Democrats accused Republicans yesterday of being partisan roadblocks to Gov. Timothy M. Kaine's billion-dollar transportation plan.

Meanwhile, the House GOP leader said his early criticism may have been too harsh.

"It's clear they didn't even listen to the plan" before attacking it, said Gordon Hickey, a spokesman for Kaine. He noted that the Republican House of Delegates leadership had scheduled a news conference a half-hour after Kaine announced the details of his plan Monday.

The Democratic Party of Virginia yesterday branded the Virginia GOP as the "party of no" and said Republicans offered no solution. Republicans countered that their solution is a regional approach that focuses on Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads, not statewide tax increases.

"I was a little disappointed they weren't at least more open-minded," said Del. Ward L. Armstrong, D-Henry, the House Democratic leader. "How are we going to arrive at a solution if they are being so reactionary?"

Del. H. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, the House Republican leader who described Kaine's plan Monday as "tax, tax and more tax," said yesterday that he "may have been too harsh" in his criticism of the plan.

Griffith, who said Monday that he did not expect Kaine's plan "or anything close to it" to succeed, said yesterday that "when we get down there, I'm sure we'll discuss it."

"I stand by everything I said, but I probably should have been softer in delivery," he added.

Griffith said the Republicans will propose regional plans for Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads but that a statewide plan is unnecessary. Kaine said Virginia needs a statewide plan to boost the state's spending on maintenance.

The governor was in Woodbridge last night to talk up his plan, as the first of a series of town-hall meetings he is holding across the state to sell the proposal.

Armstrong said areas outside Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads, including the Martinsville area, are going to want something out of the plan and that can be done only with a statewide approach.

He said the Democratic caucus was generally supportive of Kaine's proposal, although he said there may be some tweaks to it. The caucus was particularly pleased that Kaine did not propose a gasoline tax increase, he said, when gas prices are so high.

Republican leaders, including Attorney General Bob McDonnell, Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling and John H. Hager, chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia, joined Griffith in criticizing the Kaine proposal.

The governor has called the legislators back into special session beginning June 23 to consider a fix to what he says is a transportation problem that could impede the state's economic progress unless solved.

Kaine said he expected changes to be made to his proposal, which relies on a series of tax and fee increases, statewide, as well as in the two traffic-clogged regions.
Contact Tyler Whitley at (804) 649-6780 or twhitley@timesdispatch.com.