We were having technical difficulties this morning (Murphy's Law strikes again?), so I'm posting Charlie Hall's diary for everyone to read. Here at Raising Kaine, we urge everyone in Providence District to vote for change, and for Charlie, tomorrow. Thanks!
It is hard for me to believe it's been just a little over three weeks since I posted my first item on RaisingKaine.com. Since then, RK has been a central place in my attempt to take the Reform Democrat movement down to the local level in Fairfax County.Tomorrow is the election in Fairfax County's Providence District. Voters will pass judgment on my attempt to unseat Linda Smyth as county supervisor. I want to offer some last thoughts on the campaign, and to thank Raising Kaine, which has done such a wonderful job of opening the doors of honest discussion about this race.
When I first posted on May 19 (You can see all my diaries here), I gave the following reasons why it was important to elect a Reform Democrat to the Fairfax Board of Supervisors:
"I believe it's part of a greater debate over what the Democratic Party in Virginia is going to be. I believe my candidacy is the first wave of a reform Democrat movement at the local level, taking on an establishment Democratic wing in Fairfax County that often puts corporate interests ahead of community needs."The County government, at all levels, has become too tied to the development industry. A recent Post article showed that 38 percent of Board Chairman Gerald E. Connolly's campaign contributions come from development and land use interests.
"I do not question Connolly's honesty, or his motives. I am not anti-developer. Positive redevelopment is essential to this County's health. But the sheer amount of money from this one industry, and the Board's chronic willingness to give 10-0 approval to projects that don't provide adequate funds for roads, schools and parks, have made many voters painfully cynical."
Since then, I have at times felt as if the campaign of Linda Smyth, and her mentor Gerry Connolly, has underscored our every criticism of what has been wrong in Fairfax County government. RK in recent weeks has been a running diary of the issues that this race has illuminated.
*Openness (or lack thereof). Linda in recent weeks has claimed how accessible she is to the public, but her campaign has fully reflected the reclusive Linda Smyth we?ve seen at all the big moments in her four-year term. Consider these items, all chronicled in RK: all the restrictions set by her camp before the May 23 League of Women Voters Debate; her refusal to appear on the RaisingKaine talk show (first Va. Official to do so); her refusal to participate in a second candidate forum hosted by three athletic leagues, followed by a patently false claim by one of
her staff members that Smyth had never received an invitation.* Responsiveness (or lack thereof). Probably no issue in my memory has united Fairfax residents more than the hated elevated train proposal through Tysons. And yet on June 4, this board showed a crowd of 650 Tysons Tunnel supporters it fully intends to approve an elevated train. It did so without even allowing a public hearing. This came after a month in which all 10 supervisors, including Smyth, refused even to acknowledge a written request by TysonsTunnel.org for a public hearing. None of these facts, including the board?s almost certain vote for an elevated train, has kept Smyth from proclaiming herself a strong supporter of the tunnel.
* Independence (or lack thereof). As a May 29 Washington Post article reported, Linda was Gerry Connolly's handpicked replacement in Providence and bears his strong "imprimatur." She even had to answer the question of whether she was "Connolly's puppet." The fact that this is such a real question after four years in office by itself strongly suggests that change is in order.
* Truthfulness (or, sad to say, lack thereof). One of the saddest aspects of this campaign, as it became evident that this board was way out of touch with the public on development, has been Smyth?s decision to stray farther and farther from the truth in her literature.
An early brochure claimed she has fought "irresponsible development," even though 6,400 new housing units were approved in Providence on her watch - nearly half of all new development in Fairfax.
Last week, Linda Smyth approved an ugly flier - complete with a cartoon elephant - that grossly misrepresented a Washington Post article and claimed I was a Republican trying to take away "our primary" from true Democrats. As RK and the Post both documented, it is Smyth, not I, who has a significant record of voting for Republicans.
Last night, I got my first glimpse at a total work of fiction: Her newest flier claims that "Charles Hall was recruited to run for supervisor by a group who wants to reverse the board's progressive transportation policies. They oppose the Metro extension and instead want to run buses through the Dulles corridor."
For the record, no one recruited me. My involvement in Fairfax life began during the debate over MetroWest, and I decided, after extensive discussion with grass-roots citizens in Providence District, to run because I felt Linda Smyth, Gerry Connolly and many on the board had put the interests of the development community ahead of the general public. And, also for the record, I support a tunnel through Tysons as my first choice, and I believe the Board of Supervisors should fight harder for that outcome. I do not consider an elevated train through Tysons to be a "progressive" transportation policy.
