Transportation is a major
issue that affects all of us and requires our focus to identify
solutions. During my time on the planning commission I have
recommended ways to prioritize funding in the CIP to get the section
of Battlefield parkway between Ft. Evans road and Edwards Ferry Road
built sooner rather than later. Most recently the planning commission
made the recommendation to get the section of Battlefield Parkway from
RT 15 South to Evergreen Mill road prioritized in the CIP. It has
recently come to my attention, the town is not utilizing all the tools
available to us in state code. One of these tools is the possibility
to collect an impact fee from by right development for transportation.
There are several hurdles and hoops to jump through in the state code
to accomplish this but it’s work we need to do. Another goal I have
is to look for better transportation proffers for offsite road
improvements, especially as the crescent district redevelops. No one
thing will serve as the silver bullet to solve the transportation
problems so we must continually focus on and work with county, state,
and federal leaders to develop and grow partnerships that will keep
traffic moving.
I will look for ways to reduce your
taxes while ensuring
they are spent wisely. My day job is a corporate real estate and
facilities manager. As some of you may know in most businesses the
second highest cost to personnel is facilities. And as all of you
know in the business world the bottom line is important, so when I’m
setting a budget I have to look for every way possible to keep those
costs down and only spend what is necessary. It is much the same as
what all of us have to do in our personal lives, we must live within
our means. That needs to be the same goal for the Town Government. We
need to start from the position of an equalized tax rate each year and
work to identify ways to live within our means as a community while
still providing the services that our community expects and deserves.
We cannot afford to waiver on this or take the easy road out as the
increases in taxes are driving citizens out of the community
especially those who have retired or are living on a fixed income.
Hand in hand with taxes is the discussion of economic development.
This is where we can grow our commercial tax base and reduce the tax
burden on our residents. Right now the general fund revenues are
approximately 55% residential and 45% commercial, we have set a goal
to flip that to 55% commercial and 45% residential. We accomplish
that goal by proactively bringing businesses into the town, fully
embracing the concept of “Business Friendly”, and identifying ways to
help small and medium size business locate, grow, and flourish in
Leesburg. This will grow our business tax base, provide more jobs
that will allow people to live and work in their community, and
empower Leesburg to become a more vibrant community.
As chairman of Leesburg's planning commission I
have a record of closely analyzing new development proposals to ensure
they are bringing a positive benefit to the town and it's citizens.
When a development has failed to meet those criteria of smart growth I
have voted NO. I will continue to work to ensure that new development
"pays its own way" and properly offsets the impacts on the existing
community by bringing a net positive benefit to the community as a
whole. It is the town council’s responsibility to stop rezoning space
previously planned to develop an additional commercial tax base
to other uses. Additionally, I will work with the Loudoun
County Board of Supervisors to ensure that growth on the borders of
the town limits has a positive impact on the Town and its citizens.
Through all of this we
must preserve and improve Leesburg’s quality of life. That’s a nice
catch phrase but what does it mean? It’s a combination of what we’ve
already talked about along with protecting the Historic District and
our Heritage Resources, protecting the WO&D Trail and other parts of
our community from destruction by overhead power lines, support for
Leesburg’s outstanding Parks & Recreation Resources and support for
bicycle and pedestrian trails to provide safe connections for our
families. Leesburg has made great strides on many of these issues,
however we must continue the work. There are entire quadrants of our
community that lack trail connections to the rest of the community.
This lack of connection isolates parts of our community, forces more
people to their cars, and denies them a quality of life identified as
important through the 20 Year Parks &
Recreation Master Plan. I was pleased to see that the town council
took a step to solving this challenge in south Leesburg by accepting
the planning commission’s recommendation to create a task force of
citizens to work together to find a solution to the trail connectivity
issues in that area.
These elements sound like a lot of work, and it is. Solutions will
not come overnight, they won’t all be easy. They require keeping your
eye on the big picture and making tough decisions as we balance
multiple issues. Most importantly they require team work and the
ability to work with others. On the planning commission I have had the
great fortune of leading a team that works together. We debate the
issues, and while we do not always agree on the answers we work to
either build consensus or on some occasions respectfully disagree
accept the decision of the majority and work toward the next issue.
The town council is an ideal setting for this cooperative atmosphere
to occur. The elections are not partisan, they’re not about party or
group affiliation they are about Leesburg’s future and working
together to make the best decisions for Leesburg.
As the campaign continues, I look forward to the opportunity to meet
with the citizens of our community to talk about the issues that are
important to them. I invite you to contact me to ask questions and
visit my website. In contrast to most other candidates voters have
the distinct advantage of viewing my record on the planning commission
you can go back and check the minutes to see how I voted. If elected
I am sure there will be difficult decisions to make. Leesburg
needs its representatives in government to stand up and make the
important decisions, no matter how difficult. I will work to do just
that and not neglect the responsibilities of the position. Citizens
deserve answers from the leaders they have entrusted to represent
them. I will always be able to answer the question “why did you vote
that way”.
Anyone who looks into
their child’s eyes sees opportunities for the future of our Town. As I
look at Katie, my daughter, I know that the time and energy I am
willing to invest in this position will assure her generation will
still have a unique Leesburg in which to live, work, and play. Thank
you so much for taking the time out of your schedule today and I look
forward to your support in the campaign and the election. Thank you
and God Bless.
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