Wilder sets precedent, responds to Goldman analysis of city budget and fiscal mess. Why did Wilder respond?

Goldman for Mayor - 25 September 2008 - For Immediate Release

What did the Mayor say about the Goldman analysis of our city's budget and fiscal mess, the failure of City Hall and City Council to level with the people on our finances, and the fact the two bodies wasted all that money as they have been living off a real estate bubble leading to inflated real estate assessments, thus inflated real estate taxes?

In a statement, Paul Goldman, candidate for Mayor said:

"The reason Mayor Wilder knew he needed to answer my analysis is clear to anyone who has followed Virginia politics over the years. As has been pointed out by those who were there, my AAA credibility on public finances in these situations has been long recognized due to my work in helping Governor-elect Wilder and Governor-elect Warner address the growing budget and fiscal mess they inherited upon winning the state's top job. They sought my advice not only during the transition period, but at those initial meetings either in the Governor's office or at the Governor's Mansion as they needed to make the tough decisions right at the start of their terms.

Sadly, the next Mayor-elect, like Governors-elect Wilder and Warner, is apparently going to going to inherit a budget and fiscal mess in terms of city finances going forward during this same time frame early in his term, something that will carry forward to least the first half of the next mayoral term.

Like Governors-elect Wilder and Warner, the next Mayor is going to have take honest, no-nonsense fiscally responsible action right from the start.

One reason I was the first to announce for Mayor early this year was my hope that it would enable me to sound the alarm, to get the Wilder Administration and the Pantele-led City Council to take the needed action starting with the last quarter of the previous city budget.

But Mr. Pantele and Mr. Wilder proved they would rather fight and feud.

Moreover, as the Mayor knows, my AAA credibility isn't just based on the fact that none of my opponents, taken individually or combined, has this real-time experience. The fact is that I also have a Masters in Public Administration from the top school in the country in that discipline, helping to make me an expert on public finance by education, the only candidate for Mayor with this training. .

Of all the candidates for Mayor, I am the only one that Mr. Pantele, the City Council, and the old power-brokers know they can't fool. I am the only one with the knowledge and independence to expose the truth about what they have done or tried to do with city funds over the years.

My AAA credibility on public finances, earned by not just talking the talk, but walking the walk, and my independence of any special interest is something they fear.

The Pantele-led City Council has tried to belittle me in hopes of hiding their fiscal incompetence.

But those Governors, who have had to inherit the kinds of budget and fiscal messes that Mr. Pantele and the City Council have helped create for the next Mayor-elect, know the truth.

And that is why Doug Wilder knew he needed to respond."