Mason District supervisor candidates outline their priorities and qualifications
The four candidates running in the Democratic Primary to represent Mason District on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors presented their views on a wide-ranging series of issues at a forum on May 1.
Speaking to a full house at the Mason Government Center, the candidates spoke about their qualifications and proposals, although they offered few details on what they hoped to accomplish.
The primary is June 20, and early voting starts May 5 at three locations.
Andres Jimenez, an at-large member of the Fairfax County Planning Commission, said, “We need a supervisor who can hit the ground running. … someone who won’t be spinning wheels for a year learning policy. We don’t have time for that.”
He also touted the long list of endorsements he received from elected leaders, unions, and other organizations.
Jeremy Allen, an aide to Rep. Don Beyer, spoke about how he focuses on constituent relations in that job and helped small businesses get federal assistance during the pandemic. He also described his success in stopping the development of a data center in his neighborhood in the Bren Mar Park area.
Steve Lee, the owner of several small businesses in Annandale, including Café V, cited his long involvement in the community. He represents Mason District on the Fairfax County Economic Advisory Commission, is a key organizer of the Taste of Annandale, director of the Korean Community Center in Annandale, and president of the Korean American Community Association, which represents 25,000 people in the DC area.
He vows to protect women’s right to choose and provide a safe school system.
Reid Voss, a member of the Lake Barcroft Association who grew up in Bailey’s Crossroads, vowed to be an “engaged and inclusive leader.”
He said his two biggest priorities are fixing Seven Corners traffic and getting rid of the trailers at Mason District elementary schools. He proposed creating “mini-Mosaics” serving Bailey’s Crossroads and Annandale with outdoor dining, small businesses, and green spaces.
The forum was hosted by the Mason District Democratic Committee and was moderated by state Sen. Adam Ebbin, who represents Alexandria and several Mason District precincts.
Voss has raised the most money, $83,148, so far, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. Jimenez raised $50,674, Lee raised $18,400, and Allen raised $10,075.
Constituent services
Lee stressed the need to bring the diverse cultures in Mason District together, citing the success of the Taste of Annandale last weekend. “When we mingle, when we understand each other, when we share, we become better,” he said.
Lee would run a transparent, accessible office, so that all of you can just come and talk to me.” He would create “a citizens’ service office so people can work with us.”
When asked how Fairfax County can be more responsive to the diverse populations in Mason District, Jimenez said “it’s not enough to be at the table, you have to have a voice at the table.”
Jimenez said: “We have to make sure underserved communities; communities of color have a voice. We need to change the way Fairfax County government works. We can’t expect people to come to us. We have to go to them.”
“Mason District’s biggest asset is its diversity,” Voss said. “We have to celebrate it.” Agreeing with Jimenez, he said, “government services have to come to us.”
Allen handles all minority outreach in Beyer’s office and said he would host community chats
to bring all people to the table. “I want to make sure all segments of the population feel heard and that they have a voice on policy.” He would not only meet people where they are, but would bring along state legislators.
Money matters
Allen spoke about the need to raise compensation for county employees and provide more family leave time. The supervisors should provide a consistent amount every year equivalent to pay in the private sector, he said.
Jimenez would also support higher pay for county workers along with increased funding for parks and libraries.
Lee’s top budget priorities are parks, schools, and early childhood programs. He also questioned why a 30 percent pay increase is being considered for supervisors.
“The day I get elected, my team is going to dissect the budget and look at things that are going well and not going well and see where we can improve,” Voss said “Adequate pay raises are critical for county employees to make sure they stay as long as possible.”
When asked about finding new revenue sources, Allen would work on attaining more federal funding for Mason District.
Jimenez would focus on bringing in new businesses and forming partnerships to bring in more revenue. “We need a supervisor who is proactive, looking for new opportunities.”
For Lee, the best way to raise revenue is to attract companies to relocate here and to increase development.
Voss lauded the projects in Mason District to convert vacant offices into live-work units such as Mission Lofts in Bailey’s Crossroads and a similar project underway for five buildings at Skyline.
Housing affordability
Allen, who personally benefited from Fairfax County’s workforce housing program, called for a larger investment in that program. He supports forgivable loans and the use of vacant commercial properties for housing.
Lee would provide new affordable housing opportunities by redeveloping aging garden-style apartment complexes in poor condition. For example, he said the county-owned Wedgewood Apartments in Annandale are on 35 acres, property that could support a greater number of affordable units.
