The Board of Supervisors unanimously endorsed a compromise budget Monday. While there are a lot of good developments, there are two big victories for Republicans that shocked me: (1) despite advertising a tax rate of $1.05, which would represent an increase in tax bills, the Board held at $1.04. (2) The Board eliminated the Penny for Affordable
Housing, a program that guaranteed $20 million a year to buying and maintaining government-owned housing units. Pat Herrity’s opposition to higher taxes and to the affordable housing program was the centerpiece to his County-wide campaign for Chairman, which just narrowly lost in February.
I’m told that three Democratic Supervisors pushed for a $25 car registration fee (a tax by another name), but Chairman Sharon Bulova and Vice-Chairman Penny Gross voted with the Republicans to block it in order to maintain the compromise budget they crafted. The Republicans were also able to restore public safety money proposed to be cut, eliminate the unpopular entrance fees for our County’s waterfront parks, and block the odious raising of the athletic field user fees (or the “Kiddie Tax”) from $5.50 per kid per season to $13, something Herrity has been working to eliminate completely since joining the Board.
So Pat Herrity came onto the Board in 2007, looking to make a difference rather than make friends, challenged the programs instituted by outgoing Chairman Gerry Connolly, came within 1.2% of winning County-wide, donated $10K in-kind to help get another Republican elected, then proceeded to get his number one target (the affordable housing program) eliminated, led the prevention of the institution of fees on cars and athletic fields, got a tax reduction for homeowners, and worked with others to craft a budget that spent less than last year—and got the Democratic Chairman of the Board to vote down another tax increase in order to keep his and the Republicans support!
This from a guy Democrats argued “wasn’t ready to lead” and “couldn’t build consensus”!
Read Pat Herrity’s email here.
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Apr 20th by VA Blogger
It’s more than a little disingenuous to claim the ’09 Fairfax budget was engineered by Herrity & Cook and is, therefore, a victory for them.
While the result may be that some of Herrity’s initiatives succeeded, Chairman Bulova Bulova stated, “We have benefited greatly by the Community Dialogues conducted last fall and winter throughout the county, which engaged our county residents in defining priorities and assisting with identifying programs and services that could be reduced or eliminated. We received excellent suggestions from our county workforce during a series of Budget Brown-Bag lunches. And we received many recommendations and observations through the county’s Web site and phone line, at budget town meetings this spring, and during our four days and nights of public hearings earlier this month.”
Read the whole press release here: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/news/2009/board-of-supervisors-completes-fy2010-budget-markup.htm
IBOB, this is definitely a victory for Pat Herrity and the Republicans on the Board. Pat got most of his initiatives enacted, and the Republicans even got the Chairman and Vice-Chair to vote against a tax increase to keep their support. Things could have gone a lot differently. In my opinion, they ended up the best they possibly could.
I’ve been critical of Bulova in the past, but she must also be given a lot of credit for doing what she did. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by her short tenure so far as Chairman. Of course I preferred Herrity, but Bulova is definitely an improvement on Connolly.
LI, absolutely. Connolly would never shut down a program he started—that would admit he was wrong about something. He’d see it through to the bitter end.
I appreciate that you have an opinion, VAB, I just disagree with you.
That taxes were not raised and spending was cut is a function of our recessionary economy rather than any great influence from the Republicans on the BOS. That the budget, economically-restrained as it is, happens to align well with the predispositions of Messrs Herrity & Cook is serendipitous, and nothing more.
I disagree. The CE proposed advertising a tax rate of three cents higher, and imposing $33 car registration fees, to generate more revenue. Entrance fees to waterfront parks and athletic field user fees were definitely on the table. And three Democratic Supervisors pushed for those taxes to be levied to continue paying for affordable housing, which has been a pet Democratic issue for a while now.
Bulova and Gross specifically voted against them to keep their compromise budget with the Republicans. They didn’t have to. The Democrats have enough party-line votes to enact whatever tax increases they want. The fact that they went with the Republicans shows that Herrity and company led on the issue, and got what they wanted as a result.
“Bulova and Gross specifically voted against [3 cent higher tax, $33 car registration fee, waterfront park entrance fees, and athletic field user fees] to keep their compromise budget with the Republicans.”
Says you. Bulova & Gross voted against these tax & fee increases. That does not mean that; “…they went with the Republicans…”
“The Democrats have enough party-line votes to enact whatever tax increases they want.” But raising taxes in a down economy is stupid, which is why these initiatives did not pass.
I agree with LI: Bulova & Gross deserve a lot of credit for reigning in the BOS.
I realize folks like to cast everything as a victory or defeat. Give it a partisan spin. But I believe what this demonstrates is how a minority can positively influence legislation. It is in stark contrast to Congressional Republicans and something they would do well to emulate.
IBOB, credit also goes to the three Republicans for reigning things in as well.
Good observation, Dan. More pragmatic Republican leadership like this is needed. As i’ve pointed out elsewhere, ours is a society of incremental change. We are not going back to a constitutionalist government in one fell swoop. Well, that’s never going to happen, but we can get there one step at a time if we don’t try to force the whole issue at once.
” But I believe what this demonstrates is how a minority can positively influence legislation. It is in stark contrast to Congressional Republicans and something they would do well to emulate.”
Exactly. Some should take notes.