"Blake Caravati, Mayor of Charlottesville, today called for Allen campaign press secretary Tim Murtaugh's immediate resignation. Caravati, a featured speaker at the Charlottesville rally today in front of Venable Elementary School, demanded that Murtaugh apologize and step down immediately in the wake of derogatory statements made about State Sen. Emily Couric (D-Charlottesville) in yesterday's Daily Progress.

Couric spoke along with five other women at a Charlottesville "Women for Robb" rally on Wednesday. Couric was critical of Allen's record, saying "[y]ou know how he thinks about the federal government ... It blows my mind that he now wants to be a part of it," Couric said... "he wanted to cut things like textbooks and reading programs and after-school assistance.." Couric said Allen had tried to slash $100 million from state public education spending as governor in 1995 and had been the only governor not to accept federal Goals 2000 funding. Couric added, "We don't want this kind of thinking in Washington."

Murtaugh responded with "Couric should know better than to tell lies about the GOP nominee. Governor Allen is the only candidate in this race with a solid record on education ... Lying about it on the Downtown Mall doesn't change that," Allen's press secretary said.

If anyone knows about Allen's record, it would be Senator Emily Couric. A strong advocate for Virginia's public schools, she has served as a local PTA President and served two terms on the Charlottesville School Board, including a year as Chair. Since her election to the State Senate, she has been a champion for education as a member of the Senate Education and Health Committee." (Demo Memo, Democratic Party of Virginia, October 20, 2000)