Voss likes the provision in Z-Mod [the zoning ordinance overhaul] that would make it easier for homeowners to provide accessory living units without destroying residential neighborhoods. He also called for developers who renovate older properties to contribute more workforce housing for public workers, such as teachers and first responders.
“If we don’t put affordable housing by Metro and bus stops, we’re stranding people who can’t go out and buy a new car,” Jimenez said. “Affordable housing has to be put in places where it will benefit people.”
The aging population
Lee called for more programs for seniors, while Jimenez recommended more outreach to seniors – meeting them where they are – and providing more senior living facilities in Mason District.
Voss said the biggest complaint he heard on the campaign trail is that people are getting priced out of their homes due to high property taxes. He vowed to work with state legislators on a homestead exemption.
Allen, the youngest of the four candidates, said he is well-acquainted with the issues affecting seniors, as he handles senior outreach for Rep. Beyer. Due to the property tax burden, many residents are worried about whether they will be able to retire here. To address that, he proposes a property tax cap for seniors, especially those who have been in their homes for 15 years.
Improving the quality of life
In response to a question about how to improve the quality of life, both Jimenez and Lee said they would work on making the streets safer for pedestrians. Lee proposed addressing transportation needs before approving redevelopment.
For Voss, the biggest problem affecting the quality of life is traffic, which means people spend too much time commuting. He said getting the Seven Corners ring road built would be a top priority. “Do we have 50 years to wait around for that to happen? I don’t think we do.”
“Community stakeholders need to be at the table to find creative solutions that are timely,” he said.
Allen said the bus rapid transit system approved for Route 7 will result in less traffic, and said he would work to make Mason District a top priority for transportation funding.
More authority for localities
When asked about the state’s Dillon Rule, which restricts the authority of local governments, Voss said the state should give counties more power on taxes, including the power to establish a homestead tax exemption.
“Fairfax County pays so much in taxes and we get very little back,” Allen noted. He also supports a homestead exemption and said it’s important to hold VDOT accountable.
Lee would ensure localities get more for our taxes, including more funds for transportation, and Jimenez said, “We can be doing better with women’s rights, to ensure women have the rights they deserve.”
Progressive values
The candidates were asked about their history with the Democratic Party and their intention to support progressive values.
Jimenez noted that has served in the offices of several Democratic members of Congress where he worked on immigration reform and other Democratic priorities. Among the values he supports are full funding for teacher salaries and workers’ rights.
As an aide in Beyer’s office, Allen said “I am doing all that I can to serve Mason District residents.” He said he is happy to push for Democratic priorities, such as women’s rights and the environment.
Lee vowed to fight for Democratic and progressive values, including women’s right to choose and safer schools.
Despite his background as a Republican, Voss said, “I am a strong progressive Democrat that will fight for our values.”
Voss noted that worked for Tom Davis, a former Republican member of Congress, in 2004. “I haven’t been involved in politics since, but I consider myself a Barack Obama Democrat.” He said he parted ways with the Republican Party “when they took on a social agenda that went completely against everything that I believe in in 2007 and 2008.”
[It didn’t come up during the forum, but when the community was considering changing the name of Jeb Stuart High School a couple of years ago, Voss was one of the leaders of the movement to keep the old name that honored a Confederate general.]
Zoning reforms
Jimenez, a member of the Planning Commission, said he couldn’t decide whether he would vote for the modernization of the zoning ordinance until it comes before the commission again on May 3. [He previously supported it. The Board of Supervisors passed Z-Mod in March 2021, but it was subsequently thrown out by the Virginia Supreme Court.]
Both Lee and Allen said there is no reason to rush this through without adequate public engagement.
Voss said here are things he likes in Z-Mod, such as accessory dwelling units, and things he doesn’t like, such as “enormous sheds in backyards.”
Allen opposes the provision in Z-Mod that would allow the development of data centers by right. “Anything that takes away public engagement, I don’t support.”
When asked about the county’s Parking Reimagined proposal to reduce parking requirements for commercial and multifamily properties, Lee wasn’t familiar with the concept but proposed free public parking for visitors to local businesses.
“There are pros and cons on this issue,” Allen said. “We still need adequate debate on this. We need to slow down and not just ram this through the development process.”
