Seven Commitments for a Better Fairfax County
Our vision is a Fairfax County that is a more livable place where our neighborhoods are not congested with traffic, our schools achieve high standards, our taxes are not spiraling upward, and our laws are respected and fairly enforced.
We, the undersigned candidates for the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors commit to the following to work for a better Fairfax County:
Reducing Traffic Congestion
Problem: Traffic and congestion are rising and stifling our quality of life. Studies indicate that our congestion is now among the worst in the nation. Since Chairman Connolly has served on the Board, tens of thousands of new housing units have been approved without the needed road improvements. Yet, during this same time period, the County has issued only one bond for transportation, of which only small percentage went to new roads. A second bond is finally on this year's ballot.
We will make transportation the number one priority of the County, not the fifth priority out of six as is the case under Chairman Connolly.
We commit to use Fairfax County’s bond capacity to increase road funding. We will emphasize road and intersection improvements with these new funds.
In addition to roads, we support cost effective mass transit solutions throughout the County.
We will complete the Fairfax County Parkway and turn key stop lights on the Parkway into interchanges. We will to work relieve congestion on key transportation corridors throughout the County.
We will make the traffic control center a comprehensive interactive center, where key intersections are visually monitored and made more efficient. Further, we will use smart technology to keep traffic flowing.
Lowering Taxes And Spending Responsibly
Problem: During Chairman Connolly’s tenure on the Board of Supervisors, the County budget has increased substantially. Homeowner taxes have doubled. Many residents question where all this money from the huge increase in real estate values has gone. What County services are much better than they were four years ago? Further, the County has had a tolerance for sloppy and wasteful spending practices.
We commit to eliminate wasteful spending and cost overruns.
We will appoint a Blue Ribbon Panel of experts on budgets and accounting to review our budget process, our spending priorities and the effectiveness of current spending. These will be experts from the public, private and non-profit sectors.
We commit to bring spending under control, set priorities and ultimately reduce each homeowner's property tax in real dollars.
We intend to grow the commercial real estate base, not taxes, thereby reducing the burden on residents. We will grow the base, not the tax.
We will build a stronger Board Auditor’s Office, which currently has only two employees, to oversee our $6 billion budget.
Confronting Illegal Immigration
Problem: We are a country of immigrants and we fully support and encourage legal immigration and applaud our ethnic communities for their contributions to Fairfax County. However, illegal immigration is an increasing problem in Fairfax County. Illegal immigration contributes in a major way to the deterioration of our neighborhoods.
We commit to enforcing the law when it comes to overcrowding and illegal boarding houses. We will initiate public nuisance lawsuits when appropriate.
We will not fund work centers for illegal immigrants.
We will not use affordable and workforce housing or other taxpayer resources to provide housing for illegal immigrants.
We will explore all options to help deport illegal immigrants who have committed serious crimes (felonies) after they have served their time.
We will analyze the true impact on the county budget of the illegal immigrant problem so the public and the Board of Supervisors can make informed decisions and work to reduce this impact by eliminating non-essential services for illegal immigrants.
Getting Development Under Control
Problem: The current Democrat majority on the Board of Supervisors continues to approve massive housing development projects without reasonable transportation “proffers” from the developers and without the necessary commitments for infrastructure to accommodate the resulting effects.
We will work to ensure that roads, schools, storm water and infrastructure are in place before new development or increased density is allowed.
We will put into effect tougher guidelines to prevent conflicts of interests and perceived conflicts of interests arising from contributions to supervisors from the development community.
Preserving The Environment
Problem: As Fairfax County has been more intensively developed in recent years, key components of the suburban lifestyle – such as clean air, open space and trees, natural and ornamental vegetation, clean creeks and streams, a dark sky at night, and an abundance of wildlife -- have become increasingly threatened. The consequences are not just aesthetic. Pollution brings with it health problems, and mitigation efforts often impose heavy tax burdens on the residents.
We promise to be good stewards of the environment by taking cost effective actions to preserve the good things we have now and by mitigating the existing problems.
We will reevaluate our efforts to protect the Chesapeake Bay, eliminate those actions that have little or no effect, and increase efforts that are critical to preserving wetlands and reducing actual pollution into the Bay.
We will impose discipline on the storm water and watershed management program. We will evaluate the 120 projects completed over the past five years to determine which kinds of projects actually protect the public and the environment and which are the most economically sound. We will use that new knowledge to prioritize projects so that we get the biggest bang for our environmental buck.
Development is projected to reduce the existing tree canopy from the current 41% of the County to 37% by 2030. We will encourage development that adds to, not subtracts from, the existing tree canopy. We will encourage builders and home owners to plant trees in ways that shade buildings and reduce energy consumption.
We will work with builders to use low impact development techniques such as permeable paving for parking areas, and other approaches to put rain water back into the ground, rather than flooding into streams and eroding streambeds.
Protecting Our Neighborhoods & Quality of Life
Problem: We believe that most residents move to Fairfax County to enjoy a suburban lifestyle. Yet, Fairfax County’s suburban neighborhoods are under assault from over development approved by Chairman Connolly’s Board of Supervisors. The results have been increased traffic congestion and gridlock, school children learning in trailers, increased strain on police and other public services, and flaunting of the ordinances that protect the quality of life in our neighborhoods.
We will respect the wishes of our constituents. We will work with citizens and communities to provide them a Fairfax County we can all be pleased to call home.
We will provide our police the resources to fight gangs.
We will work to keep America’s best teachers in Fairfax County.
We will delay actions on redevelopment proposals until the Citizen Task Force studying that issue reports.
We will increase police protection of neighborhoods by increasing training, recruitment, staffing and retention efforts. We will allow officers to take police vehicles home to their Fairfax neighborhoods when off duty.
Openness, Ethics and Accountability
Problem: Campaign contributions are necessary for any person to run for public office. Questions can and have been raised regarding the timing and appropriateness of certain contributions being made to the Chairman Connolly. There should never be a conflict of interest or even the appearance of a conflict of interest between a campaign contribution and a vote made by an elected official. A person holding the public trust should not only follow the letter of the law but the spirit of the law.
We will appoint an independent Ethics Officer for the Board and strengthen conflict of interest rules.
We will strengthen whistle blower provisions to protect those exposing waste, fraud, and abuse by County officials.
We will set a new standard with regard to openness, ethics, and accountability to the citizens of Fairfax County regarding campaign contributions.
Gary Baise - Candidate for Chairman, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors
more information at http://www.votebaise.com/
Endorsed by:
- Michael Fry - Sully District Supervisor
- Patrick S. Herrity - Candidate Springfield District Supervisor
- Vellie Dietrich-Hall - Candidate Mason District Supervisor
- Doug Boulter - Candidate Lee District Supervisor
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