Issue Position: Job Creation

Issue Position

Problem: Fairfax County has already begun to recover from the 2007-2009 recession which caused our County to lose jobs and created falling real estate values. We are coming back, but we need forward-thinking policies to maintain that balanced growth.

Solution: Nurturing New Technologies: We have a history of creating jobs in northern Virginia through the use of new technologies. For example, the Internet boom of the 1990's nearly tripled land values in Fairfax. The next big technology is probably being developed right now. I strongly support targeted credits for innovative industries, as well as "wet labs" and specially-designed office spaces, which can match new technologies with our research capabilities at George Mason University.

Keeping Business Taxes Low: Virginia is historically a low-tax state compared to our neighbors, especially for payroll and property taxes. Keeping this status is especially important for small businesses, which operate on the margin and pay taxes from their operating revenues.

Encouraging Business Start-Ups: Most workers in northern Virginia are employed by businesses with less than 50 employees. Virginia's "one stop" business licensing system, which I patroned, allows a new business to obtain a business license, register for sales tax, and register its vehicles all at one time and at one desk. Cutting down on time and money lost to compliance helps business leaders focus on their customers.

Focusing Development in Existing Nodes: One of our biggest challenges has been the BRAC restricting which caused nearly 86,000 Federal workers to change job locations. In northern Virginia, this short-sighted policy has wasted a lot of taxpayer money. In creating new jobs, we should focus on development of spaces with existing infrastructure, such as roads, water and sewer. This not only is smart growth, it will also deal with our existing commercial vacancies.

Creating Federal Partnerships: The Federal government must pay for the costs it created through BRAC. Over the longer term, our area will grow by pursuing partnerships with the Federal government, e.g. by seeking research grants through our universities or through state agencies such as VITA. The Federal government will always be the #1 job creator in our area. Our state government should always be focused on improving this relationship.

Creating International Partnerships: Nearly 25% of our County's population was born outside the U.S. That is astounding. This connection gives us institutional knowledge about dealing with foreign companies, especially in the Pacific Rim. We can capitalize on this knowledge by creating partnerships through our colleges and universities to exchange students and create profitable links. We also need to have policies which favor immigrants with capital to invest in the U.S.

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