WASHINGTON — On his monthly appearance in the Glass-Enclosed Nerve Center for the Ask the Governor program, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam discussed a variety of topics, including school safety, the Trump administration’s trade policies and the upcoming anniversary of the white nationalist protest in Charlottesville.
Foreign trade
Coming back from his first international trade trip to England, Germany and Italy, Northam said, the overall message from allied countries was worry about trade policies — particularly tariffs — and other relationships in the face of President Donald Trump’s recent foreign trip and comments he has made denigrating the value of those alliances.
Taking Commerce Secretary Brian Ball and Agriculture Secretary Bettina Ring with him on the trip, Northam said he spoke with vendors who do business with Virginia, as well as businesses he’d like to lure to the commonwealth.
“They know that our unemployment rate is good here; they know that we are really focused on workforce development. I was really pleased with the mission, and I think we got some great companies that are looking at doing business in Virginia.”
He boasted that the UK has agreed to sell the products of several Virginia breweries, including Licking Hole Creek and Port City.
At the London Air Show, the first stop on the mission, Northam said, he talked with vendors particularly concerned with tariffs on metals and soybeans. He laid that concern at the feet of the administration.
On Tuesday, the Trump administration announced an “emergency” plan for $12 billion of aid for farmers who are being hurt by the agricultural tariffs, on the same day the president called tariffs “the greatest.”
Northam didn’t mince words. Saying “We live in a world economy,” Northam asked rhetorically, “Where does this stop?”
He called the tariffs “very detrimental to the business world in the United States.”
“With policy after policy that’s detrimental, I would just … wonder when Americans are going to call BS on this president.”
Northam emphasized that he grew up on, and still has, a farm on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.
“As we speak, there are soybeans in our fields,” Northam said. “And there’s a risk of those soybeans staying in those fields because we can’t sell them.”
“We’re not looking for bailouts,” Northam said, speaking of farmers; “we’re just looking for a level playing field.”
“Before he makes decisions such as this, at least talk to people out there and get some information and realize what we’re up against.”
Charlottesville
Next month sees the anniversary of the white-nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that claimed the life of counter-protester Heather Heyer, as well as two Virginia state troopers who died in a helicopter crash. Northam on Wednesday called the day “a tremendous tragedy” and said state authorities had “learned a lot of lessons from that.”
On Tuesday, rally organizer Jason Kessler dropped his efforts to get a permit for another Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville to mark the anniversary, saying he would focus his efforts on a D.C. rally instead.
Northam recalled going to Charlottesville with then-Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Justin Fairfax, now the lieutenant governor, last Aug. 12, the day of the rally.
“I was proud” to go in and say “This is not Virginia; this is not America,” Northam said. “We are not gonna condone this hatred and bigotry; you can go back to wherever you came from and don’t come back.’ I hope Mr. Kessler has received that message.”
While a large rally isn’t scheduled, there are indications that gatherings small enough not to require permits will still happen in Charlottesville. The governor said that the state had stepped up its efforts alongside local governments, local law enforcement and the state police on safety efforts. He mentioned the possible closing of roads, but didn’t give more details. “We’ve done everything that we can to prevent that from happening again in Virginia.”
He also said the message “needs to start at the top.”
“Virginia is a welcoming state. Our lights are on; our doors are open. We’re not here to promote hatred and bigotry.” He called on President Trump to spread the same message, referring to the president’s gaffe when talking about the rally participants last year.
“These aren’t fine people,” Northam said; “they’re racists, they’re white supremacists, and there’s no room for them in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and I don’t think there’s any room for them in this great country of ours.”
Northam returned to the theme later, responding to a Facebook question about Confederate statues: “If there are statues that promote the hatred and bigotry we saw in Charlottesville, they should be put in a museum and the rest of the story should be told,” the governor said. “We have a diverse society and we want to be welcoming.”
Schools
In answer to a listener’s call, Northam reinforced his opposition to so-called school choice legislation, which would give parents public money to send their children to nonpublic schools.
Northam said that while “we’re fortunate in Virginia to have a lot of options” in educating children, he said, “We need to make sure that our public K-12 is as strong as possible.”
He pointed to teacher pay as a problem in state education.
“Teachers make an average of $9,200 less than the national average.” In order to recruit and retain talented teachers, Northam said, “we need to pay them.”
