As Mayor's Allies Depart, Several Big Issues Remain
Financial Priorities, Development Sites to Be Addressed

By Michael Laris
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, May 1, 2008

The City of Fairfax is facing large debts, flat revenue and big questions on its future development, sharpening campaigns for elected office and drawing a flurry of candidates for Tuesday's contests.

Eleven people are seeking spots on the six-member City Council, and two others are challenging the incumbent mayor, a showing that reflects the pivotal moment and the opportunity to grab one of two council seats being vacated by R. Scott Silverthorne and Gail C. Lyon, who are not seeking reelection.

At issue is the direction of the council, including financial priorities and questions of what should be built where in the city. Silverthorne and Lyon were close allies of Mayor Robert F. Lederer, and the three at times voted together to alter or block development projects they considered out of scale with Fairfax.

The next council will decide how to handle development along a swath of the city following Fairfax Boulevard. The area is viewed as a potential home of higher-end development that would be friendly to pedestrians, rather than the current succession of strip malls and other older projects.

Although the council, mayor and other advisers involved in a long-standing planning effort for the area have said they are in general agreement on the scope of development there, some on the council have said Lederer has not moved swiftly enough to push the plans forward, especially given what advocates say is the potential economic upside.

Lederer said the city must carefully vet redevelopment policies and particular projects. He cited a recently opened development in downtown Fairfax as an example of the success of the "cautious and balanced" approach he favors, which he said netted a scaled-back and successful commercial area that fits Fairfax's character.

"Land use issues have at times bitterly divided this City Council," Lederer said. "This next council is going to . . . be the architect of the future of Fairfax Boulevard, no question about it."

Challengers, meanwhile, have pointed to the city's financial strains, hefty debt burden, snarled traffic and competing -- or encroaching -- development across city borders in Fairfax County as key issues that need new leadership.

"I'm coming to the City Council with fresh ideas and a fresh pair of eyes," said candidate Daniel F. Drummond, a public affairs executive who has proposed creating a transportation advisory board of residents and business representatives to weigh the effect of projects.

Some candidates were more pessimistic about the city's ability to fundamentally alter its traffic equation. The city of 22,000 sits amid Fairfax County's 1 million residents, making it a key pass-through zone for commuters.

Congestion has been a problem "since I lived here. It's one I don't even know if we can solve . . . because you can't circulate around the city," said candidate W. Randy Myers, a retired Navy submariner who was depth-charged in the Pacific during World War II.

"I've been living here for 44 years, and I'm getting to be an old rascal, and I thought maybe I would devote full time to doing whatever it takes to make the city continue to be a good little city," Myers said.

City finances have also been a target for challengers, including mayoral candidate Rosemary F. McDowell. "We need to get rid of the debt," said McDowell, who has been involved with government and business contracts and management for 25 years. She said she would find ways to reduce spending, though she had no specifics.

"I'd really need a complete briefing from the different departments," she said, adding that certain areas would be exempt from her cuts. "Definitely not the fire department, police department and the schools."

Mayoral candidate Cristina Lee Gaines said she is running to make the office more responsive to residents.

Planning Commission Vice Chairman William G. "Bill" Foster, a council candidate, said the city has to focus on finances and rewriting land-use plans. "You do the dull behind-the-scenes work to get the budget in good shape, to get the enabling rules and regulations in place so that when businesses start coming in, you're ready for them," he said.

The city has $184 million in debt, officials said, giving it a greater debt burden per capita than any of the communities it compares itself with in Northern Virginia, among them Fairfax, Prince William and Arlington counties and the city of Manassas, according to figures from last year.

Incumbents said it is precisely because of the challenging times ahead that their experience is valuable. Council member Joan W. Cross jokingly said that she and fellow incumbent Gary J. Rasmussen are the council's "long gray line."

"We're both very gray, and we both gave a few years behind us, and I think that's good," said Cross, in her third two-year term. She said recent spending made sense and reflected the will of the residents.

"I'm not going to claim responsibility for the economy, and I'm not going to claim responsibility for the housing market," Cross said. But, "I am part of the council that made the decision to improve our schools. I am part of the council that said, 'Yes, we need new police facilities.' All of these public improvements were approved by overwhelming numbers by the voters."

Council hopefuls offered a host of rationales for their candidacies. Among issues and interests:

· Incumbent Jeffrey C. Greenfield said he has focused on fiscal stewardship, including recent passage of the city's budget. Greenfield said capital construction will be limited under the current budget.

· Incumbent Patrice M. Winter said she has worked with business people backing changes along Fairfax Boulevard. "The boulevard as it is now is a 1950s model. . . . It would be nice if the boulevard was a destination rather than a pass-through."

· Kim C. Luckabaugh said she worries about growth. "If it's not kept in check, it will strip the heart" out of the community, she said. "Part of what makes us unique and special is being the opposite of the county."

· David L. Meyer said it's time for the city to "take a breather from some of the capital expenditures" of recent years. For instance, he said, he supports using an existing donation to build a community center at Van Dyck Park but not spending extra city money on the project now.

· Gerald T. "Jerry" O'Dell said he is concerned about abortion and wants "to enforce respect for life by upholding the U.S. constitutional protection guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment." He also wants council members who miss a meeting to have their pay docked.

· Steven C. Stombres said governments became accustomed to spending too much during good economic times. Encouraging pedestrian-friendly development in some areas will help drive the city's economy, he said, but, "you don't want to change the character of any particular community with redevelopment."