Ken Balbuena launches campaign for Braddock supervisor
Springfield community leader Ken Balbuena is running as a Republican for the Braddock seat on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.
Balbuena seeks to succeed Supervisor James Walkinshaw if Walkinshaw wins a special election on Sept. 9 for Virginia’s 11th District in the U.S. House of Representatives.
On the Democratic side, two school board members are running: Ilryong Moon (at-large) and Rachna Sizemore Heizer (Braddock).
“I am running to bring balance to the Board of Supervisors and to put people before politics,” Balbuena said in his official campaign announcement on July 29.
Related story: Walkinshaw and Whitson clash over DOGE
Balbuena served in a variety of community roles, including president of the North Springfield Civic Association, PTA president, chair of the Fairfax County Public Schools’ Adult and Community Education Advisory Committee, board member of Visit Fairfax, and a member of the Future of Lake Accotink Task Force.
Balbuena’s platform includes the following priorities:
- Address the commercial vacancy rate to reduce the burden on residential taxpayers.
- Advance key Braddock District projects, such as preserving Lake Accotink and fixing Braddock Road.
- Promote safe and inclusive neighborhoods through increased funding for first responders, community organizations, and nonprofits while supporting the military and the federal workforce.
- Improve fiscal responsibility through more continuous collaboration with the school board beyond the budget development process and greater advocacy for state funding.
- Restore confidence and trust in the Board of Supervisors to reassure those it represents that their voices are heard.
Related story: Sizemore Heizer launches campaign for Braddock supervisor
As the son of an immigrant from the Philippines, Balbuena says he is seeking to increase diversity on the board by being the first-ever Asian-American supervisor.
Ken and his wife, Kristy, have two children attending Fairfax County Public Schools in the Annandale High School pyramid.
Balbuena survived a ruptured brain aneurysm in 2017 and credits his Catholic faith as a key factor in his miraculous survival.
He currently works as a government consultant with Imperative Systems.
Related story: Moon to run for Braddock supervisor
He has been endorsed by former Braddock Supervisor John Cook and current Springfield Supervisor Pat Herrity among others.
If Walkinshaw is elected to Congress, leaving a vacancy on the Board of Supervisors, Balbuena plans to seek the endorsement of the Fairfax County Republican Committee.
“People should be the top priority for the Board of Supervisors, not politicking or supporting only along party lines,” he says. “Adopting constituent-focused needs is the same approach I used as civic association president to unite our community.”
Now this guy sounds like he has a plan!
Nope – no plan here whatsoever, just a bunch of amorphous dreams and aspirations with no roadmaps or concrete actions to be found. Probably because, if elected, he’d probably just try to lay waste to the County’s budget with indiscriminate and reckless DOGE-like budget cuts. Then he’d pander to his base by trying to institute reactionary social change.
No thanks – not interested in more right-wing extremism.
Everything about this gentleman sounded good until he said he seeks the endorsement of the Republican Party. And yet, he claims to not want to follow “party lines” in his approach as a district supervisor. I believe he will alienate so many who would otherwise vote for him. I have no answers on how we get away from party politics…this is our system. I would rather see an independent speaking for the Middle Class, using the middle class values of democratic and republican platforms.
The problem is the financing for independents. If there was a spending cap for all candidates that sounded reasonable, then we actually could get away with some solid nonpartisan candidates. But when you think about independents who have won or come close to winning, they either had name recognition (left their party, ie Sanders) or lots of personal money to spend.
Partisan politics is the game. In VA having off year regular elections depresses turnout of more people and thus elections are dominated by the most active voters that happen to also be the most partisan. Another factor is gerrymandering, as the science is so advanced that incumbents and their supporters draw districts that are mostly predetermined on the party that will win. Case in point there are only about 30 congressional districts that are truly “purple” and they have the most centrist and bipartisan Representatives. As to caps on spending in campaigns, that doesn’t help. The effect is it empowers entrenched incumbents and the special interests (because the special interest would be out side of the candidate spending and they already provide / spend considerable amounts). I believe a more effective approach would be to limit the time frame for active campaigning, say 60 or 45 days before the election. UK and other countries have laws like that. It brings an immense amount of pressure to any campaign and on issues. It breaks the current never ending cycle of campaigning. It also helps keep the focus on governing by those that are elected. Finally, ranked choice voting that is hated by the parties, most politicians, and especially special interest would change everything to empower centrists politicians and similar voter choices. It defang’s the current system.
I hope people will look past party endorsements and decide whether they want an alternative on the Board of Supervisors to either Ilryong Moon or Rachna Sizemore-Heizer. I haven’t been impressed by the recent service of either Moon or Sizemore-Heizer on the FCPS School Board; Moon seems tired and disengaged, while Sizemore-Heizer is one of the main architects of the ongoing, bungled county-wide boundary review. Both may have greater name recognition than Ken Balbuena, but that doesn’t mean they are better qualified to serve on the Board of Supervisors.