To the Editor:
City Council candidate Townsend A. (“Van”) Van Fleet is both a proven leader and a team player. A West Point graduate, he led a distinguished career in the U.S. Army. Since retiring, he has been a successful small-business owner in Alexandria, where he has lived the past three decades. He knows how to get things done, focuses on his goals, and works hard to accomplish them. He still maintains a punishing schedule. He has years of experience in leadership positions with civic organizations across the city. Van has a genuine concern for Alexandria’s citizens and is not afraid to speak out on the issues. He will bring the same level of understanding and dedication to the citizens of Alexandria that he brought to his military service.
Van is concerned that — despite regularly increasing our taxes — the current city administration has not provided adequate resources for the three main functions of government: a secure “safety net” (fire and police), adequate schools, or sufficient attention to our aging infrastructure. (Parts of the city’s combined sewer system date to the 19th century and demand increasing attention and maintenance.) To address these issues, Van proposes to request a bottom-up review of city expenditures to determine how better to use our limited resources to provide these services without over-taxing the ability of the citizenry to support them.
Early in this bid for office, Van encouraged his campaign organization to support a unique, five-week scholarship competition for Alexandria’s high-school juniors and seniors, with the goal of immersing the students in the inner workings of a political campaign. This experience is providing them with an in-depth understanding of the political process. It gives them exposure to all of the City Council candidates, encourages them to become aware of city-wide issues and of candidates’ positions on them, and demonstrates the importance of voting. The program is neither partisan nor ideological but reflects Van’s concern that students understand how our system of government really works. As he has emphasized, the challenges facing the city are neither Republican nor Democratic but are civic issues.
We urge you to join us on Nov. 3 in voting for Townsend A. (“Van”) Van Fleet for Alexandria City Council. We also support Bob Wood, Monique Miles, and Fernando Torrez for City Council and Allison Silberberg for Mayor. Together, they can make a positive difference for Alexandrians in all parts of our city.
Hugh and Sue Van Horn