Fairfax County Supervisor Catherine Hudgins (D-Hunter Mill) held a kickoff event this weekend for her reelection bid to the county board. Three independent candidates are challenging Hudgins for the seat.
Hudgins, seeking a third term on the board, said much has changed on the board in the past eight years. For example, she said, the board has adopted new strategies of tackling the transportation issues that are causing congestion in the area. She said there has been more talk about improving pedestrian opportunities in the county and the board has become more heavily focused on transit. "It is important for air quality as well as congestion," she said.
People in the county have to continue the dialogue about how the county should grow. Hudgins said although some feel the county has grown to its capacity, people would continue to move to the area because of the high quality of life offered in Fairfax County. "We have to find better ways to talk about how to continue to develop," she said. Hudgins added that people would continue to come to Fairfax County because of the quality of its schools and its public safety among other factors.
The county, which is generally regarded as affluent, faces challenges to provide for its less fortunate residents. For example, there is still a shortage of affordable housing units and a need to improve mental health services. However, Hudgins said, the issues should not be tackled separately. "It’s not just transportation and it’s not just land-use or better services," she said.
Not forgetting the volunteers who helped her get elected in the 1999 election, when she was a challenger, Hudgins said the group behind her campaign is a hardworking group that is able to articulate policies and issues affecting the Hunter Mill District and Fairfax County. After eight years in the office, she considers her campaign a grass-roots effort. She will face independent challengers Marie Huhtala, Mike ‘Spike’ Williams and Geraldine Butkus in this November’s election. For more information about Hudgins’s campaign visit http://www.cathyhudgins.com.