Creigh Deeds (D)
Education
- Bath County High School
- Concord College, 1980
- Wake Forest University, J.D., 1984
Offices and positions held
- Senator, Virginia State Senate, 2002-present
- Delegate, Virginia House of Delegates, 1992-2002
- Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, 2000-01
- Bath County Commonwealth's Attorney, 1988-1992
- Governor's Commission on Climate Change
- Member, Secure Commonwealth Panel
- Member, Millboro Ruritan Club
- Member, Millboro Presbyterian Church
Businesses Owned, Past Careers, Board Memberships, Etc.
- Framme Law Firm, 2007-present
- Hirschler Fleischer, 2006-2007
- Private legal practice, 1991-2006
What is the most urgent problem facing your jurisdiction?
This election is about Virginia's future: how we deal with the economic challenges we face and how we make our public schools the best and most innovative we possibly can. It's about how we finally fix the partisan logjam and pass a transportation plan, and how we control spending through common-sense bipartisan management that makes government work. I have a plan to jump-start our economy to create jobs and a plan to bring a bipartisan consensus to find transportation funding and to prioritize education as we face tough budget decisions.
Why should voters elect you?
I will keep Virginia moving forward by spreading economic opportunity to every corner of the commonwealth. My record and priorities have always reflected this commitment.
Why is your transportation plan, including your proposals for funding it, more realistic than your opponent's?
My opponent's plan takes $5.4 billion from the general fund to pay for transportation. This is a serious threat to education funding. Republicans, Democrats and newspapers alike have said his plan is "Dead on Arrival." My approach to finally passing a transportation plan is to develop consensus instead of dictating cuts. That's why I will start not being wed to or opposed to any single source of revenue to fund transportation, except cutting education. Everything else is on the table. I believe funding must be a dedicated, long-term stream that comes from those who use the transportation system.
Why are you better-suited than your opponent to persuade and achieve compromises in the General Assembly?
Based on my 18 years of experience as a legislator, I know how to achieve bipartisan consensus. I know how to bring people together as I have throughout my career. Just look at my record.
In 2004 I worked with Republican leaders to pass Gov. Warner's landmark budget that balanced the commonwealth's books and made the largest investment in education in Virginia history. Last year, in response to the Virginia Tech tragedy I took an important stand on closing the gun show loophole and was able to work across the aisle to get a bill passed in the Senate. And I am the only legislator in Virginia history to get bipartisan redistricting reform legislation passed by the Senate twice, with Democrats in control and when Republicans were in control too.
What are the three largest cuts you would make to the state budget?
Families across the commonwealth are cutting back on spending and looking for ways to stretch their hard-earned dollars. I believe that state government must do the same. As governor, I will build on the Warner-Kaine legacy of fiscal responsibility and preserve Virginia's distinction as the nation's best-managed state. I will take an aggressive approach to make state government more efficient by cutting unnecessary expenditures and reducing bureaucracy while still protecting our core priorities. To ensure the accountability of our tax dollars I will eliminate waste and pursue savings in three ways.
First, I will transition the entire budget process to a zero-based budget methodology that requires every agency and government program to start from scratch and justify each expenditure of taxpayer funds. Second, I will put more than $300 million into the classroom by requiring every school division to participate in the School Efficiency Review program started by Gov. Warner. And third, I will sell all surplus state property and collect outstanding debt in order to raise more than $40 million to fund a new Virginia Forward Scholars program that will provide up to 50 percent of college tuition for students who commit to work in public service after graduation.
What three areas of the state budget would you most want protected from cuts, and why?
I will prioritize education, law enforcement, and health care in my budget, and I will pass a transportation plan that does not deplete the general fund that provides for these vital services. I will keep Virginia moving forward as the best state for business, the best managed state, and the best place to raise a child.
In the Deeds administration, we will do this by investing in education and innovation, training the most skilled workforce in the country, becoming the national leader in alternative energy and biotechnology, and attracting more good-paying jobs to Virginia. We will keep taxes low and provide credits for every job created by small businesses. We will treat teachers, firefighters, police officers, nurses and other public servants like professionals in return for the high-quality services we expect them to provide. And we will give them the resources they need to teach our children, protect our communities, and care for our loved ones. These are my priorities, and my record demonstrates that I will be a governor who works every day to bring prosperity to every corner of the commonwealth.
What was your proudest accomplishment in the Assembly? What has been your proudest accomplishment outside of politics?
I am proud of my 18-year record of fighting for jobs and protecting education and public safety. After prosecuting sexual predators as a Commonwealth's Attorney, I helped create Virginia's sex offender registry shortly after I was elected as a legislator. Later I wrote Megan's Law, which put the list of sexual predators on the Internet. In 1999 I introduced Virginia's land preservation tax credit, one of the most progressive environmental protection laws in the country. Since its passage, more than 500,000 acres have been preserved in Virginia. I stood with Gov. Warner in 2004 when we passed a landmark plan that balanced the budget and made the largest investment in education in Virginia history. And I am especially proud of working with Gov. Warner and some bold Republicans in the legislature to create the modern-day Governor's Opportunity Fund, a unique economic development tool that has created or saved 78,000 jobs since 1996. That accomplishment is the best example of what I aspire to do as governor -- spread prosperity to every corner of the commonwealth. The chance to continue to create economic opportunity and education is why I am asking the people of Virginia for their votes on Nov. 3.
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