And his Virginia High-Tech Partnership, which he created in 1997, links students at historically black colleges and universities with careers in technology. He helped launch the Virginia Health Care Foundation, which opens access to medical services for uninsured and underserved Virginians. Before he became governor, he invested much of his time and money into health care and education. The multimillionaire has long been influential in the business community, most notably for his high-tech interests and his venture-capital firm. Warner isn't short on financial resources, though most are in trust during his term in office. Warner's term ends in January 2006, but the Democrats will be looking for someone to run against Sen. Warner's efforts curried favor from Democrats on a national level and earned him some buzz as a long-shot on a list of potential vice-presidential nominees. Warner also helped John Kerry win Virginia by a mile in February's Democratic primary just when Kerry needed it. He essentially overwhelmed Republicans in the House of Delegates, and the budget impasse ended May 7. How? He did it, Sabato says, by wielding the strength of his office, using the news media to peck away at his opponents and leveraging unlikely allies in a small but key group of Senate Republicans. Power is in flux, and there are those working their way up.įor Warner, things seem to be on the rise.ĭespite a seemingly hopeless standoff in the legislature, and with Republicans in control, Democrat Warner pushed through his two-year budget, which included a record tax increase of about $1.4 billion. ![]() And there are many folks likely to drop or rise dramatically next year. It takes time to earn power in Richmond, which is why the list's upper ranks aren't surprising. The answers who isn't on the list, who is and where they rank offer insight into Richmond's power structure. And in the end we asked: Who has the abilities, the resources and the local reputation to most effectively get something done in Richmond? Department of the Treasury with a grocery and financial magnate? ![]() How do you compare an arts philanthropist with a state senator? A bishop with a businessman? The secretary of the U.S. The process was at once illuminating and frustrating, mostly because it forced us to compare Richmonders who cross consitutencies, occupations and affiliations. We also assigned each person what we called a "Q-Factor" score, representing name recognition, overall influence and reputation those intangible, elusive qualities that build a person's brand as a power player. We looked at philanthropic efforts and pet projects. Our initial list steadily grew.Īs we refined our search, we asked ourselves to what extent each person affects the areas of business and economics, public policy and the lives of others. First we pulled headlines, searched our memories and archives, scanned proxy statements and called on inside sources across the region in a variety of disciplines. ![]() In creating the Power List, we considered and debated a variety of criteria. It is a combination of all those things, yet it stands apart. There are lists of philanthropists and men and women of the moment. There are other lists that rank the wealthy, the influential and the famous. That's what this list is about: Who can make things happen. ![]() Mark Warner did in the recent session of the General Assembly." And if you've demonstrated that you have power.
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