The Connection

Republican

Family: Married to Greg Gandee for 35 years; a son, Charles, and daughter, Amy, and three grandchildren.

Occupation and relevant experience:

I am the principle owner of ServiceMaster Restore with five licenses to serve Northern Virginia; Washington, DC; Southern Prince George’s County; Montgomery County; and Prince William County, along with a national license. I serve on the Northeast Regional Franchise Council, and throughout my career have served at the local, regional and national level in leadership positions.

Before working with ServiceMaster, I was an administrator at The University of Charleston, Charleston, West Virginia, for over seven years. I hold a Six Sigma Certification and am a continuing education instructor for Virginia, Maryland, and DC, along with other industry specific certifications. The Business Ethics class I teach, has become a favorite for regional insurance and property management professionals.

Community Involvement: I am currently Chairman of the Alexandria Salvation Army; Member of the National Capital Area Command Board of the Salvation Army; Vice President of the Mount Vernon-Lee Chamber of Commerce; Board of Directors of the Chamber’s Education Partnership, and the Legislative Committee. I am on the Fund Development Committee for Rising Hope Mission Church which works with the homeless in the US 1 area; a Board Member of the Northern Virginia Republican Business Forum; a member of the Administrative Council of Cranford United Methodist Church; and a member of Hallowing Point Garden Club.

Name three favorite endorsements:

My favorite endorsements are from the people of Mount Vernon who would like me to represent them as Supervisor. Here are three of these endorsements:

• Jay and Sue McConville from Waynewood: “Jane is a business leader, a volunteer organization leader, and an experienced, successful and energetic supporter of our community. She raised a family and built a business right here in Mount Vernon. Jane has a proven track record of success, is talented, full of energy and cares deeply about the community. Jane understands the needs of all our citizens: parents, seniors, businesses, educators, the faith community, volunteers, etc. We give our unqualified endorsement to Jane Gandee for Mount Vernon Supervisor.”
• Sabrina Campbell from Yacht Haven: “Jane cares about the community, the small business owner, and making a difference. She is out in the community volunteering her time and energy to make things better. She takes the time to listen to people and find solutions for the things that matter to them. Mount Vernon will be in good hands when we elect Jane. She has a proven track record for making things happen. I endorse her wholeheartedly.”
• Nikki Bono, Mount Vernon: “Having been a teacher in the community for almost a decade, I am concerned about where our schools are heading if we don’t make a change. I have three young children that will soon enter our school system and I think they deserve the best. I believe Jane can be the champion for that change, making our schools go from good to great. I wholeheartedly support Jane Gandee for the Mount Vernon Board of Supervisors.”

QUESTIONS:

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

Fairfax County and businesses need to be allies in promoting economic development. I hear regular and distressing stories about business people who walk away from projects because of their frustrations with the inability to get their projects up and running. They quit altogether or go to a neighboring county and take the jobs and commercial real estate revenues with them. Business owners often share with me the negative experiences they have had with Fairfax County as they try to build their business. I will create a better business climate by streamlining planning and zoning processes. With my experience building a successful business in Fairfax County we can attract good businesses to our area and help them thrive.

What distinguishes you from your opponent?

Leadership is different than experience gained from elected office. My leadership whether in business or with community organizations has always led to high achievement and positive results. My opponent has been elected to the School Board for the past 12 years but he has not been a leader. Our schools are worse off now than they were 12 years ago.

Mr. Storck sat in a School Board meeting and did nothing to allow hundreds of parents to have their say on a recent controversial school decision. I will always listen to the people of Mount Vernon. Mr. Storck recently voted against an amendment to the FCPS “Portrait of a Graduate” that highlighted the importance of ethical behavior. Fortunately he was in the minority and the amendment passed. If our country ever needed a renewed focus on ethics, it is now. In the last 12 years while he has been on the School Board our schools have declined. He was chairman of the School Board twice, yet the downward trend continued. With looming school deficits, Mr. Storck abstained from a vote to give the School Board a pay increase, his NO vote would have killed the raise but it passed adding more costs to the school budget.

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.

Let’s be clear about the school budget. The Board of Supervisors transferred more funds to FCPS during the past budget cycle than any time in history. The difference between what was requested by the School Board and the final funding was about 2.4 percent of the total FCPS budget. In the current economic climate every part of the County budget had to adsorb some cuts. Top funding priorities have to be maintaining our excellent school system, funding public safety, and maintaining the libraries, parks, rec centers, and other public amenities that give us a good quality of life in Fairfax County.

I believe I owe it to the citizens of Fairfax County to look them in the eye and say your family’s money is being spent prudently, efficiently and effectively before I vote for more money from their household income for the County budget.