Gerry Connolly In the 11th District

U.S. Rep. Tom Davis (R), who decided earlier this year that he would not seek reelection, served as a remarkable advocate for local needs, and his departure could raise concerns about representation.

Gerry Connolly (D), currently chairman of the Fairfax Count Board of Supervisors, more than meets the challenge.

Connolly has led Fairfax County with vision, enthusiasm and direction. Connolly’s focus has helped achieve important results, including dedicated funding for affordable housing and the environment and significant investments for transportation. Connolly’s intellect and drive have supported the quality of life in Fairfax County.

Connolly has supported intelligent approaches to sustaining and improving public safety. An excellent example is providing after-school programs in middle schools as part of a gang prevention effort.

Along with his local government credentials, Connolly brings more than a decade of experience on Capitol Hill in foreign affairs. His experience and intellect position him for success in representing this diverse district, including the interests of federal employees and government contractors.

Connolly has also exhibited unwavering support for the extension of rail through Tysons and Reston and out to Dulles Airport. Keeping this project on track will require continued vigilance from Congress.



Jim Moran In the 8th District

Jim Moran is the right representative for his district, reflecting the views of his Arlington, Alexandria, Reston and Fairfax constituents.

Moran’s strong grounding in local politics, rising from Alexandria City Council, makes him an especially effective and important representative in Congress, with an excellent record of bringing home funding for transportation and other local needs. His record on the environment is also first rate.

Moran’s leadership and local background is also important in shepherding big local changes coming due to BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure) and the ongoing process of funding rail to Dulles.

Moran is one of the few members of Congress who opposed the Iraq war from the beginning, and has been a consistent critic of the Bush administration’s tax cuts for the super-wealthy.

His understanding of the current economic crisis and how we got there will be essential as the next administration and the next Congress struggle to straighten out the mess and provide the kind of regulation we need, so it won’t happen again.

With his seat on defense appropriations, Moran is master of channeling funding to local defense contractors.



Frank Wolf In the 10th District

As a member of Congress, Frank Wolf appears to consider how he can use the power of his office each day to make the world a better place. He is a man with empathy and a moral compass.

After 28 years in office, he is, if anything, more passionate than ever about human rights — working to curb human rights abuses in Darfur and other places around the world to shine the light on abuses and atrocities.

Wolf is also passionate about problem solving on a local level. In particular, Wolf has worked to contribute to solutions for the region’s traffic congestion, from promoting flextime and telecommuting especially for government workers, to funding for Metro, to thoughtful and incremental approaches such as spot intersection improvements and timing of traffic lights. His ongoing support of rail to Dulles is critical, especially from his vantage point as a senior member of the Appropriations Committee.

Examples of his leadership on public safety issues include his early warnings and funding to help fight gang activity, and his efforts to fight the spread of methamphetamines.

Wolf is creative at problem solving, now working to establish a blue-ribbon panel to examine federal spending and tax policies to develop holistic proposals to head off the impending federal budget train wreck.



Last week, the Connection endorsed Mark Warner for Senate to fill the seat of retiring U.S. Sen. John Warner (R). Read that endorsement here: www.connectionnewspapers.com/article.asp?article=320789&paper=59&cat=110