Kaine says DNC will repay state for security expenses

If you want to know where Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine is, just ask him.

That’s the message Kaine delivered yesterday to state Republican critics who say he has been sneaking off to tend to his high-profile, part-time job as chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

“They’re not stealth visits at all,“ Kaine said during a live online chat at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, responding to the phrase state GOP Chairman Pat Mullins has used to describe the governor’s recent fundraising forays outside the state for the national party.

Republicans had taken a shot at Kaine for not putting his party activities on his public schedule.

They have also suggested that Kaine has been neglecting his duties to the commonwealth while raising funds out of state, leaving taxpayers to pick up the tab for his executive protection by the Virginia State Police.

Kaine said yesterday that he does not put political events on the governor’s office schedule because they are not part of his public duties as governor.

“I did a K.C. event with local activists to talk about health-care reform and did a fundraising event,“ he said of his recent trip to the Kansas City area to work and to see his parents for Father’s Day.

“What I’ve said is, if you want to know where I am, just ask me. I’ll be glad to tell you.“

Kaine said he usually spends one day a week out of state on DNC work, fundraising or, recently, promoting President Barack Obama’s health-care reform plan.

“If I took a day off and played golf, nobody would worry. The Republicans wouldn’t give me any trouble,“ Kaine said.

“This may not speak well for me being kind of a nerd—but instead of playing golf, what I do is go out and try to help the president lead this nation at a challenging time.“

Later in the day, Kaine’s office announced that the DNC has agreed to reimburse the state for the expenses of his security detail when the team travels with him on DNC business. The DNC already reimburses the state for Kaine’s travels.

Mullins, the newly elected GOP chairman, has asked Republican chairmen in all the other states to notify the state GOP if Kaine appears in their states.

“It’s kind of track Tim Kaine nationally,“ Mullins said on WRVA talk radio.

During the 30-minute online chat, the governor weighed in on a number of issues facing the commonwealth, responding to questions e-mailed by readers at TimesDispatch.com.

  * Closure of rest areas:

“I don’t support the image” of decaying rest areas along Virginia’s highways, but he called the proposed closures “the best choice” given the resources available to the Virginia Department of Transportation.

Kaine said the state is talking with members of Congress about how to get a federal waiver that would enable commercial entities to operate at state rest stops.

  * Moving the Virginia National Guard headquarters from Fort Pickett to Sandston:

Kaine said that when he hired Maj. Gen. Robert B. Newman Jr. as the state’s adjutant general, he charged Newman with adding a homeland-security emphasis to the Guard’s mission.

Kaine said having the Guard command closer to other emergency responders was the best choice.

“For the smooth functioning of the Guard, especially during times of emergency, I thought the move made sense,“ Kaine said.

  * On Democratic gubernatorial nominee R. Creigh Deeds:

“He’s gutsy. He’s kind of a classic Virginian. What you see is what you get,“ Kaine said. “Many were not surprised by [Deeds’] win” in the June 9 Democratic primary, “but everybody was surprised by the margin.“

  * On pressure to assure that a Democrat succeeds him:

“I feel a lot of pressure because of one thing: I want Virginia to be well-managed when I’m gone,“ Kaine said.