Voss said townhomes need more parking than the 1.6 spaces per unit in the proposal, and Jimenez said more public engagement is needed.
Green energy
Voss called for the county to offer incentives to homeowners for solar energy. He said Fairfax County should set an example by having electric Connector buses and other county vehicles, electric lawn equipment, and rooftop solar on county buildings.
Jimenez would work with federal and state legislators to speed up the use of clean energy, and Allen proposed more federal funding for electric buses and other green energy initiatives.
Lee proposed having LED lights in county buildings and electric police cars. “There are many little things we can do here in Mason.”
Mason District
When asked about their favorite things in Mason District, Lee cited its convenient location inside the beltway. They all mentioned the diversity in Mason District, with Voss noting the “ethnic food diversity.”
Voss also said the “huge tree canopy” is a plus; unlike other areas, when homes were built here, they saved the trees. Jimenez lauded the parks and high level of community involvement in Mason District.
I’ll vote for whichever one of these candidates will get FCPD to enforce traffic laws in Mason District. Pretty simple ask.
Or finally clean up Culmore once and for all and make it into a safe, livable area before it turns back into the 1980s crime spree version. The crime is rising at an alarming rate.
I don’t find Voss believable when he says he’s a progressive Democrat. He was perfectly fine being a Republican through the Bush Administration’s attacks on immigrants, the environment, and the right to choose.
Well he switched when Obama won the state that must been he had a change of heart! That erased all the republicans he supported and the opposite, inhumane sides of many issues he was on.
I definitely find the “progressive” part not believable – especially since he advocated against the Stuart->Justice HS name change, but I don’t completely discount the idea that he could have switched party allegiances. A lot of people have been incredibly turned off by Trump, and I know that I personally find Obama to be an inspiring figure, so I could see someone identifying with his presidency.
It seems to be pretty clear that the front runners are Voss and Jimenez. Both not only seem to have consistently answered the most thoughtfully (judging by this reporting) and seemed most knowledgeable of the issues, but both have significant fundraising leads over Mr. Lee and Mr. Allen.
Personally, I appreciate a couple of the perspectives shared by both Voss and Jimenez. I loved Voss’s answer to the quality of life question – emphasizing getting transportation projects in our district prioritized so they aren’t constantly over a decade out. I also liked Jimenez’s answer on affordable housing and ensuring that we get it closer to transit, rather than just having it end up in the cheapest areas (which end up clustering in Mason and Mount Vernon districts). Sleepy Hollow Elementary has nearly 2/3 of its student population as free and reduced yet it has ZERO transit access. Meanwhile, Westbriar Elementary, which has Metro Bus access and is less than 15 minute walk from metro rail has less than 10% free and reduced. It’s sad that we are have so much affordable housing located where key things, such as schools, are not accessible via transit, and areas that are accessible via transit have little affordable housing.
There is a 500-unit all-affordable housing project (Dominion Square West) planned in the Westbriar ES district. Mason District representatives want more affordable housing built in other magisterial districts, which is understandable, but then they also fight tooth and nail to keep the schools that serve the areas where the most housing is getting built from receiving additions similar to the addition that will expand the capacity of Justice HS to 2500 students.
I don’t understand the last part of this comment. I haven’t seen any serious push by mason residents to prevent other regions from seeing upgrades to their schools. What many mason residents do advocate for is ensuring we get equitable funding for our increased need.
And to be clear – equitable funding does not mean equal funding. It means funding according to need so that the “have nots” have as much of the opportunities as the “haves” as possible.
Reid Voss has been continually secretive and evasive about his extensive past in Republican politics. There is no evidence that he switched parties in 2008; he had never been involved with Democratic campaigns or events until he decided to run for this seat. See https://bluevirginia.us/2023/04/in-fairfax-county-a-republican-in-democrats-clothing and https://bluevirginia.us/2023/04/a-tale-of-two-republicans-turned-democrats
When we have spoken with him, he was very upfront and open with his work with Tom Davis. Have you had a discussion with Reid?
There is no evidence that Reid Voss ever supported any Democratic candidates. On the other hand, he was campaign manager for a Republican opponent of Penny Gross and he worked for at least two other Republicans – Jo Ann Davis and Sean Connaughton. Reid Voss’ name was listed on a statement opposing the name change to JEB Stuart High School. This statement pretended that slavery was not the real issue in the Civil War.
