Kaine says inauguration cost Va. $3-5 million

The inauguration of President Barack Obama cost Virginia $3 million to $5 million, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine estimates.

Speaking yesterday on his monthly call-in radio show on WTOP in Northern Virginia, Kaine said Virginia is “hoping to get some money back” to cover its transportation and public safety expenditures for the festivities, which drew an unprecedented number of visitors to Washington on and around Jan. 20.

Virginia spent $1 million alone on shuttle buses to accommodate travelers. Kaine said security costs could drive the total state expense to $3 million to $5 million — a number Kaine said he hoped wasn’t a low estimate given higher estimates for what Maryland and Washington spent on the inaugural.

Kaine was a co-chairman of Obama’s campaign. This month Obama tapped him to lead the Democratic National Committee.

The governor again defended accepting the DNC position given the demands of his current job in a state facing hard economic times and wrestling with a budget deficit of at least $3 billion.

Kaine called it “very common” for a sitting office holder to be a party chairman, citing then-Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kansas; Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, D-Conn.; and then-Gov. Jim Gilmore of Virginia.

“How do they do it? They have great staff,“ Kaine said. “Being involved in politics is a good thing, not a bad thing. We need national unity right now.

“This is as big a crossroads of economic and international issues as our nation has faced, and trying to be involved in a way, at the president’s request, to help him promote his agenda and have him be successful is something that I consider very important.“

Kaine said the DNC job will be good for Virginia, implying that his service to Obama would benefit the commonwealth when it comes to hashing out the details and funding of the president’s economic stimulus package.

He said money sent to Virginia for transportation infrastructure spending could help prevent some state layoffs at the Virginia Department of Transportation and “net out” any additional cuts that need to be made to the state budget if revenues sag further.

The governor said that either he, the DNC or his political-action committee pays for any trips he takes that are not state business. And he said it is Virginia policy for the state police security detail to follow him everywhere, even on his vacation.