Perriello wins seat on transit committee in 1st day in office

Media General News Service
Published: January 7, 2009

WASHINGTON — Democrat Tom Perriello was no sooner sworn in as the new representative of Virginia’s 5th District Tuesday than he saw his name atop a list.

He had the distinction of being named the third-most vulnerable member of Congress by The Hill newspaper.

Perriello won his seat by just 745 votes, and he said he’s continuing his high-energy campaign style in Washington, where he has rented a basement apartment near the Capitol. He and his fellow freshmen have no intention of spending their whole time here learning the ropes, he said.

“We’re not going to wait around. We’re going to be heard,” said Perriello, 34.

When in Washington for freshman orientation in November, Perriello was still locked in a recount with Republican Rep. Virgil H. Goode Jr., who had held the seat for 12 years.

This time, Perriello walked in with his own name by the office door — a reminder, he said, of the “sacred trust” voters have placed in him.

“Seeing that bronze plaque is a reminder of that everyday, every moment I walk in here,” he said on what amounted to a busy first day of the new Congress.

Perriello never did finish the breakfast biscuit he was nibbling between a morning interfaith service at a local church, a round of interviews and a couple of errands. He had to pick up House voting and member identification cards before the day’s organizational votes on the floor.

He got his first choice committee assignment — on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. But he still wants a slot on the House Veterans Affairs Committee. He likened the struggle for assignments to a “street fight” among the new Democrats.

Considering his assignment on Transportation, Perriello decided against delivering his first floor speech Tuesday. He’s been working on a speech about Afghanistan and the economic stimulus bill.

On the economic stimulus bill expected from Barack Obama, Perriello said he is looking for details and doesn’t want to see Congress repeat what he calls a $700 billion “mistake” — last fall’s bailout bill.

“We do need aggressive action at the federal level,” he said, “but it needs to be smart and it can’t continue to be throwing money at the problem.”

Perriello met with constituents in his new office and started to put a few items on the walls - including a family photo, a University of Virginia hat and an American flag.

He skipped an optional, ceremonial swearing in with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Tuesday afternoon and attended a reception with Virginians in a House office building nearby.