Office sought: House of Delegates 44th District
Party Affiliation: Republican
Previous offices held; please include dates:
Occupation: Government Affairs Professional
Current employment (include name and address of employers): National Air Transportation Association, 4226 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22302
Previous employment Incongress, Air Transport Association, Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association
Education: (please list schools attended, degrees and dates) Bachelor of Science, Florida Institute of Technology, 1987
Community ties: Elder, Heritage Presbyterian Church, Leader Cub Scouts, Operations Chair, Mount Vernon Republican Committee, Active member of Waynewood PTA and Waynewood Recreation Association
List a few current endorsements you are most proud of: Congressman Tom Davis and Congressman Frank Wolf
1. What is your top public-service accomplishment?
Like many of our neighbors, I believe that working with our churches and schools is the best way to improve our community.
2. Incumbents: Describe the top accomplishment of your last term.
Why shouldnít voters blame you for current problems in your district? N/A
3. What are the top five problems facing your constituents and what approaches will you use to solve them? Describe one challenge (or more) in your district that is different than in other parts of the state.
1. Transportation: We spend hours in gridlock and nobody seems to provide solutions that will work now. We need to take immediate action to provide spot congestion reduction and find technology solutions for the longer term.
2. Taxes: We pay enough in taxes. All levels of government need to do a better job of prioritizing their spending to live within their means, just as our families must do. 3. Education: The focus for our schools must always be the education of students first. My priorities for the schools will be to provide an environment were all children can learn and grow. By having high standards and holding the school system accountable for meeting those standards we can ensure every child's success.
4. What qualities, qualifications and characteristics will you bring to this office?
I have a thorough understanding of how government works and how to make it work for the citizens of the 44th district. My background in transportation policy gives me the knowledge to work on solutions to traffic gridlock that will have an immediate impact. I will always listen to every citizen and let them know where I stand on the issues.
5. How will voters best distinguish between you and your opponent(s)?
My outlook on the role of government and the resources required to fulfill that role. I support a limited government that does not keep asking for "just one more tax."
6. What is one thing you promise not to do if elected?
I will not increase the tax burden on families.
7. What do you predict for the one-to-two year future of the budget and what adjustments will you propose to prepare for your prediction? What impact is this likely to have on your constituents?
Continued pressure to live within our means with revenue recovering as the economy picks up. We must focus on the core government functions. We need to have realistic expectations of how much government can do and what we are willing to pay for it.
8. What specific solutions will you propose for the transportation dilemma? Please address funding, prioritization, air quality, bus service and other non-rail public transportation solutions, expansion of rail service, and any other possible approach.
We need to take immediate action to provide spot congestion reduction. Every one of us knows of an intersection, series of stop lights or other bottle-neck that could be improved to make traffic flow. Regarding air quality, we need to provide incentives for greater acceptance of alternative fueled vehicles for both personal and business use.
9. Do local governments have the tools they need to control and guide growth? How will state and local governments cope with the additional demand for services that comes with additional residential construction? Can more emphasis on smart growth help offset some of the effects of suburban development?
Virginia's land use planning laws can be effective if enforced. It is incumbent on local officials to adequately plan for future growth and then stick to that plan. Development that exceeds the capacity anticipated in the comprehensive plans should be rejected.
10. What are your top environmental priorities? Please address air quality, water quality, open space, etc.
We need to concentrate on continuing to improve air quality in the region. I believe the best method to achieve these improvements is to provide incentives to individuals and business to switch to alternative fuel vehicles. These can include tax deductions, access to HOV lanes and lower property tax rates for commercial vehicles. Regarding water quality improvements, I support raising the awareness of individuals of the impact of their activities (lawn treatments, dumping of house hold waste, etc) on our streams and rivers.
11. Are residents safe enough? How do public safety officials balance new demands of "homeland security" with other safety and quality-of-life issues?
