Issues and Accomplishments
In 2007, after many years of watching the Board of Supervisors lead Fairfax County down the wrong path, I decided enough was enough. Under then Chairman Gerry Connolly, taxes on homeowners had doubled, spending was out of control, and transportation had ceased to be a county priority. Seeing the need for new, principled leadership in Fairfax County I made the decision to run for Springfield District Supervisor and in one of the worst years for Republicans, I won with 59% of the vote.
Since then, I have been working hard for you to grow the economy, reduce the regulatory burden on our homeowners and businesses, cut spending and taxes, protect our suburban neighborhoods, keep our schools the best in the country, and alleviate traffic congestion.
I have been honored to be recognized by the Sun Gazette for the last six years as Fairfax County’s Best Public Servant.
I still have the passion to get things done that make Fairfax County a better place.
CUTTING GOVERNMENT SPENDING & LOWERING TAXES
Since I joined the Board in 2008, I have been a leader in the effort to cut taxes and make the government more transparent and efficient. Sixteen years later, I also still have the passion to use my business skills and knowledge of the County to get spending under control and stop the ever increasing tax burden on our residents. Taxes on the average homeowner have increased over 50% in the last 10 years – 6.7% just last year despite $1.09B in federal COVID funding– a rate that is not sustainable. I consistently remind the Board of our policy and the bonding agency’s policies against spending one-time funds for recurring expenditures. I will continue to provide opportunities to set priorities, improve efficiencies and get costs under control.
Specifically, I led the efforts to:
- Vote against the Board’s 27% pay increase.
- Vote against the $30M bail out of a bank.
- Vote against the 50% increases in real estate taxes over the last 10 years.
- Stop the 10% tax on meals that was overwhelmingly defeated by Fairfax County voters.
- I led two rounds of pension reform efforts to address the county’s unsustainable pension plans and balance our compensation program.
- I am the only Supervisor to recommend efficiencies and budget reductions to address the 50% increase in homeowners’ taxes over the last ten years.
- I led the effort to reduce the County’s Machinery and Tools tax that was four times our surrounding jurisdictions and unfairly taxing our small manufacturers and breweries.
- Eliminate duplication, improving efficiency and outsourcing where practical.
- Grow the commercial tax base (not taxes) to relieve the tax burden on homeowners and pay for county services.
- Put the county’s checkbook online so you can see where we spend money.
PROTECTING OUR SUBURBAN NEIGHBORHOODS AND FAMILIES
Our suburban neighborhoods are a big part of what makes Fairfax County great and are a top reason people move to the Springfield district.
I still have the passion to protect our suburban neighborhoods from blight, crime and gangs. We have much more to do in battling the increasing crime rates, the opioid/fentanyl public health crisis, human trafficking and gangs. We need to give our police department the resources and support it needs to attract, train and retain the best officers to make our community the safest jurisdiction of its size in the country. I will continue my efforts to address the public safety issue of panhandling. I want to lead the development of the follow-on plan to the award-winning 50+ Community Action Plan with achievable, actionable and affordable initiatives to improve the lives of our older adults. I want to continue my efforts with the Sports Tourism Task Force to diversify our economy and bring the county exciting new sports venues like an indoor track and indoor downhill skiing.
I have been a leader in protecting them by:
- Actively working with communities to solve their problems.
- Leading the effort to address rising crime and the public safety staffing crisis by calling for increased pay and recruiting befits for our officers.
- As Chair of the Board’s Older Adults Committee, I led the development of Fairfax County’s award-winning 50+ Committee Action Plan to make the County a better place for our older adults.
- As I did in 2016, in 2022 I asked the Board to again reaffirm our commitment to the protection of the environmentally sensitive Occoquan watershed.
- We renovated Pohick Library, we have an exciting new driving range and clubhouse at Burke Lake Park, and you can Go Ape on the ropes course at South Run Park. I am currently funding a number of trail and other improvements at Burke Lake Park that have led to additional investments by the Park Foundation.
- Every year I work with my colleagues on the Board to host Teen Job and Opportunity Fairs across the county.
- I created and am leading the County’s Sports Tourism Task Force to diversify the county’s revenue stream with tourism dollars and build high quality sports venues for our community. I am looking forward to the county’s first sports tourism facility Patriot Park North which will be opening this year and am continuing to move the indoor downhill ski facility on the side of the I-95 Landfill forward.
- Each summer, I host a free concert series at Burke Lake Park – the largest series of any district in the county.
- I led the effort to remove the blight of illegal signs from our roadways
- I am leading the effort to address Panhandling as a public safety issue in the County.
- Stopping the RSU proposal which would have changed the character of our communities by allowing single family homes to be made into duplexes and condos.
FOCUSING EDUCATION RESOURCES INTO THE CLASSROOM
Schools were the best in the nation and the number one reason residents and businesses locate in Fairfax County.
