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Kaine Meets Kin Of Tech Victims

June 24, 2007

By Jeff E. Schapiro

RICHMOND, Va. — Following a private meeting yesterday with relatives of victims of the Virginia Tech mass slaying, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine stood by his decision to exclude family members from the panel investigating the tragedy.

However, Kaine said he would take steps to improve communications between relatives and the eight-member commission, headed by former state police superintendent W. Gerald Massengill.

"We're going to fiddle with this over the next couple of days," said Kaine, declining to elaborate.

Thomas J. Fadoul Jr., a lawyer for 20 families who met with Kaine, praised the governor after the 2 1/2-hour session for his willingness "to consider an adjustment, a fine-tuning" of the commission's procedures for vetting concerns of relatives of the victims.

Attending the meeting with Kaine: chief gubernatorial counsel Larry Roberts, communications director Delacey Skinner and press secretary Kevin Hall.

Fifty minutes after the meeting began, Kaine's wife, Anne Holton, a former judge in Richmond Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court, joined the talks.

Vincent Bove, a security consultant who is advising some of the families, also sat in. Bove told reporters later, "This incident at Virginia Tech was preventable. There were so many balls that were dropped."

While most of the 44 relatives left without speaking to reporters, Peter and Cathy Read, whose daughter Mary was killed, were quoted by The Associated Press as saying they would be satisfied with a "virtual presence" on the panel.

"We're here because our children, our husbands, our wives, sons and daughters can't be here. We're here for them," Peter Read said. "Everything we've asked for we've asked for on their behalf because they deserve the fullest possible accounting of what happened and finding ways to prevent it from happening again."

The session took place yesterday afternoon in the recently constructed annex to the state Capitol. Two Capitol police officers stood guard outside the conference room.

Kaine named an independent commission to examine laws on firearms, mental health and other areas spotlighted by April 16 shootings.

Thirty-two students and faculty were fatally shot by Tech student Seung-Hui Cho before he committed suicide with a handgun.

The Massengill commission includes experts in public safety and mental health, among them former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge.

Kaine wants the commission to complete its work free of political influence and advance possible recommendations on how Virginia laws could be strengthened to prevent a similar tragedy.

However, some relatives of the victims have said that they do not believe the commission can be effective without input from those directly affected by the shootings.

To ensure the commission's independence, Kaine said that he did not want its members to include those with a personal connection to the shootings or individuals accountable to him.

"My obligation is to find out what went right and what went wrong," said Kaine.

The Tech deaths represented the largest mass slaying in U.S. history by a single gunman.

The General Assembly also is looking into state laws and services, in particular mental health programs, that may require additional dollars and staff.

The House Health, Welfare and Institutions Committee met last week, discussing the effectiveness of advisory boards that participate in commitment proceedings similar to that one held for Cho.

Contact Jeff E. Schapiro at jschapiro@timesdispatch.com or (804) 649-6814.