Broadlands-resident Stevens Miller will officially kick off his campaign Feb. 10 at the Bonefish Grill in Broadlands, as he seeks the Democratic nomination for the Board of Supervisors' Dulles District seat.
Miller, a five-year resident of the county, is the second resident to announce he is running for the seat, joining Republican Jey Jeyanathan, who will face Supervisor Stephen Snow (R) at the Republican convention in June.
Miller said he was motivated to run because he believes Loudoun residents are being misled by the current board.
"I really felt the county's promise was being broken by the current board majority," he said. "We need to return the control of the county to those who live here."
An attorney and computer-evidence analyst, Miller also serves as an Economic Development Commissioner, is on the Loudoun Crime Commission and is an elected member of the Broadlands Homeowners Association board of directors.
"The last three years have put [our quality of life] in jeopardy and have raised serious doubts about whether or not some of our leaders even care what my neighbors think," Miller said. "I want to help set things right again."
While Miller said that regaining the trust and confidence of the people of Loudoun is the responsibility of the current leaders, he believes his public record is something residents can trust.
AS ARE MANY other candidates, Miller is determined to help figure out a solution to the county's growth issues, including traffic and taxes. He said he does not believe that proffered rezonings are the way to solve the problems.
"We need to stop looking for a magic bullet because there isn't one," he said. "What I would like to see is a variety of small, achievable solutions."
Among the solutions that he hopes to focus on are an increase in public transportation in the county and a change in the workplace model.
"Every time there is a new bus in the county, the use is overwhelming," Miller said. "We need to look at increasing the amount of available public transportation."
Miller said he would also like to see an increase in telecommuting by workers in the county, including encouraging people to work from home or from telecommuting centers.
"[It's] working a schedule that could spread out rush hour," he said. "With some people leaving later in the mornings and some arriving home from the office earlier in the evenings."
In addition, Miller said he would like to look at levying road impact fees on developers in place of proffers and exploring more public and private partnerships in development.
In his own neighborhood, Miller said that it is important for both county leaders and residents to keep an eye on crime, adding that Broadlands recently started a neighborhood watch program, something he would like to see in every neighborhood in the county.
"The trouble with growth is it always grows the good stuff and the bad," Miller said.
RECENTLY, members of the Sheriff's Office met with Broadlands residents to discuss the growing gang influence in the county, something that worries Miller.
"There is no question that it's headed west," he said. "I would like us to be prepared ahead of time to deal with it."
In addition to the more publicized gangs, Miller said it is important for parents and resident to get involved with preventing the potentially negative groups that form in high school.
"The kids are looking for acceptance," he said. "We need to make sure the parents are involved. We can double whammy that [with telecommuting], getting parents leaving later and getting home sooner."
The father of a 5-year-old son who will soon attend Loudoun County schools, Miller said he wants to work closely with the School Board to help mitigate the effect of changing school boundaries on Dulles District residents.
"There are tough decisions that have to be made there," he said. "With our amount of growth we can't guarantee a child will stay at one elementary school."
Miller, who has lived in Virginia for more than half his life and attended Langley High School, said he does not believe the issues he wants to address are issues that divide people along party lines, and he hopes to work with both Republicans and Democrats throughout his campaign to find solutions to the county's problems.
"I am interested in the point of view of every one who has a home in Loudoun," he said.