For Louis J. Zone, it was the last straw. Dissatisfied with last fall's defeated sales tax referendum as a solution to Northern Virginia's traffic woes, Zone has decided to run for the newly-created state Senate seat for the 34th district.
Currently, one other candidate, Del. Jeannemarie Devolites (R-35th) has announced intentions to run for the Senate seat that will represent Vienna, Oakton, Fairfax City, Penderbrook, and parts of Annandale, Reston and Braddock. The two will face off at a Republican primary on June 10.
"I do have a passion for certain ideas," Zone said. "I've lived in this area for 38 years, and I've heard the same complaints for 38 years."
Zone, 60, criticized the current Northern Virginia delegation's inability to lobby for Northern Virginia's share of the state revenue pie. If elected, Zone, a Vienna resident and former Fairfax County School Board member, said he would focus on building coalitions and strategizing with fellow Republican representatives to get prime committee assignments. Calling his persistence the "old Rocky syndrome," Zone said that through time, he could help Northern Virginia get its share of education and transportation funding.
"Over time, you wear down the opposition," Zone said. "The old guard is retiring, the new guard is coming in."
Zone cited four gripes with the sales tax referendum, which would have provided $5 billion for 20 years to fund public transportation projects and road construction and improvements. He disliked the restricted covenant, otherwise known as the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, which would have allowed covenant members, all local leaders, to veto any project against their interests. If one veto occurred, the project wouldn't pass. Zone also wondered which jurisdiction would be accountable for the principal and interest payments of the bonds the covenant would've sold to fund the projects.
"For years, Northern Virginia has been unable to convince the rest of Virginia to get back their share of tax revenue ... how do we change that philosophy, by rolling back and saying, don't worry, we'll tax ourselves?" Zone said. The sales tax referendum "had no organized vision of what to do to solve problems ... we go at it for two years and give up the hunt."
"Everybody thought that funding is what you need to solve the traffic problem, but no one was looking at the bigger issue," Zone continued.
Zone also hoped to modify Virginia's tax code to ease taxpayers from rising real estate assessments, as well as change the education funding formula so the state would pick up more of its share of funding per pupil in Fairfax County.
Although Vienna Mayor Jane Seeman called Zone "a good friend," she has officially endorsed Devolites' campaign because of her prior experience in the General Assembly.
"She has always come through for the town when we needed her," Seeman said. "It was really a tough decision to make."
Devolites, who was expected initially to run unopposed, responded to Zone's intentions to run as his right.
"The senate seat is open, and clearly anyone who wants to run ... has the right to file for an election," Devolites said.
Devolites decided to forfeit her delegate seat for a senate one because she said there were no Republican women in the senate.
"I believe it's important for every perspective to be represented. If I don't do this, that perspective certainly won't happen for the next four years," Devolites said.
Countering Zone's criticism of the Northern Virginia delegation, Devolites said that the delegation did try to pass education funding and transportation bills that would've given more money to the area, but the legislation failed because the Northern Virginia delegation didn't have enough votes to muster passage. She also cited freshman Sen. Ken Cuccinelli's (R-37th) difficulty in getting his campaign promises to push through.
"We've tried very hard to be creative," Devolites said. "When you're only 25 percent of the vote ... it's just extremely challenging to improve the situation."
But Zone insisted that if the delegation didn't give up so easily, change could take place. He recalled a time when he was on the School Board, when Republicans wanted to cut funding for a college preparatory program which provided minority students extra training so they could go to college. Zone dug his heels in, and the program's budget grew over time.
"You learn how to get things done," Zone said of his School Board experience.