- Do you believe that any additional steps are needed to control the pace of growth in Loudoun? What would you do to create more of a balance between new homes and new jobs in the county?
First, we need to say no to Comprehensive Plan Amendments that would add tens of thousands of new homes like what was proposed by the majority of this Board. Secondly, we need to just say “NO” to rezonings when there is not the infrastructure in place like schools and roads to handle the additional impacts. Third, I will continue to work with our Economic Development Commission and business community to increase our non-residential tax base to help relieve the burden of growth of the shoulders of the taxpayers.
We need an entirely new attitude toward business and we need new leadership that wants to attract Fortune 500 companies to the county. As Chairman, this will be my number one priority, to attract the very best companies to Loudoun and build the commercial tax base. I also believe that we need to insist on planned communities rather than by-right development. In planned communities, developers are required to help pay for schools, roads, parks and other infrastructure. By-right development means that developers can build without paying for the impact on the community, and that’s both wrong and preventable.
- What is the appropriate role for local government in enforcement of federal immigration laws, and how do you view the current debate in Loudoun on the issue of illegal immigration?
I say that we need to do what’s best for Loudoun County, I mean that we have to look at the costs and benefits that go with any proposals. We should avoid rhetoric and emotionalism – and stick to the facts. Currently the largest costs that go with this problem are for education and health care –and they are outside the control of the county. As a result, we need to work together in a responsible way to get a federal solution that we can then implement at the local level.
I support our law enforcement officers taking appropriate actions to participate in the ICE program to remove those criminals that do not have legal status removed from our community. I also support Senators Herring’s bill (SB 1421) that he introduced last session that would have denied bail to anyone who has committed a felony that is an illegal alien. I support a proactive approach to zoning enforcement as apposed to being complaint based only. I also support limiting services, except where health and safety are a concern, to those who have no legal status.
- Do you support the county's current comprehensive plan and the notion that Loudoun should be suburban in the east and rural in the west, with a transition area in between? If not, what do you think is a better approach?
Not opening up the transition zone and the western zone helps to keep the cost to us as taxpayers down. We also need to stop packing the east similar to what has been done by this current Board majority by rezoning over 15,000 new houses. Not only as Chairman but as a citizen of the Sterling District, I was dismayed when Supervisors Eugene Delgaudio and Mick Staton led the charge to approve a redevelopment plan on 19.7 acres that will replace about 4 homes and build about 22.3 units to the acre for a total of 440 units.
The comprehensive plan is, and should be, a dynamic document. It should reflect the latest knowledge and thinking on land use and it should be updated to reflect actual circumstances rather than what no longer exists on the ground. How can anyone argue with the notion of a suburban east, a rural west, and a transition in between? In short the question is more about the nature of what happens in the transition area than the east or west, right? We need to stop fighting growth and start managing it.
- Do you support the transportation package passed by the General Assembly this year? What other ideas do you have for generating money to pay for road improvements in Loudoun?
One of the greatest success stories both Loudoun and Fairfax counties share is the interchange improvements to Rt. 28. These improvements have been made possible because of the Rt. 28 tax district. Should the courts uphold the NVTA’s taxing authority, the revenue generated for Loudoun County on an annual basis will help to allow for a similar public/private partnership that has worked for Rt. 28 to help plan for and construct improvements to Rt. 7, Rt. 50, and Rt. 606.
No. It was a complete failure. It was a contorted package of ridiculous fees that was designed so some lawmakers could claim they “did not raise taxes”. So what’s the solution? First, we need to face the fact that, like state government, we need to tighten our belt and move some of the current revenues and create a transportation fund. We need to partner with the airport on the road network around the airport including Route 606 and we need to work with developers to complete critical segments even if it means taking proffer dollars and moving them to more critical needs.
- Did you sign the Board of Supervisors' ethics agreement? Would you sign it if elected? Why or why not?
Yes! I also proposed an amendment that passed stating that Board members should not take any contributions from any applicant before the county from the time an application was submitted to staff to six months following action by the Board of Supervisors. I will be asking our state delegation to introduce a bill into the legislative process to try and get it codified into law.
I am not currently on the board so I did not have an opportunity to sign it. Let’s be honest- we don’t need more ethics agreements; we need more ethics from our elected officials. Most of the ethics agreements that have come before the board are totally insincere. Instead of promoting better ethics, they are designed to embarrass someone’s opponent. They are typically restatements of what is already required or what anyone with common sense would do anyway.
