02.12.01

By Tara L. Stubblefield

Tyler "Whit" Whitley has been reporting about Virginia’s General Assembly for 30 years.

"I’m the dean," he said recently while showing me, a burgeoning journalist, the legislative ropes.

While most reporters walk briskly down at the Capitol, Whitley saunters from the House floor to a Senate committee meeting. From there, he moseys past Chicken’s Snack Bar and into the pressroom where my tour of the legislative process began.

"Let’s go to the floor," Whitley announced decisively, getting up from his seat where he was talking about the latest news with his co-workers from the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Watching the General Assembly action displayed on the two monitors in the pressroom does not do justice to the excitement of the job, he said.

We arrived at the House floor, and to my chagrin, the two benches reserved for reporters were full. However, a nice older white-haired sergeant at arms recognized my chaperone. "Oh, Tyler, there’s room over here for you," she said, pointing to one of the other benches not usually reserved for reporters.

I began to get the impression that reporting for 30 years in the same place will get you special favors.

We sat and observed a debate going on about a bill that would require electors to vote with the party that won their state in presidential elections.

Delegate Kenneth R. Melvin, D-Portsmouth, approached where we were sitting and gestured for Whitley to follow him. They retreated to an alcove just behind where we were seated.

This brings to mind Tyler Whitley’s list of "Three Things to Remember While Covering the Legislature":

• Get to know the legislators, at least a little bit. You can get many of your stories when legislators approach you, rather than the other way around.

• Follow the lobbyists. That’s where a lot of the action is. Lobbyists run many things at the Capitol, according to Whitley.

• Get acquainted with the rules of procedure.  When you know the General Assembly jargon, your story turnaround rate improves considerably.

Whitley said he likes covering state government because what it does is important – it affects everybody's life, and it also reflects human nature. The 140 people trying to balance their own interests against the people's interest is fascinating, he wrote in an e-mail.

       Reflecting on his career, he said that his most interesting story was a big tax fight involving then-Gov. Mills Godwin in 1976. He wanted to impose a severance tax on coal. Whitley followed Godwin and legislators as they went back and forth, moving from room to room, late at night, before the tax was defeated.

This year, again, a tax issue is proving to be the most interesting bill – the Gilmore car tax cut. Whitley said the interesting part is watching legislators from the Republican Party rebel against the governor.

Whitley spends a good part of his day at the Capitol Building while the General Assembly is in session. He arrives at about 7 a.m. and stays there "until the action is over," sometimes late at night.

There are perks to the job, he explained. It’s exciting and the people are interesting.

Whitley seems to know most of them.

"Nice briefcase, Tyler," said a young woman smiling at him as we passed by. Yes, I would say Tyler Whitley has definitely made his mark at the General Assembly.