Following S. Vance Wilkins Jr.'s June resignation from his position as Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, Republicans have named William J. Howell, R-Stafford, a 1967 University Law graduate, to fill his post.
During his 14 years of experience as a legislator and his service as chairman of the Courts of Justice Committee, Howell maintained a clean personal record and earned a favorable reputation for himself among his Republican colleagues as a staunch conservative who was nonetheless capable of building consensus.
His appointment marks a dramatic personality shift in the House speaker position. Wilkins resigned from the position after facing allegations that he made a $100,000 settlement payment to avoid facing charges of sexual harassment.
But even prior to this incident, Wilkins maintained a reputation as an aggressive and sometimes abrasive old-time legislator, unafraid of confrontation and resistant to compromise.
"Vance, of course, had worked for 20 years to get the [Republican] majority, and it took a lot of Machiavellian activities on his part," said George W. Grayson, government professor at the College of William & Mary and a former democrat in the House of Delegates. "Howell will be a steady hand on the tiller."
Grayson went on to echo the sentiments of many of Howell's Republican colleagues, describing him as "level-headed" and "responsible."
Politics Prof. Larry J. Sabato agreed that Howell, in addition to clearing the air of scandal, would lend a milder presence to the House speakership.
"The Republicans had to find a completely clean individual to replace Wilkins," Sabato said. "He works with people rather than against them."
Howell will be joining two fellow Northern Virginian politicians on the top rungs of General Assembly politics -- John Chichester, Senate Finance Committee chairman, and Gov. Mark R. Warner.
But General Assembly watchers do not predict anything will come of this new concentration of legislative authority from the region.
"I think it's being overblown," Sabato said, when asked about what some perceive as an impending disruption in the balance of power between urban and rural Virginia.
"In terms of policy, I think there will be a negligible difference" between Wilkins and Howell, said Politics Prof. Glenn Beamer.
"There is still no money," he added, citing the budget deficit as the real limiting factor to legislative change.
"He's a conservative republican, just like Wilkins. He's just less confrontational," Sabato said.
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