A look inside Perriello’s first 100 days

In a third-floor classroom at an inner-city Washington elementary school, U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello, D-5th District, is reading “Arthur’s April Fool” to 7-year-old Edward Williams III.

“‘For my first trick,’ said Arthur, ‘I’ll need a volunteer…’” Perriello read, taking on funny voices for various characters. “Binky Barnes jumped on the stage. ‘Surprise pipsqueak!,’ he whispered. Arthur gulped.”

“He scared!” laughed Edward, in between bites of his lunch of chili, applesauce, Tostitos, salad and milk.

Nearby, several of Perriello’s top staffers are reading books to Edward’s classmates. They visit the high-poverty school once a week during their lunch break as part of a nonprofit program that promotes literacy among low-income youngsters.

“It’s a nice reminder, amidst all the policy discussions, about what we’re trying to do up here,” Perriello said. “We see here potential, but there are also a lot of hurdles for these young people. We see the same challenges in places like Charlottesville and Danville.”

Perriello, a 34-year-old Democrat from Ivy, was elected to Congress last fall in the nation’s closest race of 2008. He unseated six-term incumbent Republican Virgil H. Goode Jr. by only 727 votes.

On Wednesday, Perriello marked his first 100 days as the representative of the 5th Congressional District, which stretches from the Charlottesville region down to the Southside communities of Danville and Martinsville.

So far, Perriello has won passage of several amendments to legislation, including a measure he patroned with U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas that created a $2,500 tax credit for college tuition and other higher education expenses.

Another bill he sponsored, with Rep. Dana Titus of Nevada, establishes a National Service Reserve Corps, which enlists alumni of existing national service groups — Americorps, for example — who would be called upon to help out in times of emergency, such as terrorist attacks or devastating hurricanes.

“The biggest surprise for me is how much I’ve been able to affect things as a freshman,” Perriello said. “I’ve been able to have an impact.”

His voting record shows that he has mostly sided with the Democratic majority in Congress, but also has been willing to break ranks with his party occasionally.

Perriello was one of 20 Democrats in the House to vote against President Barack Obama’s $3.5 trillion budget resolution, citing his concern about the federal government’s long-term budget deficit.

He praised Obama’s steps toward greater budget transparency and for cutting the deficit in half over five years. But, he said, it should have gone further to balance the federal budget.

“Balanced budgets are key to creating economic confidence,” he said.

His “biggest issue” with the White House, he said, has been the bailouts of struggling financial companies. In January, he voted against releasing $350 billion worth of bailout funds from the Troubled Asset Relief Program, which was approved last fall before Perriello was in office.

He has spoken out against the actions of Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke in their handling of the financial crisis.

Speaking with staffers in his office recently, he said: “If I could put Bernanke in a headlock to keep him from doing that crap he did two weeks ago, I would.” Realizing that a reporter was tape recording the conversation, Perriello added: “That’s not a literal headlock, for what it’s worth. I’m just not pleased with their policies.”

Blue Dog Democrat

Along with five Republicans and two fellow Democrats, Perriello — who can safely be called a Blue Dog Democrat — co-signed a letter to Obama that denounced Attorney General Eric Holder’s plans to reinstate the assault weapon ban.

“These are not the firearms used by our soldiers or drug cartels, these are firearms designed for law-abiding citizens to use for sport, hunting and protecting their homes and families,” the letter said. “Make no mistake about it, banning these guns only serves to remove them from law-abiding citizens.”

Perriello has also introduced two measures intended to support veterans. One bill would increase and make permanent vocational training benefits, much like the G.I. Bill offers veterans easy access to higher education. Another bill, which Perriello introduced with two other congressmen, aims to prevent suicides by veterans, particularly those returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Overshadowing every other vote this year, however, was the $787 billion economic stimulus package approved by Congress in January and signed into law by Obama. Perriello voted in favor of the bill.

According to White House estimates, the stimulus package is expected to create or save 7,600 jobs in the 5th District. The measure included $42.3 million in direct aid to the district’s school systems, with $3.8 million headed to Albemarle County and $2.5 million for Charlottesville. It also included more than $1 million in funding for the district’s law enforcement agencies. And it included $694 million for highway, road and bridge projects across the state.

Perriello has been advocating for several projects in his district to receive a share of the infrastructure funds.

Among these projects are improvements at Hydraulic Road and Hollymead to reduce congestion on U.S. 29 in Albemarle County, extending Hillsdale Road in Charlottesville, building a pipeline from the James River to supply water to Zion Crossroads and Fork Union, upgrading wastewater facilities in Stanardsville and many other such projects.

Also hanging over Perriello’s first 100 days in office was the death of his father, longtime Charlottesville pediatrician Vito Perriello, on March 1 at the age of 68.

The elder Perriello, who made frequent appearances last year on the campaign trail, was a role model for the congressman. “I hope to spend decades trying to match his ceaseless commitment to our common humanity,” Perriello said at the time.

Performance reviews

Albemarle County resident L.F. Payne, who represented the 5th District from 1988 until 1997, said he is hearing from his former colleagues in Congress that Perriello has quickly gained a reputation for being “hard working, smart and doing what’s in the best interest of his district.”

“He’s doing quite well,” Payne said. “It takes awhile to learn the ropes up there, but he’s gotten involved and started performing about as quickly as I’ve ever seen. He’s already making a name for himself. He’s certainly off to a good start.”

Payne, who led Perriello’s transition team, praised Perriello’s votes in favor of the stimulus package and against Obama’s budget.

“He’s not just voting party line,” Payne said. “He’s voting in the way that he perceives to be best for the folks back home.”

