Newcomer Takes On Fairfax Board Chief
Davis's Retirement Opens Opportunity

By Amy Gardner
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, October 30, 2008

Voters in Virginia's 11th Congressional District will usher in change by choosing either Democrat Gerald E. Connolly (D), chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, or Republican Keith S. Fimian, a successful business owner, to succeed retiring Republican Rep. Tom Davis.

Davis's advocacy for the federal workforce, transportation spending and the government contracting industry -- in addition to his moderate positions on social issues -- have allowed him to remain popular in a district that has shifted dramatically toward Democrats since he was first elected in 1994.

The open seat is viewed as a prime opportunity for Democrats to pick up a spot in Congress. Connolly, 58, the popular leader of Virginia's largest jurisdiction, has promised to keep alive Davis's legacy of bipartisan cooperation on the issues that matter most to traffic-congested, government-dependent Northern Virginia. Connolly is also able to tout satisfaction among Fairfax's 1 million residents on the quality of the school system and other government services, such as parks, libraries and police and fire coverage.

"I have a 25-year record of civic engagement, and my opponent has none," Connolly said. "I present my experience and credentials as something that illuminates what I will do in the next Congress."

Fimian, in contrast, said he thinks the county's steep spending increases in recent years show that Connolly would bring more of the same irresponsible financial stewardship to Congress that voters are looking to change. The founder of U.S. Inspect, a successful home-inspection business based in Chantilly, Fimian, 52, is an accountant by training and said he hopes to convince voters that his private-sector business experience is what Washington needs to manage the economic crisis.

Writer and consultant Joseph P. Oddo, 50, is running for the seat on the Independent Green ticket.

"I'm an outsider," Fimian said. "I've created jobs. I've balanced budgets, grown a company from zero to a decent size, and I have the real-world experience to help our economy."

Fimian blamed Connolly for the financial straits that Fairfax is in. This month, County Executive Anthony H. Griffin announced emergency measures, including a virtual halt to travel, capital construction and hiring, to close a $58.2 million budget shortfall that has materialized as a result of declining revenue projections. In addition, Griffin said, the county faces a shortfall of as much as $500 million for the next budget cycle. Supervisors are preparing to make deep program cuts or raise taxes significantly to balance next year's ledger.

Fimian said he thinks blame for the shortfall should fall squarely on Connolly's shoulders, and he has accused the county chairman of not speaking truthfully this year when he predicted Fairfax would end the year in the black.

"He's a career politician," Fimian said. "He's never created a job. And his mismanagement has annihilated the Fairfax County budget. Taxes have doubled in five years. It now costs $100 a week to live in the average home in Fairfax County."

Connolly said Fimian's allegations are ridiculous and noted that the international economic crisis is sinking storied financial institutions around the world. To blame Connolly's leadership for the county's shortfall, which amounts to less than 2 percent of the year's $3.3 billion budget, is silly, he said.

Fimian has also attempted to portray Connolly as beholden to special interests, such as the real estate and development industries and government contractors, that have contributed to his campaigns over years. It is a charge that was levied repeatedly against Davis without much success, in part because the region's economy has benefited so much from growth in those industries.

"He's approved these development plans that just pack density and make traffic horrible," Fimian said. "These guys want higher densities. They make more money. This is exactly the kind of stuff that has to stop. It's why government is dysfunctional. You can't have those in elective office able to benefit, or their campaigns able to benefit, by their decisions."

Connolly has gone after Fimian for his well-documented social conservatism, most notably his opposition to abortion rights and his membership in the conservative networking organization Legatus. In a shifting congressional district, the association has the potential to turn off blue-tilting voters. Fimian has played down social issues and his association with Legatus. He also on occasion has avoided identifying himself as a Republican in advertisements and speeches.

"He is posing as a moderate, and he's posing as if he's not even a Republican," Connolly said. "That's a fundamentally dishonest way to present himself to the voters. He is considerably to the right of Tom Davis. Tom's success was the pursuit of moderate policy and the willingness to work in a bipartisan manner. That's exactly what has characterized me."

Both candidates are well funded, although Connolly carries an advantage, which is that the 11th District has been targeted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee as a possible pick-up opportunity. The committee has pledged to spend at least $1.3 million in the race. Fimian also has had to spend much of his money introducing himself to voters, something Connolly, as board chairman for five years and district supervisor for eight before, has not had to do. Fimian's strong finances also result in part from his decision to lend his campaign $325,000.

In the most recent campaign finance reports, which detail activity from July 1 through Sept. 30, Connolly raised $667,000 and Fimian $346,000. Fimian also spent much more than Connolly: $671,000 compared with $295,988.

Fimian had far more cash on hand in July, when the previous report was filed, mainly because Connolly depleted his coffers during a hard-fought primary battle with fellow Democrat Leslie L. Byrne.

For the final weeks of the campaign, however, both candidates had roughly the same amount in the bank: $719,000 for Fimian and $646,000 for Connolly.