For one night, Crestwood Elementary School was able to call itself the political epicenter of the commonwealth.

The school was host to a political forum Tuesday, Sept. 15, offering the candidates for the 39th district, state attorney general, lieutenant governor and governor races a chance to connect with their constituency. Though only the candidates for the delegate race were present, surrogates filled in ably on their behalf, giving the Springfield residents a clearer picture of the men and women vying to represent them.
"I’m an independent so I came to get an idea of who the candidates were, and this was the first introduction I’ve had to some of them," said attendee Doug Firman. "Even though a couple people filled in [for the candidates], they did a good job."
The meeting was hosted by the Springfield Civic Association, which also set the procedural guidelines and moderated the forum. Each of the candidates or their surrogates had three minutes to make an opening statement, followed by a 15-minute question and answer segment with the audience. Each candidate was given one minute to answer, and the other was given one minute to rebut.
The meeting kicked off with the candidates for the 39th district delegate race, which features the incumbent Del. Vivian Watts (D-39) running against republican nominee Joseph Bury. The delegate candidates were followed by surrogates for the candidates for the attorney general race between Del. Steve Shannon (D-35) and republican Sen. Ken Cuccinelli (R-37); the lieutenant governor race between incumbent republican Bill Bolling and democrat Jody Wagner; and the governor race between Del. Bob McDonnell (R-84) and Sen. Creigh Deeds (D-25).
Perhaps because of the candidates for the delegate race’s presence, Watts and Bury faced more questions than any of the three other sets of races. Both of the candidates were drilled for the entire 15 minutes, with the topics of transportation and the economy dominating the discussion.
On transportation, Watts stated that she understands the residents’ frustration with the HOT Lanes project, saying that 30 percent of the construction cuts through her district. She also said that while the options may be limited at this point because of the lack of funds, she will try secure money in any way possible, as evidenced by her helping to get $93 million transferred to Northern Virginia transportation projects from other projects around the state.
"I am working with what’s there to make [transportation] the best that it can be," Watts said.
Bury contended that to solve the area’s transportation issues, outside input is needed. He said that he supports more input into public projects by the private sector, as he believes that the private sector can come up with more creative solutions to the problems. In addition, Bury said that alternative forms of transportation need to be invested in because there is no money to put into roads.
"We can no longer afford to build new roads, so I’m searching for alternatives," Bury said. "It’s time to switch tracks and look for more innovative solutions to our problems, and those can only come from someone outside of the system with fresh ideas."
Watts and Bury faced several questions about the economy, with audience members asking specifically about what the candidates are proposing to jumpstart the sluggish economy. Watts turned the tables on the question, boasting about the state’s economic strengths. Watts said that while the downturn has affected Virginia just like every other state, that Virginia’s economic outlook is not as grim as others.
"The debt we have is purely from capital projects," Watts said. "We are only one of seven states with a AAA bond rating, and we are 44th in the nation for our tax burden per $1,000. We just have to live within our budget."
Bury countered that the debt is a problem, which grew while Watts has served in office. He said that the best way to improve the area’s economic forecast is to create jobs, and that he will make that a top priority if elected. Bury said that he plans to bring the alternative energy industry into Northern Virginia, which he calls his "signature project."
"Creating jobs is the No. 1 goal," Bury said. "I will have a signature project [if elected], which will be to move the alternative energy industry here. I will work to bring that sector here."
Though the candidates would have welcomed more time than the 15 minutes provided to elaborate on their platforms, their messages did not fall on deaf ears. Like Firman, many other attendees said that they were not familiar with Bury, or even the incumbent Watts, and that the forum helped to steer them in a certain direction.
"I think that the forum made the issues much clearer," said Pam Eisenmann. "I think we got a much better idea of where they stood."