The Connection

Incumbent, Unopposed

Town of residence: Lee District (Alexandria section)

Age: 40

Family: Wife Crystal, daughter Leann, son Aidan.

Education: B.S. in Public Administration from James Madison University.

Offices held, dates: Lee District Supervisor, 2007-present.

Occupation and relevant experience: Member of the Board of Supervisors since 2007; chief of staff to Supervisor Dana Kauffman from 1996-2007.

Community involvement: Reserve deputy sheriff; former board member, UCM.

Website: www.jeffmckay.net.

Email address: friendsofjeffmckay@gmail.com

Twitter handle: @jeffreycmckay

Name three favorite endorsements: I value all my endorsements — they range from business (Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce) to environmental (Sierra Club, Fairfax County League of Conservation Voters), to public safety and union (Fairfax County Professional Firefighters and Paramedics IAFF 2068, Police Benevolent Association, and SEIU Local 512).

QUESTIONS:

What is one issue that defines your call to serve, why does it matter, and how will you tackle it?

There is no single issue — I am committed to public service and to balancing the needs and resources of all of our community.

What distinguishes you from your opponent(s) and why should voters choose you?

I have no opponent. I have a track record of 20 years in the public sector with a solid list of accomplishments. During my two terms, I have chaired two key Board committees, Transportation and Legislative, and have co-chaired the Revitalization Committee. I have been in the forefront of pushing for creative transportation including rail, bus, road, bicycle and pedestrian improvements. As Legislative Chair, I have fought against some of the proposed state legislation that would negatively affect our County. This included leading the charge in Richmond to fight the LCI funding proposal that would have cost us millions in education funds. As a member of the Virginia Association of Counties (VACO) Board of Directors, I have fought attempts to eliminate Cost of Competing dollars by rural jurisdictions and am fighting to secure more state funding for our schools.

I have worked closely with the school board and served on the joint County Board-School Board Smart Savings Task Force, Infrastructure Finance Committee, and Successful Children and Youth Policy Team (SCYPT).

I have also served on numerous regional authorities and commissions including WMATA and NVTC.

I am proud of my record in revitalizing the district, especially transforming the blighted Springfield Mall into the Springfield Town Center and attracting new transit oriented development near the Huntington Metro.

More than half of the county budget is devoted to the local school system. A significant budget gap looms for the next budget cycle, both for FCPS and Fairfax County. What are the top county priorities and how will you assure funding and manage the budget? What ideas do you have for increasing revenue? Name two areas/items you would cut or reduce.

While education is our top priority (more than half of our General Fund), adequately funding other core County services is also critical. Public safety, parks, libraries and human services are important to our residents. We must continue to put pressure on the state to adequately fund K-12 education. Fairfax cannot continue to make up losses in state funding, especially with our very limited taxing authority, for education without affecting our other core services.

We are engaging in a thorough lines of business review that will help us provide services as efficiently as possible. I would not commit to cutting or reducing any service until we have completed that review. We must continue to evaluate cost savings that may be obtained by combining County and School System services, especially in the area of human services and transportation

We are also working to diversify our economy and the economic strategic plan that we adopted last spring will help us take advantage of economic opportunities.

How many hours a week of outside employment do you anticipate while serving on the Board of Supervisors?

I serve as a full-time board member. I do not believe that given the size of Lee District and the complexity of governance, that it’s possible to serve constituents well on a part time basis.