By and large, this district is very safe. That said we still experience property crime, drug dealing and other threats to our personal safety. We need to focus our efforts on not allowing the smaller crimes to escalate to a point where the security we enjoy is threatened. Regarding the "homeland security," given that we are so close to Washington, our public safety forces must always be active participants in the planning and preparation for significant events.
12. Do you have any concerns about civil liberties and public access to information in the wake of the Patriot Act and other responses to Sept. 11?
Not particularly.
13. Working poor families in Northern Virginia face a daunting cost of living, with little in the way of affordable housing, health care, child care and transportation. Are low-wage workers important to the local economy? What do you propose to address the needs of these families?
Given the importance of the service sector to our region's economy, employees with a wide range of skills are crucial. I support policies such as the earned income tax credit as an effective method to support these workers. I oppose increasing the tax burden on these families with efforts such as last years failed sales tax increase. This would have had a disproportionate impact on lower income workers.
14. Should counties have the taxing authority of cities?
No, cities have different requirements such as paying for their own road maintenance. I do not support giving additional authority to impose taxes.
15. What is the appropriate state and local tax rate for cigarettes?
The cigarette tax is an area that I do support an increase in the rate. We should be on par with surrounding states in order to discourage folks from crossing state lines to make purchases.
16. What is the appropriate state and local tax rate for gasoline?
The same as it is today. It should only be increased if we can absolutely ensure the money would only be spent on congestion reduction.
17. How would you restructure the tax code in Virginia?
Any tax restructuring most not increase the overall burden on families. It must account for soaring property tax increases. We need to do a better job of collecting taxes that are already in place, such as sales taxes on internet purchases. We must ensure that corporations doing business in Virginia are paying their fair share.
18. Should income taxes be collected and distributed locally?
I do not support these proposals. We must also be vigilant against any attempts by other jurisdictions to impose a commuter tax.
19. What proposals do you have for mitigating the effects of soaring property values and related taxes? Do you endorse the 5 percent cap on property tax increases? If you support a cap on property tax increases, please name at least one service provided by state or local government that you currently use that you would be prepared to live without.
I do not support a firm cap. Instead, I would place a cap tied to inflation after which a County Board of Supervisors could raise the rate. Of course then they would need to justify that increase to the voters.
20. After redistricting, Northern Virginia now has a critical mass in the General Assembly, but so far that doesn't appear to have translated into additional political clout for the region. Why? What will you do to increase the influence of Northern Virginia in Richmond?
I do not agree with the premise of the question. With only 28 seats in the General Assembly, Northern Virginia is still has a minority of the representatives. As a member of the majority party, however, I will be able to work with the leadership to ensure our interests are represented and we get our fair share of state resources.
21. Would you favor the repeal of the Dillon Rule? Why or Why not?
Not particularly, it would make it much more difficult for business to come to Virginia if they had to deal with hundreds of different laws and regulation from county to county.
22. What is right and wrong with Virginia's current laws governing abortion? Would you support any changes?
I think Virginia's laws on this subject are consistent with national laws and should only be changed if there are changes to those laws.
23. Would you support allowing localities to ban weapons from public buildings?
Yes.
24. The state provides only a fraction of the funding for local schools that it should given requirements under the "Standards of Quality." How would you address this?
While I generally support funding to achieve the SOQ's, I am concerned that such proposals would drain even more money away from Northern Virginia.
25. How would you rate the Standards of Learning tests and what improvements still need to be made?
The standards of learning tests, while imperfect, have helped us to measure how are schools are living up to our expectations for them. The tests need to be modified to place less emphasis on rote learning.
26. Should local school boards be allowed to ban all weapons on school property?
Yes.
27. Characterize the financial situation in Virginia institutions of higher learning and what efforts you recommend in the General Assembly to shore up the quality of Virginia's public colleges and universities.
Like many sectors, our colleges and universities are facing significant pressure to control costs and live within their means. These efforts must continue. We need to support programs such as 529 savings plan.