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ExecutiveBiz: What are your business priorities for this session of the General Assembly?
Mark Warner:
I want to make sure that we keep Virginia's incredible growth moving forward. Northern Virginia has already been the nation's strongest regional economy, which is being driven by homeland security, technology, telecom, and biotech spending. I have a series of proposals before the legislature to promote some new economic development efforts in rural and southwest Virginia. It's a series of initiatives called Virginia Works, which focuses on building of existing assets -- both the existing workforce, specialty agriculture, increased tourism opportunities particularly in south side and southwest Virginia. Even to the point of trying to build a couple of artists centers, so we can copy what North Carolina and West Virginia has very successfully done with promoting the arts and crafts industries in rural parts of their state. Virginia actually has the second fastest growing economy overall, and Northern Virginia has the fastest growing regional economy. We just want to keep that going. I think one of the reasons why we are doing so well is that we straightened out our tax code last year and got our finances back in place. We are also able to make investments, particularly in education, that attract good jobs to the community.
ExecutiveBiz: Is there support for your initiatives in the General Assembly?
Mark Warner:
On the Virginia Works initiatives, there appears to be strong support. In terms of continuing and maintaining Virginia's pro business environment and regulatory structure, there is a great deal of support as well. I am looking forward to the legislature working with me on these issues.
ExecutiveBiz: The Virginia Senate Transportation Committee approved a bill that would bar young drivers from using cell phones. Do you support that measure?
Mark Warner:
Well, as someone who spent 20 years in the wireless industry, I think cell phones are safe. But, as a father with a 15-year-old daughter, maybe putting restrictions on kids under 17 is reasonable.
ExecutiveBiz: Secretary of Technology Eugene Huang recently mentioned he didn't think GMU was up to the task of becoming a world-class research institution. Do you agree with his opinion?
Mark Warner:
No, I don't agree with him. I think his comments were just wrong. George Mason has been an essential part of Northern Virginia's growth over the last twenty years. In the last five years, GMU's research capabilities have grown about 20% percent a year higher than almost any other university in the state. With two Nobel laureates at George Mason, I think George Mason's potential to become a major research institution university is very good.
ExecutiveBiz: This spring, you are going to India on a trade mission. What do you hope to accomplish on this trip? Who is going with you?
Mark Warner:
We are going to invite Virginia-based businesses that are looking to do business aboard in India. We are blessed with a very successful high-tech Indian community in Virginia and hopefully we can strengthen some of those ties.
ExecutiveBiz: Do these trade missions actually create jobs?
Mark Warner:
With these trade missions, there are two goals. The first is to attract firms to locate their jobs here in Virginia. The other is to actually help Virginia companies sell products into those countries. After our last trade mission to China, we had a number of announcements on both of these.
ExecutiveBiz: You mentioned before that you might be interested in coming back to serve as Governor in four years? Why is that?
Mark Warner:
There is a lot more that I know about this job today then when I first got the job. The first couple of years were spent mostly trying to dig ourselves out of the fiscal ditch. Last year, we worked through tax reform, so we have more solid finances. There are a number of things that still need to be done. We need to finish institutionalizing some of our educational reforms for both K-12 and higher education. While I believe we made good progress on turning around VDOT and making it more efficient on time and budget, we received a proposal this year to do some innovative things in terms of how we deliver transportation services. The long-term solutions, in terms of transportation finances, did not get addressed. That is an area that must be addressed, at least in Northern Virginia, otherwise we will kill the golden goose. People will pick up and leave, or not choose to re-locate in the region, if they have to endure gridlock. I fought for the increased transportation funding in the first year; unfortunately, we were unsuccessful. And in the tax reform effort, I had a transportation component and it was not included in the final compromise.
ExecutiveBiz: It is my understanding that you attended the Inauguration. Was that your first Inauguration?
Mark Warner:
No, I have been to one of Clinton's. I thought it was important to go particularly as the Chairman of the National Governor's Association. I did not support the President's re-election, but he is our President and we owe him the benefit of the doubt as he starts his second term.
ExecutiveBiz: Did you take mental notes on how your Inauguration would be different in 4 years?
Mark Warner:
(He laughs.) When people asked me how I liked the Inauguration I told them, 'I got cold feet because it was pretty cold outside'.
ExecutiveBiz: There's nothing you would do differently?
Mark Warner:
Well, again I wish the President well. I hope we can see some major progress in terms of deficit reduction. I think that beyond the war in Iraq and Social Security Reform, I think that we are seriously undermining our long-term economic viability unless we get this deficit under control.
For more information about
(D-VA), visit
www.governor.virginia.gov.
To read a detailed biography,
please click here.
Interview with Mark Warner conducted by JD Kathuria.
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