Northam also cited a need for smaller class sizes and the importance of creative thinking: “We need to stop teaching our children how to take multiple-choice tests.”
He characterized vouchers as a step to “take funding away from public schools,” and said, “We can’t go out on a limb and [take] more resources … away from K-12.”
School security
A bipartisan group of lawmakers in Richmond is studying ways to keep children safer in school, and Gov. Northam has convened a working group of 20 experts to study the same issue.
Northam said he brought his group together because the lawmakers’ group “didn’t address the gun-control issue to the extent that I would like to see.”
He added that the state had recently received a $1 million grant for more school resource officers, but emphasized that he is “absolutely against” arming teachers. Citing his own professorship at Eastern Virginia Medical School and his wife’s job as a science teacher, he said, “teachers do not go to school to be police officers.”
He said that his group would come up with legislation to help keep students safe, and he assumed the lawmakers’ group would too.
“We do things the Virginia way. I don’t have a monopoly on ideas, so I will listen to the ideas that come from both [groups] and then we’ll talk about legislation.”
Lee County has recently voted to allow up to 50 teachers and school staff to carry guns, even though firearms are prohibited on school property under Virginia law. Asked whether the state would challenge the school system, Northam said Attorney General Mark Herring “is looking at making a ruling on whether this is legal in the Commonwealth of Virginia,” and that he would leave the determination on whether to proceed up to Herring.
I-66 tolls
Northam agreed with a questioner that the time limits on the E-ZPass Flex are “ridiculous.” If it’s not used in six months, it’s shut off; if the HOV mode isn’t used in six months, “they request it back.”
The governor said recently “I had some issues with my E-ZPass,” and has asked the state transportation secretary to look into the issue. “Stay tuned; we’re going to take care of this.”
Business rankings
In CNBC’s recent rankings of the best states for business, Virginia has moved up to No. 4, up from No. 7 last year and No. 13 the year before that. Northam crowed about the status, and predicted the commonwealth would soon battle for the top spot, as it did before the 2008 recession.
He said that comprehensive regulatory reform, especially in the health care industry, as well as a tax code that is “simple and fair,” would help in that goal, as well as workforce training.
Northam said his administration was working with colleges on affordability and asking businesses about the kinds of skills they need from their workers, and he mentioned Virginia’s 23 community colleges and its apprenticeship program.
“There’s a stigma … and my wife and I are probably as guilty as anyone, that if our children don’t go to a four-year college, they’re not gonna be successful. But a lot of these high-tech jobs don’t require a four-year education.”
The cost of living, especially in Northern Virginia, was a weak point in the commonwealth’s ranking. Northam said housing costs were a big factor in that, noting how many people work in the higher-cost areas of the D.C. region, but can’t afford to live there. The governor said he met with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on the issue and will meet with Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan soon, focusing on either subsidies or credits to builders.
Other issues
Northam reiterated his support for an increase in the minimum wage in Virginia, which currently stands at $7.25 an hour. “There’s nobody who can support themselves, let alone their family” on that, he said.
He supports a gradual raise to $15, which has been introduced in the General Assembly “year after year. … That’s not gonna happen overnight, but we need to make sure people can support themselves and their families when they go to work every day.”
The governor also sympathized with a listener concerned about the burden placed on her daughter, who was recently released from prison and is unable to get a driver’s license until her restitution is paid back. “We want to make sure that the fines … don’t impair people from doing things like getting their driver’s license, getting a job, because how are you even supposed to pay for these if you can’t get to work and you can’t get a job?”
Northam also said that he supported Attorney General Herring in his decision not to challenge a court ruling that Virginia House district boundaries should be redrawn because they were drawn based on race. The state has spent up to $5 million defending the lines, which Northam said was a poor use of taxpayer money.
“We have a great opportunity in Virginia right now to address the gerrymandering,” Northam said. “I have always supported nonpartisan redistricting and will continue to do so.”
‘The Bachelorette’
Northam joked about his appearance on “The Bachelorette,” saying, “I wasn’t offered a rose, and I have been asked to keep my daytime job.”
Reports said the state’s tourism board paid $536,000 in incentives to lure the show to Virginia, and Northam said it was a good investment.
“It’s part of promoting tourism in Virginia,” the commonwealth’s fifth-largest industry, Northam said. “It brought millions of viewers to Richmond, [and] I think we’ve already seen good results.”
