Accomplishments as a Supervisor
Selected Accomplishments on the Board of Supervisors
In 2007, after many years of watching the Board of Supervisors lead Fairfax County down the wrong path, I decided enough was enough. Under then Chairman Gerry Connolly, taxes on homeowners had doubled, spending was out of control, and transportation had ceased to be a county priority. Seeing the need for new, principled leadership in Fairfax County I made the decision to run for Springfield District Supervisor and in one of the worst years for Republicans, I won with 59% of the vote.
Once in office elected officials should actually do what they said they would do during their campaigns. In 2007 I ran on a platform of cutting spending, lowering taxes, reducing government regulation, protecting our neighborhoods and making transportation a county priority. I also pledged to make communication with my constituents a top priority so that people would always know where I stood on the issues. I’m proud of my accomplishments over the past two years. Samples of some of those accomplishments are highlighted below along with the links to the Herrity Report articles that were published about them:
Cutting Government Spending and Lowering Taxes
- In my first year on the Board, in an unprecedented move, I stood up to the Democratic majority and presented an alternative budget that would have cut spending by over $60 million and provided a substantial tax cut to our citizens. You can read about that budget here: Update on the Budget
- By sending a message that the years of unchecked, prolific spending were over, I laid the groundwork for last year’s budget where I lead a bi-partisan effort that resulted in approximately $100 million in budget cuts and a tax decrease for the average homeowner. You can read about that process here: Special Edition: FY 2010 Budget Update
- I killed Gerry Connolly’s irresponsible affordable housing program. Under Gerry Connolly’s leadership, the Fairfax County government had become one of the county’s largest landlords and was subsidizing housing for families making over $100,000 dollars a year. After I exposed this wasteful program to the public, the Board unanimously voted to de-fund it in last year’s budget. Read about my efforts here:
Fairfax County is County’s Largest Landlord
Buying Foreclosed Homes is a Bad Idea
More Problems with the Housing Penny – Wedgewood
- I have lead the effort to “Change the Equation” on the school budget by insisting that our education dollars are spent on our students, classrooms and teachers and not on administration. Read about my efforts here:
The School Budget – Changing the Equation (2009)
The School Budget: Changing the Equation (2010)
- I stopped the school system’s proposal to waste $130 million on a new, fancy administration building. You can read my argument against the proposal here: Gatehouse II – School Administration Building a Bad Deal
- In addition I have led the effort to stop new taxes like the meals tax and auto decal fee tax. I am continuing to fight to reduce spending through including:
- Use of competitive sourcing to compete public sector services with the private sector
- Efficiencies and consolidations including between the schools and county
- Looking at the use of 401(k) plans instead of pensions
- Putting the county’s checkbook online to increase transparency
Reducing Government Regulation
- I have worked hard and been successful at reducing the regulation on our businesses and also to make sure that the county considers the true cost of any new regulation before it is adopted. Read about some of my efforts to reduce regulations here:
Administrative Change is Stopping Homeowner Improvements
Reducing the Cost of Regulations On Our Citizens Businesses and the County
Bringing Commonsense to the Tree Ordinance
Transportation
- Finding short term and long term solutions to I-66 congestion has been my top transportation priority. Read about my work on I-66 here:
Short Term-Improvements to I-66
I-66 Short Term Improvement: Part Two
Continuing the Push For The I-66 Multimodal Environmental Impact Study
Progress on I-66 Short Term Solutions
Encouraging Mass Transit in the I-66 Corridor
- I was able to sidestep the bureaucracy and get the Fair Lakes/Fairfax County Parkway Interchange schedule moved up by 1-2 years. Read about that here:
Accelerating the Schedule for the Fair Lakes/Fairfax County Parkway Interchange
Illegal Immigration
- I pushed to have the county look at our immigration policy, something that had been ignored by previous Boards under then Chairman Gerry Connolly. Due in part to my efforts, Fairfax County now participates in the “Secure Communities” program which is a comprehensive plan to identify and deport criminal aliens. For more on this see here:
Washington Examiner: ‘Secure Communities’ netting results in Fairfax
Addressing Illegal Immigration
Update on Identifying and Deporting Criminal Illegal Aliens
Lyme Disease
- I have led the effort on the county’s response to Lyme disease. This included having the county’s Health Department educate our local doctors and health professionals on Lyme disease. To begin to fight the ticks which spread the disease I worked with county staff on a plan that will pilot the 4 poster deer bait station which safely applies a tickicide to deer, killing ticks that carry Lyme disease:
Addressing the Increased Threat of Lyme Disease
Communication with Constituents
- Since joining the Board of Supervisors in January 2008 I have held 10 widely publicized and open town hall meetings on subjects important to my constituents.
- I have sent over 31 editions of my newsletter the Herrity Report. Read them all here: Herrity Reports
