The Know Your Supervisor series will be a 6-question and answer segment (with the same questions asked of each Supervisor) to better understand the platforms and priorities of our Board of Supervisor members. Our inaugural interviewee is Supervisor Pat Herrity who was kind enough to take some time to speak to us one on one. We will have more from that interview later this week.
Question 1: What is Fairfax County’s most marketable or best asset?
Pat Herrity: I’d say our suburban neighborhoods with great schools, highly educated work force, low crime, and great parks.
Question 2: What will Tysons look like in 2025?
Pat Herrity: A thriving urban and less congested version of what it is today.
Question 3: Will the economy of Fairfax be detrimentally or beneficially changed by the Tysons Comprehensive Plan over the next 10 years?
Pat Herrity: If Fairfax County is to be successful it [Tysons] has to be beneficially changed by the Tyson’s Comprehensive plan. Fortunately we have time to make tweaks to the Comprehensive Plan.
Question 4: Do you believe rail mass transit over the past 30 years has added or taken from Fairfax County’s finances?
Pat Herrity: Both. There are areas where rail makes sense and areas where rail doesn’t make sense financially. Rail has been a huge economic development driver and that is where rail helps the economy, but it is also a very expensive form of public transportation.
Question 5: What is the most pressing issue at hand in your district?
Pat Herrity: Fixing I-66, protecting our suburban neighborhoods, and easing congestion on the [Fairfax County] Parkway. No one is moving on any of this stuff, but to me if you see a problem you go out and you determine a solution. Currently it (the proposed study on the Parkway) has been deferred to a committee that has delayed it for over 3 months.
Question 6: Name one new innovative investment the County could make, that would account for less than 0.1% (3.5 million annually) of the budget, that you believe would pay back over time?
Pat Herrity: We’ve already made some investments in some things that make sense like our auditor to the Board and the EDA. I would say making an investment to have an auditor to the School Board for schools and to provide additional funding to FCEDA (Fairfax County Economic Development Authority), both have proven to be successful.
Supervisor Pat Herrity has been the representative from the Springfield District to the Board of Supervisors since 2008. For Supervisor Herrity’s full bio see his bio page on FairfaxCounty.gov.