As a long-time Restonian, and a former Fairfax Redevelopment and Housing Authority commissioner, I am concerned about the prospect of electing, Maggie Parker, a vice president of an active Northern Virginia developer, to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. However responsible she may have been in that capacity, it is unlikely that she could entirely divorce herself from the interests of her current employer, Comstock Companies, and the development community in general, should she be elected.
The one candidate that I know is extraordinarily well qualified, is Walter Alcorn. As a housing authority commissioner, and as Chairman of the County’s High Rise Panel, I had the privilege of working with Walter while he was a planning commissioner, on a successful effort to extend requirements for affordable housing to high rise developments. This effort resulted in the addition of literally thousands of units to the County’s affordable housing stock and is still doing so.
Walter has both the experience and personal traits needed to be an extremely effective supervisor. His temperament and demeanor are well suited to dealing with controversy and achieving sound results on a collegial body such as the Board of Supervisors. I endorse him without reservation.
Maggie Parker, as the developer’s candidate, has a distinct fund-raising advantage that no other candidate can hope to match. For those who share my concerns over undue developer influence on the Board, I believe it is incumbent to rally around one independent candidate. For the reasons I have stated, I believe that candidate should be Walter Alcorn.
Lee A Rau
Reston