College of William and Mary President Taylor Reveley III reminded members of the General Assembly on Saturday to display leadership if they want to facilitate any compromise and success in Richmond.
Reveley delivered his address to 46 members of the House of Delegates and 24 state senators during the 26th joint commemorative session in Colonial Williamsburg at the old Capitol building. Special guests included former Gov. Jim Gilmore, who is on the ballot for the presidential primary race, and U.S. Rep. Robert Hurt, R-Charlottesville.
Members of the General Assembly have made periodic visits to the Hall of the House of Burgesses over the past 81 years to “renew its inspiration,” according to the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, a group that helps facilitate the visit. The tradition started after the Capitol building was reconstructed and dedicated in February 1934, and lawmakers at the time passed legislation allowing future sessions to be held there.
Though there was a quorum, no official business took place.
Reveley talked about the long history of Virginia politics, dating back to 1619, when the state’s first assembly — dubbed the House of Burgesses at the time — met in a wooden church. He noted how Virginians often point out how the first Thanksgiving took place along the James River. In a way, he said, Virginia began the tradition of representative government and numerous leaders of the nation, including the Founding Fathers, made strides in the commonwealth.
He questioned why human beings care so deeply about “firsts” and decided it was because with age comes wisdom.
“We care about venerable institutions because there is a presumption of quality in age,” he said.
He urged current lawmakers to model their actions off that wisdom and use it to bridge divides.
It was leadership and experience that brought Virginia through “rough times,” like secession and segregation, he said. Today, Virginia faces the challenge of improving technology and cybersecurity, infrastructure, education and economic development, he said.
“None of this is going to be easy, and it will all take leadership,” he said.
He said “there is nothing wrong with political ambition,” calling it the “bone marrow” of success.
But true leaders, he said, will make every effort to compromise and put matters of principle before their own preference, helping to close gaps between opposing views.
As lawmakers try to develop compromise, Reveley said, it’s important to know they are setting an example as representatives of a state that has “been there and done that” for centuries.
But do it all with a sense of humility, he warned.
“Of course, it is important we do all of this in a non-jackasslike way,” Reveley said, which was met with laughter and applause.
Gilmore said he took Reveley’s comments about compromise within the legislature to heart.
“As a candidate running for president, I hope to live up to that,” Gilmore said.
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