Youngkin appoints agriculture secretary, department commissioner
Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin announced Tuesday that he had selected Matthew “Matt” Lohr as state secretary of agriculture and forestry and Joseph “Joe” Guthrie as commissioner of the Virginia Agriculture and Consumer Services Department. “Agriculture … plays a crucial role in Virginia’s economy and communities[...]
Youngkin announces multiple Cabinet, staff appointments
Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin announced Monday and Tuesday a series of staff and Cabinet appointments, including state secretary of veterans and defense affairs and his chief of staff. Youngkin named Craig Crenshaw as secretary of veterans and defense affairs and Daniel Gade as commissioner of the Department of Veterans Services. �[...]
Sen. Kaine back in D.C. after being stuck on I-95 for 27 hours
This story was updated Jan. 4 at 4:20 p.m. After being stranded with hundreds of other motorists on Interstate 95 for nearly 27 hours, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine arrived at his office in Washington, D.C., just before 4 p.m. Tuesday, according to CNBC. The 2016 Democratic vice presidential candidate wrote on his Facebook page Tuesday [&[...]
Richard Cullen to become Youngkin’s counselor
Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin has selected former Virginia Attorney General Richard Cullen as counselor to the governor. A senior partner and former chairman of McGuireWoods, Cullen will leave Virginia’s largest firm on Jan. 14, the day before Youngkin is sworn in. Cullen joined McGuireWoods in 1977. From 1991 to 1994, he serv[...]
Looking back
In November 2021, Gov. Ralph Northam sat down for an interview with Virginia Business, looking back at his eventful four-year term. This is a transcript of the full interview, part of which was used in the January 2022 cover story, “A dramatic shift.” The interview has been edited for length and clarity. Virginia Business: W[...]
A dramatic shift
Four years ago, no one would have guessed Gov. Ralph Northam would lead the most progressive Virginia administration in modern memory. A native of Onancock on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, as well as a pediatric neurologist and Army veteran, Virginia’s 73rd governor was eyed by some Democrats with suspicion after acknowledging h[...]
The great divide
Virginia’s business community faces a strangely familiar and yet uncertain state government headed into the 2022 General Assembly session, which begins Jan. 12. Republicans rolled to victories across the board in the November 2021 election as Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin led a GOP sweep of all three statewide offices, and Republi[...]
Your 2022 guide to Virginia politics
General Assembly preview: The great divide Will split legislature lead to gridlock or compromise? Interview: The outsider Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin talks 2022 priorities Politics: A dramatic shift Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s tenure was progressive, eventful Interview: Looking Back Q&A with exiting Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam […][...]
The outsider
A former CEO who has never held political office, Glenn Youngkin will take the reins as Virginia’s next governor, having harnessed political tailwinds to a Republican sweep of statewide offices and GOP control of the House of Delegates. The electoral success ended eight years of Democratic victories, but Virginia’s 74th gove[...]
Bechtel subsidiary wins $872M Navy contracts
A subsidiary of Reston-based global engineering, construction and project management company Bechtel Group Inc. won a pair of contract modifications, totaling about $872 million, from the U.S. Navy, the Department of Defense announced Monday. Monroeville, Pennsylvania-based Bechtel Plant Machinery Inc., has been awarded a $621.9 million cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to a previously awarded contract for naval […][...]
30 Va. projects awarded $24.5M in flood prep grants
The Virginia Community Flood Preparedness Fund has awarded $24.5 million in grants for 30 projects statewide, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Thursday. “The Community Flood Preparedness Fund will provide an estimated $75 million a year to improve the resilience of our commonwealth, including targeted funding for Virginia’s most vulnerable and underserved communities,” Northam said in a […][...]
Former MUFG Americas head tapped as next Va. finance sec
Stephen Emery Cummings, who retired in March as the president and CEO of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) in the Americas, has been chosen as Virginia’s next secretary of finance, Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin announced Wednesday. “Lowering taxes and restoring fiscal responsibility in Richmond is a primary focus of our [...]