Stop Sprawl & Overdevelopment. It is obvious to everyone that the development in our high demand area is straining our infrastructure, causing traffic congestion, poorly maintained roads, and even affecting our air quality. Wholesale clear-cutting of trees is ruining the beauty of our area, and contributing to severe water runoff problems resulting in the need to create artificial water runoff reservoirs. Sound walls, instead of trees, are creeping up the Fairfax County Parkway. And, in one neighborhood I've walked in, there is a 24/7 flood lit self storage facility shining directly into residential homes, and the residential home owners must install blackout curtains to stop the intrusion. Relieving traffic congestion is a key priority of mine. To start, potholes must be fixed and road repairs, including resurfacing, must be finished quickly because cars dodging problem areas disrupt the flow of traffic and cause safety issues. Traffic lights must be synchronized to keep the flow of traffic moving. Roadway paint markings that have faded cause directional confusion and must be repainted. Snow removal in our neighborhoods must be done quickly and consistently. Left turn lanes are not optimized which backs up traffic needlessly. Where possible, road widening can help. Metro extension both out to Dulles Airport and down past the Springfield station is needed, and Metro's parking lots need enlargement to accommodate customers. We also need to improve bus service and make it more convenient and accessible. And to promote mass transit, our political leaders need to step up to the plate and take the bus from their districts to the Fairfax County Government Center. If our representatives took mass transit, you'd see bus service, schedules, and convenience improve rapidly!Prioritize Government Spending Right now very few of the public know which specific programs our tax dollars fund in Fairfax County; that's because you have to shift through several budget volumes to find out. Property taxes are too high. As I've walked door to door in the Springfield District neighborhoods, there many elderly, retired, fixed-income taxpayers who are paying more in property taxes than their annual mortgage payments were when they were paying off their home. It is wrong that someone who has lived in Fairfax County all their life is forced to move because of the excessive property tax burden. The Board of Supervisors is all too quick to raise the tax rate to fund questionable programs, such as the $20 million EDA. As Springfield District Supervisor, I will lead the effort to reduce taxes, prioritize government spending, and eliminate wasteful spending. I support quality education which we can continue to enhance by reducing teacher/student classroom ratios. I also support reconfiguring the school boundaries decision-making process so that those students closest to the school will have the opportunity to attend that nearby school rather than be bused across the county. We also need better planning to prevent unneccessary trailers as soon as a school is built.
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The Issues