Goode, a Rocky Mount resident, has filed papers to explore a possible re-match against Perriello in 2010. Goode is considerably less impressed with Perriello’s performance during his first 100 days.

Goode criticized Perriello’s vote in favor of the stimulus package, which he said contained few measures that would truly stimulate the economy and would require an unjustifiably huge increase in federal spending.

“It contained a wish list of Democratic ideas instead of true stimulus,” Goode said.

Goode also condemned Perriello’s vote in favor of a bill that increases funding for House committees by 8 percent, or $304.5 million, over the next two years.

“I think Congress has enough money already,” Goode said.

Yet Goode offered a bit of praise for Perriello’s vote against allowing the Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco products. Perriello was one of only eight Democrats to oppose the measure.

Perriello’s office on the fifth floor of the Longworth House Office Building is filled with mementos from his district and elsewhere in Virginia. There is a framed Albemarle County seal. A Virginia Tech helmet signed by Frank Beamer rests on a file cabinet. A tribute to former Charlottesville state Del. Mitch Van Yahres is on display in a bookcase.

Nonstop schedule

On a typical day, Perriello rushes — nearly running, at times — from meeting to meeting around the Capitol. In between caucus meetings, committee hearings and floor votes, he squeezes in time with an endless stream of constituents and lobbyists.

On a Wednesday in early April, Perriello started his day off by attending an off-the-record talk by Christina Romer, chairwoman of Obama’s Council of Economic Advisors, on “Restoring Economic Stability.”

Following her speech, Perriello hustled over to the speaker of the House’s office to sit in on a meeting with U2 frontman and global aid activist Bono.

Meanwhile, Perriello’s staff met with representatives from the Virginia Association of Broadcasters, including Harold Wright of NBC29, Brad Ramsey of Charlottesville’s Newsplex stations and Renee Quesenberry of the Charlottesville Radio Group, according to Perriello’s official schedule. The broadcasters wanted to discuss the digital TV transition, Internet streaming and other issues.

Perriello next attended a Transportation and Infrastructure Caucus meeting on surface transportation. Not long after, he was at a House Trade Working Group meeting.

He took a call from a University of Virginia student who is doing a class project on health policy and wanted to discuss health care and the stimulus package. “There is no way to balance the budget without health care reform,” Perriello told him. “It is the biggest kick to the federal budget.”

Shortly thereafter, he drove his pickup truck to a demonstration on the National Mall about “smart grid” technology and other energy efficiency technologies. “I was a big supporter of this in the stimulus,” Perriello said. “I think it’s got a lot of potential in our area.”

After voting on a couple bills, Perriello was back in his office to listen as the superintendent of the Blue Ridge Parkway told him about the parkway’s 75th anniversary celebrations next year.

A few minutes later, Charlottesville entrepreneur Oliver Kuttner dropped by carrying a large metal axle from a prototype fuel-efficient car he is developing. If all goes to plan, Kuttner said, his lightweight designs will allow cars to travel 100 miles on a gallon of fuel, without sacrificing safety standards.

“Most people don’t believe that you can build a car that weighs 800 pounds, but can also withstand crash testing,” Kuttner said. “The truth is, it’s possible.”

Kuttner offered his expertise to Perriello, and suggested that Perriello help to create grants to further lightweight auto research.

“I thank you for coming up,” Perriello said. “And whatever you did to get that thing through security, it shows you’re a creative man.”

Coming home

When Congress is not in session, Perriello has been trying to spend as much time in the district as possible.

He recently wrapped up a tour of the district that highlights initiatives focused on clean, renewable energy.

“We’re right at the start of a new competitive economy of green jobs and energy,” he said.

He is devoting much of his time, he said, to positioning the 5th District at the forefront of the emerging clean energy industry.

“One day, people won’t be talking about [Southside] as the former tobacco capital,” he said. “They’ll be talking about as the future green energy capital.”

Spending time in the district — particularly the more Republican-leaning communities in Southside — will be key for Perriello’s re-election bid in 2010, said Larry J. Sabato, director of UVa’s Center for Politics.

“He can win some votes down there just by showing up, caring about their economic problems and trying to do something about it,” Sabato said.

Contributing to Perriello’s victory in 2008 was the Democratic tide motivated by Obama’s campaign. Next time around, Sabato said, the Democratic vote will not likely be so maximized and Perriello may find himself with a tough re-election bid — particularly if the economy is still in a recession.

“If there’s a swing away from Democrats, then Perriello’s seat will be at risk,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean he’ll lose it.”

Perriello claims that thoughts of his looming re-election campaign do not enter his mind. He is too focused, he said, on helping his constituents who are struggling in these tough economic times.

“I feel lucky to have a job. I’m not thinking about re-election,” he said. “I can’t put my head down at night knowing that there are people in my district who don’t have jobs.”

Volunteerism

During Perriello’s campaign last year, he asked all volunteers and staffers to spend at least 10 percent of their time performing community service. Now that he is in office, the “tithing” continues.

One such example was his visit to John Tyler Elementary School in Washington when he spent an hour reading books in funny voices with second-grader Edward.

“One thing I’ve learned from having seven nieces and nephews is that kids dig funny voices,” Perriello said. “That’s my official policy.”

As they were finishing up that afternoon, Perriello staffer Jessica Barba asked Edward what they had been reading.

“‘Arthur’s April Fool,’” he replied.

“And who is the author?” she asked, pointing to the book’s cover. “What does this say?”

“Marc … Brown.”

Perriello beamed and slapped Edward a high five.

“We done?” Edward asked.

“We done,” Perriello said.