With regard to traffic and schools, no matter what the candidates promise, there is little a member of the Board of Supervisor’s can do about any of those issues. Yes, the county has been given permission by VDOT for some traffic calming measures, but it’s VDOT, the state-run agency, that determines what can and cannot be done on their streets. Candidates who promise the county can put in flashing lighted crosswalks and major traffic calming measures are being disingenuous. None of that will happen until VDOT decides to put them in. Additionally, the schools are run by the school board and superintendent. The BOS has one thing they can do related to the schools – fully fund them or reduce the amount they are requesting. The Board has no authority to address overcrowding or any other issues facing the schools. That is all decided by the school board. Voss should know this better than any of the candidates, since he once served on the school board as a student representative in high school. Still, he keeps making promises he has no capacity to deliver on.
Thank you for clarifying and holding candidates accountable for disingenuous statements.
Not to mention Reid Voss was going door to door during business hours even though I had a no solicitors sign on my yard.
The only disingenuous comments are right here in the “Comments” section. Not one candidate made any promises, so who are you holding accountable? They cited their concerns, the same as their constituents, and hoped to draw attention to the issues for solutions, and help where they can in the capacity of supervisor.
What do you think they should say?
Reid Voss was anything but progressive when the School Board was considering changing the name of Stuart HS back in 2017. He squarely aligned himself with some of the most conservative Republicans in the county, including Elizabeth Schultz, to both denigrate the students who were advocating for a name change and exaggerate the costs to implement the name change.
This is why you should vote Voss!
Because he’s a liar that aligns himself with racist confederates? Sounds like a perfect republican.
No. Because any Republican is preferable to the best democrat.
Glad to learn Voss is a secret conservative. I’ve eliminated him from consideration.
I agree. I care about my kids. Sick of the woke agenda.
Absolutely no one wanted to “denigrate” students. Were you as incensed with the teacher at Stuart who managed to incite four teenage girls to hysterics over a man who had been dead for 150 years ?
The cost have never been revealed. The original estimate was directly from the School Board based signage at a recently finished school.
The community voted to keep the Stuart name.
https://annandaletoday.com/community-favors-retaining-stuart-name/
Yes, I remember this well. Our community participated in democracy, voting to keep the JEB Stuart name. Then the petty tyrants stepped in.
Look at Voss’ donors on VPAP – it includes republican John Cooks campaign. Who is Vickie Watson? 10k is quite the donation. Listed as retired in falls church.
I like Lee because of his track record of making things better through investments of time and money in central Annandale. He may not be a politician but I don’t hold that against him.
Go Steve Lee, got my vote! We need someone with fresh ideas and a leader that reflects a large part of what Annandale is, I’m all for a stronger and united community and I think that’s what Steve Lee will bring, among many other things.
Too funny…Annandale Blog won’t publish negative comments about the Democrat Party…but ron…says Voss alligns with the confederates because he is conservative…HISTORY LESSON…THE DEMOCRAT PART IS THE PARTY OF SLAVERY…Come on Annandale Today – publish the truth…don’t be Pravda!
So Voss is a republican, so what? A lot of people were opposed to the name change because that money could have been been better spent on the kids and not the posturing. That was a million dollars that could have gone to help keep kids out of trouble, to fund meals, to hire career counselors, to fund afterschool programs. So many kids and their families in the Justice area are struggling, this million dollars could have been provided in grants to help graduates go to college, or as grants so that kids stay in school instaed of drop out to help support their struggling family.
So bottom line, vote for who you want to vote for, but the fact that someone is a Republican–somethign that seems pretty obvious–does not in and of itself mean that they are the devil as some of these other posts make it seem. Look around, many of your neighbors are Republicans too. Do you treat them with such contempt to their face or just post such hateful words here where they can’t see it?
Yes I do treat my republican neighbors different. They would invalidate my marriage at the first opportunity they get.
Anybody who votes currently votes Republican votes for racism and xenophobia. They vote for more of the gun violence you see on the news and down the road at Culmore. They vote for the anti-woman’s health laws that are all the rage. They vote for people who objected to the certification of Joe Biden’s election victory. They voted against impeaching and subsequently convicting former president Trump after he directed a bunch of his republican supporters to interfere and overrun the Capital. They vote and fight to keep the names of people who took up arms against the United States on our schools, saying, “names and labels don’t matter.” In the next breath they vote and fight against allowing GLBT people to freely live their lives with the same protections and respect from the government. They vote to elevate their religion above the reset of ours.
