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2011 election guide
October 28, 2011
VIRGINIA SENATE — 31ST DISTRICT Barbara Favola
Political Party: Democrat Occupation: part-time employee at Marymount University Campaign Website: www.barbarafavola.org Government/Political Experience: President Elect of the Virginia Association of Counties; chair of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Chesapeake Bay Committee; appointed to Virginia State Health Board by Tim Kaine; Chairman of the Northern Virginia Regional Commission; member, Board of the Ballston Science & Technology Alliance; member, Board of Directors for the Child and Family Network Centers; member, League of Women Voters; member, Arlington Committee of 100; member, Arlington YMCA; policy advisor for U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under President Clinton Barbara Favola and her husband, Doug Weik, have lived in Northern Virginia for nearly 30 years. Their son Donald Patrick is a senior at George Mason University. He attended and graduated from Virginia public schools, where Barbara volunteered and was active in the PTA. Favola has served as Chairman and a member of the Arlington County Board since 1997. She served as Chairman of the Board in 2000, 2004 and 2009; and Vice Chairman in 1999, 2003 and 2008. During her service with the county, Favola has been the board’s leading advocate for children, youth and families. She supported the creation of teen lounges for young people, established mental health services in the public schools, provided a permanent home for the Head Start program and forged a community partnership for children, youth and families. Favola has championed numerous pieces of legislation that have attributed to smart growth in Arlington. She has encouraged new development and transportation enhancements along the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor while maintaining Arlington’s neighborhoods and protecting the community. 1. At one time the state government was going to pay for 25 percent of the Dulles Rail project. Now Dulles Toll Road users will cover that share. What should the state’s role be in funding the project?
The state should pay 25 percent of the project costs, as originally planned. The Dulles Rail project will be a huge economic generator for the region and the state, it does not seem fair to rely so heavily on fees from toll road users to fund this project. I also believe the federal government should fund a portion of this project. 2. The authority for a private toll road and the toll rates for the Dulles Greenway come from Richmond, what should the General Assembly do to address local concerns about the high cost of using the road? The state needs to establish a new and dedicated source of revenue to fund transportation needs. If such a revenue stream were in place, the state would not be forced to rely so heavily on tolls to pay for road construction and repairs. Providing an adequate and safe transportation infrastructure is a necessary part of a healthy and vibrant economy and something that is worthy of investment 3. What is your approach to funding the commonwealth’s transportation maintenance and construction needs? I would support a percentage increase in the gasoline tax to fund the state’s transportation needs. The gasoline tax has not increased since 1986 and it is lower than the gasoline tax in any of the states surrounding Virginia. 4. What are your budget priorities and how would you achieve them, and will additional fiscal responsibilities continue to be passed down to local governments? My state budget priorities include more fully funding K-12 education, investing in the Community College system and providing core services in a way that reduces the burden on local governments. I am not in favor of unfunded mandates for local governments. 5. What new perspective or idea would you bring to the General Assembly that does not currently exist? I feel very strongly that the Community College system should have enough resources and capacity to accept every eligible student. This is a commitment to improve the workforce of the future and to create a higher equality of life for Virginia’s families.
Caren Merrick
Political Party: Republican Occupation: partner, Bibury Partners, an early stage investment and advisory firm Campaign Website: www.carenmerrick.com Government/Political Experience: commissioner, Governor’s Economic Development and Jobs Creation Commission, 2010; Board of Trustees, Inova Healthcare Services; advisory committee, Inova Health System Foundation; Board of Trustees, Northern Virginia Technology Council; Board of Trustees, Independent School; Board of Trustees, Greater DC Cares; advisory board, Charity Works; Board of Trustees, Fairfax Symphony; member, Women’s Forum of Washington, DC; member, National Association of Corporate Directors; member, Women Corporate Directors; member, Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance. Caren Merrick has lived and worked in Northern Virginia for 23 years. She and her husband, Phillip, have been married for nearly 18 years and have two sons in the fourth and seventh grades. Both the Merricks are part of a growing community and their family activities include church and teaching Sunday school, Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, soccer, basketball, hiking, fishing, volunteering and many school activities. Merrick was the first woman in her family to earn a college degree—working her way through college. As Merrick grew up, she went to college at night on the GI Bill and eventually became a conservation engineer. Merrick has worked in the private sector and the nonprofit arena. Early in her career, she managed national recruitment marketing campaigns to recruit primary care physicians and advanced practice nurses into the National Health Service Corps and Indian Health Service. Later, Merrick co-founded webMethods, a company started in her basement that eventually went public on the NASDAQ, creating hundreds of Northern Virginia jobs and employing over 1,100 people worldwide. webMethods became a leading enterprise software company providing businessto-business integration and business process management solutions.
Merrick understands in these challenging and uncertain economic times, elected public servants who have created jobs, balanced budgets and tackled tough problems are greatly needed. 1. At one time the state government was going to pay for 25 percent of the Dulles Rail project. Now Dulles Toll Road users will cover that share. What should the state’s role be in funding the project? Dulles Rail and the Dulles Greenway are vital to the transportation problems facing the region; we need to find ways to complete this project in a cost-effective manner. First, we must eliminate costly Project Labor Agreements that are significantly driving up the costs of Phase II. Second, Virginia needs more representation on the MWAA Board to ensure our local interests are being voiced on the board. Both the commonwealth and the federal government need to provide an increase in funding for the completion of this project. 2. The authority for a private toll road and the toll rates for the Dulles Greenway come from Richmond, what should the General Assembly do to address local concerns about the high cost of using the road? The General Assembly must work to protect local commuters and residents from soaring costs associated with Dulles Rail, we cannot allow the costs of the project’s completion to continue to be placed on the backs of Loudoun and Fairfax County taxpayers. 3. What is your approach to funding the commonwealth’s transportation maintenance and construction needs? I believe transportation solutions and funding are a top priority for several reasons: it affects our quality of life—for families, seniors and businesses—we spend too much time in traffic. In our new District 31, we have too many commuters using our residential streets where children play because they don’t want to sit in traffic. My opponent wants to increase the gas tax to pay for transportation projects. The gas tax is not a sustainable solution, as cars get more efficient fuel economy and the rising prices. I agree with the Governor and our two Democrat U.S. Senators that we should sell offshore drilling leases as one way to fund transportation. This year Delegate Jim LeMunyon introduced H.B. 1998 requiring the Virginia Department of Transportation to rate planned transportation projects on the basis of congestion reduction achieved per dollar spent on each project. This legislation passed the House of Delegates but died in the Virginia Senate, with several Northern Virginia Senators voting against it. In the Virginia Senate, I will vote for it. This will bring transportation dollars to Northern Virginia, help ease Continued On Page 45