David Bulova wants to give something back to the people of Fairfax. The Robinson Secondary School graduate is running for the 37th District seat in the House of Delegates which is being vacated by Del. Chap Petersen (D-37) during his bid for lieutenant governor.
"I grew up here and was the beneficiary of fantastic schools and a fantastic community," Bulova said. "My overarching goal is to keep the 37th district a great place to live."
"There were visionaries before me who made the investment in schools and parks to enable me to do what I’ve done with my life," Bulova said. "I want to be able to make those investments for the future generation."
Toward that end, Bulova sees some issues that need to be addressed. Transportation tops the agenda of many of those in the district with whom he has been in contact.
"Most people recognize that there’s no easy fix," Bulova said. He supports increasing funding for public transportation, making communities more walkable and expanding opportunities for teleworking. "We’re never going to build roads enough to get ourselves out of the transportation crisis."
Bulova supports the rail to Dulles project and the examination of putting HOT lanes on the Beltway. He noted that the 37th district is a major crossroads, and that efforts must be made to ease through traffic. "I think it’s absolutely essential. We need to make darn sure that the infrastructure is there or they’re going to be driving through our neighborhoods."
The son of Supervisor Sharon Bulova (D-Braddock), Bulova was elected to the Board of Directors of the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Directors in 2003. As such, he's an advocate for environmental protections. "Our quality of life is integrally linked with our environment," he said.
IN VIRGINIA, many local laws cannot be passed without first receiving approval from the state legislature. Bulova said that, if elected, he would seek ways to allow greater local control. "Local decisions should be made at the local government level," he said.
Bulova noted that the kinds of solutions that may be appropriate for Fairfax County may not be in other parts of the state. Therefore, Bulova said, laws passed at the state level should be written to give as much flexibility as possible to localities. "It’s so critical that we realize that we’re on the same team," he said.
"Education is a number one priority for folks," he said. The state government needs to do a better job of supporting education at the local level.
Taxes, Bulova said, should be thought of as investments in the services provided. One of the problems he identified is that localities have to rely too much on the property tax. "What we need to do is to diversify our tax base," he said. He would consider the option of allowing a local income tax. "Coming up with the right balance of fees and taxes is what’s important," he said.
ON SOCIAL ISSUES, Bulova adopts a liberal stance. He describes himself as pro-choice. "I think it is an individual religious and moral issue," he said. Although he also said that he would support providing mother with alternatives to abortion whenever possible.
Bulova would not vote for a state constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. "The way the issue is framed now, I would probably vote against it," he said. "I want to make sure that we’re not closing the door on the right of people to contract with each other."
While Bulova supports the right to bear arms, he acknowledges the need for some controls. "With any right comes tremendous responsibility," he said. Like the right to free speech, he does not think that the right to bear arms is absolute. He thinks that this is another area in which local control should come into play, noting that the social norms in Northern Virginia regarding places where carrying a gun are acceptable, may not be the same as in other parts of the state.
Another issue that Bulova weighed in on is red light cameras. He supports allowing localities to have the cameras, noting that driving takes place on a public space and using a public license.
Localities are under no obligation to install the cameras, he said, and their use frees up other resources. "I’d rather have those police walking in the community," he said.
Bulova is facing School Board Member Janet Oleszek (At-large) in the Democratic primary on June 14. Also running for the seat are Republicans Jim Kaplan and John Mason and Libertarian Scott McPherson.
As of the April 15 filing deadline, Bulova had raised a bit over $32,100 for his campaign.