Marc Fisher's April 24 column, "Welcome to Fairfax -- if You Vote Red," was one of the most blatantly one-sided pieces I've seen in a long time. He describes Republican Rep. Tom Davis's opposition to the "smart growth" development at the Vienna Metro station as politically driven, saying it will bring more (unwelcome) Democrats to his district. Fisher quotes two Fairfax County elected officials and a Pulte Homes executive who support the development and who imply sinister but speculative motives for Davis's opposition.
The Pulte executive, Stan Settle, even says, "I'm in shock. We listened to the community for a solid year and never heard from Tom Davis. When we greet people, we don't ask if they're Republican or Democrat."
What Settle does not mention, however, is that even though developers may have technically listened to the surrounding community, they didn't hear it. There was and is a high level of local opposition to this high-density development, among Democrats and Republicans alike. Fisher does a disservice to readers by presenting such a skewed version of the story.
Perhaps there is another explanation: that Tom Davis may be advocating for the interests of his constituents.
-- Helen C. Hollingsworth
Oakton
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I was outraged by Marc Fisher's column regarding Rep. Tom Davis and the MetroWest development. I also read your news story on this ["Lawmaker Steps In on Va. Growth," Metro, April 21], and I'd like to explain the context in which Davis made this announcement.
