include Delegates Viola Osborne Baskerville of Richmond and J. Chapman Petersen of Fairfax County.
• Efficiency expert
Virginia Gov. Mark Warner is creating the position of state inspector general to oversee reviews of the efficiency and effectiveness of state agencies and programs.
The inspector general will report directly to the governor and make annual reports to the General Assembly.
The inspector general job will be created by executive order this week; it will be modeled on a bill submitted earlier this year by Fairfax County Delegate Gary Alan Reese that failed.
Mr. Reese is one of at least 17 Republican legislators who have signaled support for a half-cent sales-tax increase to help end the General Assembly’s budget impasse.
Mr. Reese suggested that Mr. Warner’s creation of the inspector general’s position has solidified his vote on the bill. Mr. Reese said he won’t sign off on a tax increase without budget reform.
• Christina Bellantoni and Robert Redding Jr. contributed to this column, which is based in part on wire service reports.
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