Michael R. Bunner

Candidate for City Council

Age: 42

Residence: Manassas Park.

Education: Certificate of public management, George Washington University.

Occupation: Lieutenant, D.C. police.

Elected offices/civic activities: Member, Manassas Park City Council, 2002-present; past vice president, Manassas Optimist Club; member, International Association of Chiefs of Police, Knights of Columbus; coach, Manassas Park Basketball League.

What do you think is the most urgent problem facing your jurisdiction? "I believe the most urgent issue facing our city is finding ways to reduce the tax rate and still allowing the government to meet the needs of its citizens through build-out of the city. Our city has a large number of residential dwellings compared to its commercial tax base. We need to grow our commercial base to reduce the dependency on our residents and allow us to reduce our tax rate even further. This can be accomplished by the continued building of our town center area and over time begin changing our large industrial base to commercial retail."

Why should voters elect you? "I have ensured our schools are properly funded, worked to improve communication with our citizens, lowered tax rates and brought integrity to this office."

Web site: None given.

E-mail address: mrbunner@verizon.net