<lst>Name: Tim Hugo
Party Affiliation: Republican.
Age: 39
Family: Wife, Paula; children, Katie, 4, and Chris, 2.
Town of Residence: Clifton.
Education: B.A., College of William & Mary; Kodak Fellowship, Senior Managers in Government Program, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.
Occupation: Executive director, CapNet, a national technology organization with a regional core in the region.
Web site: www.timhugo.com.
What do you believe are the major issues in the 40th District? Transportation: As the former chief of staff to the chairman of the Congress' Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and as someone who works with technology companies on a daily basis, I know the value of telework. As a board member of the Telework Consortium, I see that we are very close to having the technological capabilities necessary for widespread implementation of telework. Yet, the largest hurdle to telework is a management mindset that wants to have workers at their desk from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. everyday. Congressman [Frank] Wolf has worked to implement telework with regard to the federal government. We must encourage telework with respect to state government and local companies … with special emphasis placed on securing the assistance of management.
First, I believe that the raids on the Transportation Trust Fund must be halted. This year, $317 million was taken from a fund supposedly dedicated to transportation. We need to amend the state Constitution to put "trust" back in this Trust Fund. People pay these taxes with the belief that the money will be used for transportation. It is wrong when transportation money is used for unintended purposes.
Education: I think that K-12 education funding should be exempted from state budgetary cutbacks. I believe that we must bring pay equity to Fairfax County teachers and eliminate the trailers that are rampant at our schools. I propose an amendment to the state Constitution that limits the growth in state government spending to a factor related to the increases in population and inflation. Any money collected above that amount should be available for education capital expenditures.
Taxes: I will not vote for higher taxes. Further, I believe that we must limit the continued growth of state spending. In an effort to improve our roads and rid Fairfax schools of portable trailers, I propose an amendment to the state Constitution that caps the growth in state government spending to a factor related to the increases in population and inflation. Money collected above that amount should be available for education or transportation capital expenditures.
What qualities, qualifications and characteristics will you bring to this office? Locally, as a an at-large member of the Occoquan Watershed Coalition and the former president of our neighborhood homeowners association, I believe that I have worked to preserve the environmental quality of life that we enjoy in western Fairfax County. Also, I have worked for our community through Rotary and Lions clubs.
My background in transportation and technology, two issues critical to our region, have provided me with the experience and knowledge to improve roads while tying in technology-based ideas such as telework. Further, both of these issues have required me to work in a bipartisan fashion that will be critical to success in Richmond.
How will voters best distinguish between you and your opponent? I am a commonsense conservative who believes in holding the line on government spending and taxes. Carol Hawn is a liberal Democrat who believes in increased government spending and higher taxes.
If I'm elected, I will … Education is truly a core function of government. Thus, I will work to protect K-12 education funding from government spending cuts.
Vote to end partial-birth abortion. Additionally, parental notification laws should be strengthened and parental consent laws should be passed. Since parents must be notified and provide consent if their children are given an aspirin in school, then parents should also have the right to know and consent when their minor children are contemplating this surgical procedure.
Vote against increased taxes. The coming months are going to be a budgetary challenge for state government. We have to prioritize our needs within Virginia. Richmond must reassess what is truly a critical function of the state government and fund these true priorities of Virginia.
Work to get our fair return on the dollar from Richmond. Currently, Fairfax County residents only have 19 cents of every tax dollar returned from Richmond. This is wrong.
Why should people vote for you? As a longtime resident of Clifton and Fairfax County, husband and father of two small children, I'll fight for high-quality education, protect life, hold the line on taxes and work to get our fair share of our tax dollars from Richmond.