I still have the passion to make our school system the best in the nation by funneling resources into the classroom and on the teachers and students, not on administrators and administrative burdens. To support our teachers who are dealing with the impacts of two years without in person learning on our students. To return the focus to academics so that all of our children have the opportunity to succeed in life. We need to be celebrating achievement and excellence not punishing it.
As your Supervisor:
- I was the only Supervisor to call for reopening schools as other communities were successfully doing across the country.
- I am the only Supervisor to ever receive the President’s Award from the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers for my leadership in improving teachers’ salaries.
- I led the effort to get West Springfield High School renovated after it was overlooked in the renovation queue.
- Led the effort to have the School Board hire an independent auditor to ensure a transparent and independent review of programs and controls.
- Will continue to serve as a check on the School Board to ensure we spend our education resources effectively.
- Will work to reduce the administrative and training burdens put on our teachers.
REDUCING TRANSPORTATION CONGESTION
Traffic congestion destroys our quality of life. I am an advocate for common sense creative transportation solutions that get people moving and to their jobs and homes faster.
I still have the passion to address transportation congestion that keeps our residents from enjoying the quality of life they deserve. We have over $600M in transportation improvements moving forward in the Springfield District including the widening of Fairfax County Parkway (with a grade separated interchange at the dangerous Popes Head Road intersection); building the Shirley Gate Road extension; widening of Route 28, 29, and Rolling Road; adding turn lanes (including at 50 and Waples Mill Road); the Rolling Road VRE parking lot expansion; intersection improvements (including Post Forrest Drive and Random Hills Road); and safety improvements like the Burke Road curve realignment and Orange Hunt safe routes to school improvements.
I want to ensure the County focuses transportation funding on projects that relieve congestion for our residents. I want to see through the safety improvements we are working on Lee Chapel Road and the Fairfax County Parkway. I was honored to appointed last year to the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority where I will be a common sense voice on where $6B in state and local transportation funds are spent.
I have had many successes during my time on the Board and have more to do including:
- I led the successful effort to open the I-66 ramps at Monument and Stringfellow during non-HOV hours and the extended use of shoulder lanes during periods of high congestion including weekends.
- I led the effort to convert the Fairfax County Parkway from a secondary to a primary road to bring additional state funding for maintenance and construction – I have asked the Board to use this strategy elsewhere – including Braddock Road.
- I will push to use county bonding and rezoning proffers to fund congestion relieving transportation improvements that are vital to our residents and businesses.
- I will continue my efforts to develop a cost effective, interconnected mass transit system using dedicated and semi-dedicated roadways to encourage mass transit use.
- I was one of the leaders in the effort to begin construction of the Express Lanes solution on I-66.
GROWING JOBS & OUR ECONOMY
We have a proud history of economic development and job growth in Fairfax County, but it is something that we must continue to work at in order to sustain. Businesses use $0.60 in services for every dollar they put in, a thriving business community is essential to keeping homeowner taxes low, and providing the well-paying jobs that county residents are used to.
Unfortunately, too many of our graduates and seniors are leaving the county. I still have the passion to grow jobs and our economy so our children will have high paying jobs and will stay and raise their families in Fairfax County. We need to continue to improve our zoning, permitting and regulatory environment so we can create and grow businesses in the County, reduce the cost of living, provide affordable housing and create places that will keep our graduates and seniors here. I led the effort to reduce the County’s Machinery and Tools tax that was four times our surrounding jurisdictions and unfairly taxing our small manufacturers and breweries.
I will continue to use my private sector experience to:
- Diversify our business base to ensure our future prosperity by leveraging our capabilities in information technology, cyber and health care.
- Work to develop cooperative research programs for our local high schools and universities.
- Return our school system to best in the nation status.
- Continue to lead the fight to eliminate unnecessary regulatory burdens on our homeowners and businesses.
- Attract capital to fund startups and fuel small business growth.
- Continue working to eliminate the “culture of no” and improve our zoning, permitting and regulatory environment so we can create and grow businesses in the County, reduce the cost of living, provide affordable housing and create places that will keep our graduates and seniors here.
COMMUNICATION WITH CONSTITUENTS
Since day one I have operated with the mantra of “you may not agree with me, but you’ll know where I stand” and have committed myself to two-way communication with constituents. I was the first member of the Board to produce an electronic newsletter, I regularly attend HOA and community meetings, meet with anyone that wants to discuss issues with me, host town halls and community events and am active on social media.
Please check out past editions of the Herrity Report, my newsletter here and sign up to receive them.
You can also email me at [email protected].
BACKSTOP TO THE BOARD MAJORITY
I also still have the passion to stand as a backstop and a check on the excesses of the Board majority, and make sure that each decision made considers the impact it will have on every single one of our county’s residents. It is important that all sides of a decision are considered as open honest dialogue always gets you to a better answer. There is a lot of change coming to Fairfax County, with the retirement of Supervisor Foust and Supervisor Gross, economic challenges, the possibility of a recession, rising crime rates, falling school enrollment, etc. The need for an experienced common sense voice on the Board is clear.