Advancing A Tech Agenda

Warner isn't griping. "The 80% of [the] loaf we got still makes it the most extensive consolidation effort anywhere in country," he says. Warner made sure the CIO would be given a five-year term, which would span two governorships and give the tech exec time to accomplish goals to drive efficiencies through IT.

Warner also has championed Internet-age technologies that could help Virginia save money on its purchases. Earlier this year, the state used reverse auctions to buy computer tapes, saving 30%--about $350,000--from the amount spent last year under conventional acquisition approaches. "Mark Warner's business background has focused him on technical-management issues that other governors have ignored or haven't had interest in, because they had no training to look at them," says University of Virginia political-science professor Larry Sabato, director of the school's Center for Politics.

Yet, swift changes in the political climate can play havoc with any agenda. Take the rising din over offshore outsourcing. Virginia doesn't ban the practice. Over the years, Virginia hasn't outsourced much work to U.S. firms, let alone foreign ones. Warner says only one agency--the Department of Social Services--has sent some application-development work offshore, affecting a handful of jobs. Still, some lawmakers are starting to complain. Policy makers must find solutions that protect American jobs, Warner says, but they shouldn't take a protectionist approach. "How you make that balance--that value for ... our taxpayers--but at the same time not send jobs, particularly state jobs, offshore is something I'm working on. But I don't have a full answer on it yet," he says. "This is a struggle lots of governors are starting to grapple with."

Warner believes combining better education and training with incentives that keep employers here for years could work. He frowns on the approach some governments have taken, turning to a prospective business and saying, "'Here, we're going to write you a check. Come to the community and open a business.' Maybe [the financial incentive] needs to be a little less up front and a little more spent over time, making sure we upgrade the quality of the workforce," the governor says. "I haven't found a silver bullet."

As an example, Warner points to the new Institute for Advanced Learning and Research, a technology center in the southern Virginia city of Danville. The center was conceived with the hope of attracting technology and talent, as well as creating blue-tech jobs--positions that entail technology certifications--that are critical to the economic development of rural regions. "He's very, very tech-driven in trying to help areas in the state that aren't tech-driven," says John Lee, CEO of a systems integration company and a member of the citizens' board that oversees VITA. "He has focused hard on spreading the wealth in the technology area."

Warner still believes in the promise of the Internet, where time and distance are irrelevant. "There used to be something called the New Economy with the vision you can build it anywhere," he says. "That's a vision I still believe in, but that's not happened yet. I would like Virginia to be the place where it happens."

Contiune to the Q&A: Warner Moves Smoothly From Technology To Government

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