Daily Press - Ken Cuccinelli Speaks to Economic Development Group in Newport News

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By Michael Welles Shapiro

Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli spoke to a conference room full of economic development officials here Thursday and promised to out-hustle his Democratic gubernatorial opponent Terry McAuliffe in the last three weeks of the race.

"I've always been outspent, but I'll never be outworked," he told Virginia Economic Developers Association conference attendees at the Marriott at City Center, capping off a business-themed variation of his standard stump speech.

He wove in to his speech an assessment of the nearby Port of Virginia, and the importance on capitalizing on its 50-foot channel depth, which allows it to serve some of the largest ships in international trade.

"We're going to have a few years of advantage over other ports on the East Coast," he said.

But "that window will close," he said, as New York, Charleston and Savannah engage in costly infrastructure projects so they can compete for the biggest ships in the international fleets.

Cuccinelli also reminded the audience that he opposed a high-dollar offer from APM Terminals to privatize operations at the state's terminals.

"I was deeply involved with the (public-private partnership) consideration," he said. "I was glad we chose not to go the privatization route."

McAuliffe has similarly said he opposed the privatization, which met widespread opposition from a number of port-related businesses in Hampton Roads.

Cuccinelli also sought to head off a potential criticism of his plan for the state's economy, which would lower the corporate and personal income tax while making up for the lost revenue by eliminating tax exemptions.

"Don't be scared off," he told the audience members, part of a profession that often dangle tax incentives in front of businesses to lure them to various localities across the state.

"Being able to close the deal with incentives is important," he said.

But he said officials at the state level should study such arrangements to make sure they produce tangible benefits for taxpayers who pay higher rates because of tax breaks or incentives that have been doled out.

"If you looked at all of them," he said, "you'd see some and say 'Whoa, that doesn't meet that standard.'"

Cuccinelli said his background as a patent lawyer means he would be attentive to details if elected, and he promised to read legislation sent to his desk for a signature.

"I will dig down into things as we go through the session."

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