Virginia s governor and legislature face questions of credibility after the collapse of a proposed $2 billion sports and entertainment district, which aimed to lure the Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards to Virginia. The governor blames Democratic leaders for partisan politics and special interests, while Democratic leaders blame the governor for not including the legislature early in the process. The teams owner, Ted Leonsis, attributed the decision to stay in Washington to the respect shown by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. Timing and the involvement of new legislative leadership also played a role in the project s failure.
It s not unusual for Gov. Glenn Youngkin to attend Republican caucus meetings in the General Assembly, but the governor went further on the final day of the legislative session to personally lobby Republican legislators to vote against the budget bills pending before the legislature that afternoon.
Youngkin s unusual gesture did not go over well with the Democrats who control both chambers of the assembly, especially Senate Finance Chair Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, and House Appropriations Chairman Luke Torian, D-Prince William, already locked in a power struggle with the Republican governor over tax policy and the $2 billion sports complex in Alexandria that he has made his top priority.
It s not unusual for Gov. Glenn Youngkin to attend Republican caucus meetings in the General Assembly, but the governor went further on the final day of the legislative session to personally lobby Republican legislators to vote against the budget bills pending before the legislature that afternoon.
Youngkin s unusual gesture did not go over well with the Democrats who control both chambers of the assembly, especially Senate Finance Chair Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, and House Appropriations Chairman Luke Torian, D-Prince William, already locked in a power struggle with the Republican governor over tax policy and the $2 billion sports complex in Alexandria that he has made his top priority.
The needs are great throughout state government, as Gov. Glenn Youngkin tries to make his case for big investments in modernizing IT systems that haven t kept pace with unrelenting changes