Office sought: State Senate, 39th District
Party Affiliation: Republican
Previous offices held; please include dates: House of Delegates, 40th
District 1992-2002
Incumbents: when elected to this position: 1991
Occupation: Small Business Owner and Operator
Current employment (include name and address of employers): Sevea Staves Enterprise
Previous employment : Political Appointment- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
Executive Director- Reagan- Bush Campaign for Virginia
Education: (please list schools attended, degrees and dates): United States Military Academy at West Point, Engineering, 1973; University of Oklahoma, MA Public Administration, 1978
Community ties: Fairfax Rotary, Springfield American Legion, St. Andrew the Apostle Church
List a few current endorsements you are most proud of: Fairfax Chamber of Commerce, Northern Virginia Association of Realtors, Virginia Medical Society, Virginia Auto Dealers Association
1. What is your top public-service accomplishment?
In my 12 years of public service, I am particularly proud of the
work I did to pass Megan's Law that requires public notification of the presence in a community of a sex offender and establishes a means of tracking these offenders following release from incarceration or relocation.
2. Incumbents: Describe the top accomplishment of your last term.
Why shouldn't voters blame you for current problems in your district?
The General Assembly worked diligently to balance the state budget during these difficult economic times while still protecting the key priorities of education and public safety.
We accomplished this without raising taxes on families and cutting the waste in state government.
We still face challenges in our district such as constantly
improving our school academics and classroom facilities, but I am proud of the success we have achieved with the Standards of Learning over the last few years. The General Assembly increased spending on education to support classroom instruction and lower class sizes. With my Richmond
experience, I am in the better position to represent our district.
3. What are the top five problems facing your constituents and what approaches will you use to solve them? Describe one challenge (or more) in your district that is different than in other parts of the state.
Our district priorities:
1. Transportation to streamline the construction and maintenance
projects so they are completed in a timely fashion
2. Continue to improve our schools by attracting licensed teachers
3. Work with the Department of Homeland Security on the state level to prevent potential security threats
4. Strengthen our economy by keeping Virginia a low tax state to attract new business and stimulate the job market
5. Demonstrate to taxpayers that the state is a responsible steward of their money and we will continue to promote a recovering economy by holding the line on taxes for Virginia families.
As we well know, Northern Virginians do not receive our fair share of transportation funds due to an inequitable funding formula. I will work to reach a consensus among my colleagues to change the funding formula.
4. What qualities, qualifications and characteristics will you bring
to this office?
My personal experiences influence my legislative record as I bring into consideration my role as a husband and father, small business owner and Colonel in the US Army reserve. As a husband and father I have an obvious commitment to leave Virginia in better condition for our children. A small business owner, I am keenly aware of the challenges business owners face on a daily basis and how government can offer a
support network to help business succeed to contribute to our economy.
As an experienced legislator, I have a proven record of helping move Virginia forward with legislative achievements such as Megan's law and education reforms that focus on every child achieving academic excellence.
5. How will voters best distinguish between you and your
opponent(s)?
Experience is the key difference between our candidacies. I have a strong record of achievement that has helped Northern Virginia strengthen our economy and improve our quality of life. My values reflect the families of our district- hard work, close knit communities, strong families and working together to meet our challenges.
6. What is one thing you promise not to do if elected?
I promise to honor the trust that the voters have placed in me by acting with integrity in the spirit of public service.
7. What do you predict for the one-to-two year future of the budget and what adjustments will you propose to prepare for your prediction? What impact is this likely to have on your constituents?
Indications are that the economy is slowly but steadily coming
out of the current recession and growing strong. We still face
challenges of creating good jobs and we are on the right track. As the economy recovers, quality of life will improve by easing traffic and will prepare us for the future by ensuring that our children are receiving the best education in the state and nation.