Republicans don’t share hardly any values with me, and that’s probably why I know and associate with so few. You can go ahead and say, “well those aren’t the things I’m voting for,” but you are. You are voting for all those things. And the local Fairfax County Republican you vote for, he’s voting for those things too.
If Republicans don’t want to be associated with being deplorable, racist, sexist and xenophobic, stop voting for deplorable racist, sexist, hatemongering xenophobes.
Reid Voss seems likes a good guy, maybe he could be a good republican, despite voting to keep the name of traitor and slaveholder on a school in Throwing distance to the Capital. But, Oh that’s right, he’s a democrat now.
And maybe his views have genuinely changed, and moderated, but instead of owning the Republican label and trying to show, “Hey, we’re not all nutjobs,” he now is conveniently a democrat? “Progressive,” at that?
So, if this is what the Good Republicans do, change their affiliation, why haven’t you changed yours?
Wow, must be great to be your neighbor. Not. What a narrow minded view of the world. Are you seriously saying half the country is racist and xenophobic? I’ll give you that there are Republicans that are, but to lump half of the country into your view of what a Republican is, is itself a type of bigotry. Both sides need to get past lumping in everyone in a group like you are doing. People are individuals, and not every person on one side or the other thinks the same way or has the same views.
Thanks for the lesson on hatemongering, need a mirror?
AMEN. I’ve never understood how the PROGRESSIVE ANNANDALE BLOG which purports to report of activities of interest to the Annandale community in general can be so one sided in their coverage of local politics.
Further, this article and these comments are indicative of the McKay Mafia which controls Fairfax County. California, New York and Chicago make room for Fairfax.
If it were conservative you would not complain. It’s a small blog run by 1 person (I believe) on their own time/dime. You aren’t forced to read it, you can always read something else. If it were run by a large corporation/media outlet, then your comment would actually make sense.
You have an agenda, go cry somewhere else.
I would remind readers that Annandale Today is just a blog. Expecting it to exhibit journalistic standards or fairness and objectivity are unfair. I find AT to be informative and vital but I don’t necessarily expect it to be unbiased. It’s whatever its creator wants it to be.
At least seven of us submitted questions that would readily have exposed one candidate as the paid republican operative that he has been. Unfortunately, they were not used. Also. the same candidate has failed to garner a SINGLE Dem official endorsement.
It was clear the same candidate lacks an elemental grasp of the job. Repeatedly he pivots to education, like he’s conflated the two boards. He at least twice has tried to weaponize where another candidate sends his children to school. Mason deserves a principled, knowledgeable and seasoned supervisor.
Democrats were the party of segregation and evolved during Civil Rights. @GOP now holds the mantle as the party of new age confederates.
One can care about their kids and still have empathy …
Re: Reid Voss – I have no problem with a Republican running for office in Mason District – who would? I do have a problem with a Republican running for the Democratic nomination for the general election. The only reason I can see for running for the Dem nod is that this area is firmly Democratic in voting behavior and Republicans haven’t been able to win in 20 years plus.
Mason’s issues are not overly complex because they share a common origin: we are in an aging community – homes, infrastructure, residents – that is in an demographically unevenly, wealthy County. We look elsewhere and see the magic of development – Mosaic! Tysons! Reston! – and wish for the shine and glitz without the actual cost of increased traffic, displaced small businesses, and residential encroachment. We need thoughtful, far-sighted leadership with the capacity to bring businesses and the community together to keep what we like and change what we need to. I feel like Supervisor Gross was a critical element in stabilizing our community when it could really have been gutted, and now we are ready to move into a new phase. I look forward to where we are going.
If you missed the Candidate Forum, you can watch the video here and draw your own conclusions: https://fb.watch/kk9zOFQUbX/.
Whoever can successfully transform 7 Corner’s and Bailey’s X-Roads to resemble that of Tysons and Mosaic and improve our property values will get my consideration for a vote regardless of party.
Who has been in charge for 50 years and are you satisfied?
I applaud Jeremy Allen. He worked with communities to prevent a data center being built right next to their residential area. He has already shown that he can put his money where is mouth is and listen to what is important to residents.