After six terms in the Virginia House of Delegates, David Albo is aiming for number seven this fall.
"I grew up here, and I think it's very gratifying and interesting and fun to help my neighborhood," said Albo. "The day I don't like it anymore is the day I will retire."
Albo is seeking re-election to the 42nd District seat in the General Assembly, a seat he has occupied since 1993.
Albo said one of his proudest accomplishments over his 12-year tenure in Richmond is securing funding for various transportation projects that have changed the complexion of his district.
"You look at Springfield and the south county before Dave Albo and after, and what you see is that we have more transportation funding in my district than any other place than the entire state," said Albo. He pointed out such transportation programs as the Springfield Interchange Project, the Fairfax County Parkway and improvements to Route 123.
"I would not be so conceited as to say that Dave Albo did these things, but I'm confident to say I'm part of the team that's delivered each and every one of those things," he said.
Albo said he is also proud of revising the state's parole system for violent criminals, which happened in the mid-1990s.
"On the criminal law front, keeping neighborhoods safe, there's not been a single delegate who has done more. The reason is, when I got there 12 years ago, I had spent a number of years as a prosecutor and defense attorney, and I knew from being on the front lines, how criminals work," he said.
Albo said during his most recent term in Richmond, he believes legislation passed on drunken driving, sex offenders and his work with the Criminal Law Committee to craft several bills related to gangs were major successes, and he hopes to continue work on each of those issues, maintaining what he said is "an aggressive agenda on crime."
ALBO HAS no opponent in the June Republican primary, but will be opposed in the general election by Democrat Greg Werkheiser, a Springfield attorney. Albo said ultimately, he believes the issue that will shape that campaign will be the state government's power to tax.
"I think this election will be about one major issue, which is that (Werkheiser) believes that the (2004 session) tax increase was good and the government needs to spend more money. I think our taxes, and especially property taxes, are entirely too high as they exist," said Albo. "What I envision in the future is that Greg who just moved into the district 18 months ago is going to learn his new neighborhood is really mad about their real estate taxes and doesn't believe that their tax dollars should continue to climb."
Albo said he is totally opposed to any tax increase.
"The government needs to do better with what it has," he said, adding that he is working on putting together a total property tax cap bill that would put a cap on the amount of property tax a homeowner would be allowed to pay over a five-year period. It's an issue Albo said he believes is of particular importance in Fairfax County.
"In my district, it's been minimum 75 percent increase in five years," he said. "A lot of my constituents are retired military, retired government, and they can't make any more money. You're on your retirement, and every year your bill goes up."
A resident of Springfield, Albo graduated from West Springfield High and is a partner in the law firm Albo & Oblon, LLP. He served as prosecutor for the City of Fairfax from 1990-1994. Through March 31, Albo had raised $44,818 toward the campaign.