Marsden makes his case for 37th District Senate seat

Dec 15, 2009

By: Dave Marsden

Fairfax Times

As a Fairfax County resident for 57 years, I have a deep understanding of our community and what makes it special. But it only took a few short years as a House delegate down in Richmond to understand that our state government is no longer working for us. I am running in the special election for state Senate because I want to continue my efforts to bring fiscal restraint to Richmond and make progress on the vital priorities of Fairfax County.

I have the experience and the record needed to get the job done. As the former head of a state agency, I actually cut $35 million in bureaucracy and administrative waste from the budget while preserving excellence in our operations. I proved government can do more with less. And I brought that experience to Richmond, where I voted to cut more than $2 billion in state spending. But while cutting budgets is a good start, we need to be vigilant about rooting out waste and safeguarding taxpayer dollars. That's why as your state senator, I will fight to institute ongoing performance audits of all state agencies to monitor spending and eliminate additional waste.

In this tough economy, Richmond simply must do more to help the middle class. The best way to do that is not through more big government, but through cutting taxes. I voted to eliminate the death tax and cut taxes on small businesses, and I wrote legislation to provide immediate tax cuts for middle class families and eliminate taxes for many small businesses.

We in Fairfax County know we send a lot of tax dollars down to Richmond, yet it's a constant battle to get our fair share when it comes to education and transportation. That's why we need to fix the allocation formulas for road maintenance and education funding. We should also create dedicated funding sources that cannot be raided by downstate politicians to fund a comprehensive transportation solution and to keep our schools world-class. And we need ongoing audits of the Virginia Department of Transportation so funding is directed to our worst traffic areas and road projects are completed on time and on budget.

My wife Julia and I love Fairfax County. We raised our three sons in Burke and proudly sent them to Fairfax County public schools. I watched the building of Centreville and Chantilly high schools and worked with them on public safety issues. Protecting our way of life is personal for me. That's why it's so important that we send a state senator to Richmond who will always work to put progress ahead of partisan bickering. I want to continue to be an effective advocate for Fairfax County as your next state senator.

Del. David Marsden (D-41st) is the Democratic nominee in the special election for a successor to Ken Cuccinelli in Virginia's 37th Senate district. The special election, slated for Jan. 12, pits Marsden against Republican Steve Hunt.