They’ll spend billions of dollars. They’ll also decide how to save millions by cutting programs, projects and schools dear to many people’s hearts.
A lot of what they’ll decide will be very personal. Will a developer be able to build townhouses on a tract of woods in a neighborhood? Will a new school be built in a neighborhood or will students ride the bus to school in another?
Members of the Board of Supervisors, school board members, state delegates and senators have immense power over the lives of Fairfax residents. But many residents don’t think local elections are very important.
Over the next two months, editors and reporters at the Connection will sit down with each local candidate. We’ll ask questions to learn about the individual, their knowledge of local issues, and whether they come to the race with a sense of public service. Do they bring intelligence, creativity, collegiality to problem solving? Where do they stand on issues ranging from restructuring Virginia’s antiquated revenue system to how many students the ideal school should house, whether more rail or more roads or a combination will solve local traffic woes? Why, even though Northern Virginia now has more representatives in the General Assembly than ever before, the delegation can’t seem to deliver more state help for roads and schools?
We invite Connection readers to help with the questioning process. What do readers and voters here want to know from their representatives in the General Assembly? What would you like to ask a person responsible for schools in the area? Is there anything you’d like to know from the people who approve most new development in the county?
Send questions and comments to publisher Mary Kimm, via e-mail at mkimm@connectionnewspapers.com, or by mail at 7913 Westpark Drive, McLean, VA 22102.