Marty Martinez, Democratic Candidate for Virginia's 33rd, Answers Your Questions

It looks like my race should be one that we can win: the polls, with an error margin of 5, show my race to be a virtual tie, at 42% for my opponent and 39% for me.  Polls also show that when voters know my message I turn that around by 8 points and am ahead 44% to 39%. 

When we do win, there is a great deal that can be done for education, the environment, clean energy and transportation to make all of Virginia a better place to live and work.  Though I am not campaigning to be the first Hispanic Delegate ever in Virginia, by winning we will show that diversity has a place in our commonwealth.
Growing up, I was one of ten children raised by a single mom in California.  Graduating from high school back then all we knew to look forward to was a life on the same streets with a menial job and no prospect of college.  Instead, due to my mother's attitude of never complaining and her work ethic I realized that I had to account for my future and step up to the plate.

I joined the Air Force.  In the military, for the first time I starting realizing my potential and that there was more to what I could do than I had realized.  After the military I worked as an air traffic controller.  I think we all know this story.  August 3, 1981, there was an Air Traffic Controller strike and then, no jobs.  With no job and prospects low, I could have just given up and complain.  Instead I stepped back up.  With two children and a wife, I went to college and worked part time for my degrees in Computer Science and Economics.

That was just a short 21 years ago and in 1993 I landed in Leesburg, VA.  Since I have been in Leesburg, I gotten involved in the community and haven't looked back.  I have been involved in youth sports, community organizations and been elected to the Leesburg Town Council.

Transportation being a major issue on everyone's mind today there are a few transportation issues we can tackle today with the transportation funding that we have.

-We can expand express bus service to population centers all throughout west Loudoun and Clark, with discounts for veterans and senior citizens.  Once that is done we can continue to work on creating a real integrated bus system, with routes within walking distance of our communities

-I am against the imposition of the vast increase in toll road fares, and will work to speed up the toll road's re-acquisition by the state if the authority persists in taxing our commuters.

-What we need is a fare reduction on the toll road for high occupancy vehicles, and computer synchronized traffic lights on the feeder routes of 50 and route 7.

-End the abuser fees.  No source of revenue should ever be based on punishing Virginia drivers.  Especially while out of state drivers get no civil fee.

-Perhaps most important of all, I will stand up to developers when they seek to flood the sides of our roads with houses without mitigating the transportation, infrastructure and education impacts they will cause.

That's all for now, visit my website, Martyfordelegate for more.  Please join me this Thursday, 5pm-6pm, so we can discuss ways to move Virginia forward.  Growth and change are coming to west Loudoun and Clark, and it is long past time that we have a plan.

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