I'm tempted to laugh at this latest brochure, and wonder what?s next (member of the International Communist Conspiracy? Planted on earth by aliens?), but there is a serious issue here. The candidate who does not campaign honestly cannot be trusted to govern honestly. Linda and her backers have failed miserably in the last two months to honestly engage the accumulated grievances of her citizens. As that failure deepened, they have simply made up negative claims in the hope that they could rewrite reality.
Win or lose Tuesday, I believe we have succeeded, with Raising Kaine's help, to demonstrate that there is something wrong in Fairfax, and especially Providence District, that needs reforming. I believe we have shown how hugely beneficial, even exciting, it will be to have a truly open government that respects and honors the views of citizens. I believe my victory tomorrow night can be the start of a countywide restoration of responsive local government.
On May 19, in my first Raising Kaine posting, I asked, why would this race mean anything to a non-Providence, and especially non-Fairfax, Democrat? It has been gratifying to see how well attended our discussions have been since then. At RK and elsewhere, there is a hunger for change in all levels of our government. But one of the best explanations of what is at stake came not from me, but from a reader of my introductory posting, who said:
"The Hall candidacy is a sign that the Democratic resurgence in NoVA, underway for a while now, has truly permeated to the street level.
"The irony is that people like Gerry Connolly and his handpicked successor Linda Smyth are standing in the way. ... Overall, a lot of Fairfax Democrats have been worried about the undue influence of developers in our party for the last 5 years or so. We need to be honest with ourselves and admit that the Democrats of Fairfax have ... become what the Republicans of Loudoun are - the pals of developers first, servants of the people second."
Being a Democrat is more than just a label: It?s a spirit of openness and trust in the people.
Win or lose tomorrow night, change is coming in Fairfax County. Thanks to all in the RaisingKaine community for your support and interest, and for the energy and attention you bring to the Reform Democrat movement.
Best regards to all,
Charlie
Where is the reasoned discourse in Fairfax County? Where's the true inclusion of people's voices? Sure, citizens may get three minutes to voice their concerns at the end of a process, but where's the engagement ahead of time? How much time do developers get? Meetings may be happening, but it's not promoted. I wonder why. Something tells me that the Board of Supervisors and their developer friends obviously don't want many people to know about community meetings because that would bring more scrutiny.
We live in an overcrowded, stuffed, expensive area and goodness knows how the poor of our area are even considered, but for those of us who have the ability to make change, then we need to do it right now, today. I saw something in one of those free weekly papers that came out last week in which Connolly was citing some study of how satisfied citizens are here. He touted all sorts of great numbers. Well, look closer at the study. More than 50 percent of people interviewed in Fairfax County want to move away and probably will within the next few years. Does that sounds that long-term happiness? No, something is wrong and that something is a local government that doesn't seem to care. That's perception and in fact, the Board, as a whole, has done some good things, but people like Connolly and Smyth don't really seem to care about citizens -- only their behinds.
Why was Smyth's schedule so busy that she couldn't attend a second debate or call into a radio show? The good news is that we know she'll never seek a higher office because she can't stand the scrutiny and would have to appear more engaged.
She's using government dollars for newsletters and events that act nothing more than campaign events.
She has a history of talking down to people at Board meetings, which I find reprehensible.
She has zero backbone on Dulles Rail, like all of the supervisors minus Kaufmann.
In short, change is needed. At least two new members will be joining the supervisors as McConnell and Kaufmann retire.
Let's make it a three tomorrow with the election of Charlie Hall, a true citizen who wants to make a difference in his community for the right reasons, not for cheap, dirty, political gain. When your Smyth and your main message is, "look, the other guy is a Republican" and when that main message is a lie, then you know change is needed. It's obvious. It's desired. With everyone's help, it will happen tomorrow.
Specifically, three words from your closing comments:
1. Interest!
2. Energy!
3. Attention!
All things sorely lacking in Fairfax County right now.
I see the same aging party hacks out again and again pounding the pavement for Connolly and Smyth. People who seem not to have an independent thought left in their heads, if they ever had independent thought, who repeat nonsense as mantra.
These people are not the future of Virginia politics, they are part of a past we ought not repeat.
Thanks for stepping up, for giving regular citizens who can't fill the campaign coffers with fat developer sized contributions hope, and thanks for being a gentleman throughout while your opponents threw falsehoods and barbs at you. You're a better man than most of us, Charlie. Go out there and win it tomorrow.
I'm first in line tomorrow to VOTE FOR YOU!