Democratic Party gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe and State Sen. Ralph Northam, the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor, visited Tidewater Fibre Corporation in Chesapeake on Wednesday to stress the importance of investing in Virginia’s transportation systems to ensure the state’s economic competitiveness.
McAuliffe lauded the passage of Gov. Bob McDonnell’s bipartisan transportation funding bill earlier this year, an investment which McAuliffe said would “help guarantee a modern, efficient transportation system.” He criticized his opponent, Ken Cuccinelli, for opposing the bill throughout the entirety of negotiations, commenting, “on the most important issue for Virginia’s competitiveness, Ken Cuccinelli was a leader in the effort to defeat Governor McDonnell’s signature accomplishment.”
Senator Northam, who supported the bill during this year’s legislative session, also commented that the opposition to the bill by Cuccinelli and Republican candidate for Lieutenant Governor E.W. Jackson reinforces the GOP ticket’s unwillingness to work across the aisle to solve the challenges Virginia’s economy faces. “This was a bill that both Republicans and Democrats realized was necessary in order for Virginia’s economy to continue to grow, yet Ken Cuccinelli and E.W. Jackson could not see past their own Tea Party agenda and realize what was best for Virginians.”
McAuliffe and Northam discussed how the transportation bill would benefit companies like Tidewater Fibre Corporation (TFC) by improving Virginia’s infrastructure and reducing transportation gridlock in Hampton Roads and across Virginia. TFC Recycling operates a fleet of 180 vehicles across Virginia and North Carolina and is Virginia’s largest residential curbside recycler.
McAuliffe also said he would protect the bipartisan compromise by “making sure the Port of Virginia continues to be a major asset for Virginia’s economy” as well as support Virginia’s rail, transit, and the spaceport in order to create a solid foundation for the state’s economic future. “But if Ken Cuccinelli had his way, we would still have no transportation funding agreement, which would seriously undermine Virginia’s competitiveness,” McAuliffe added.
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