Politics & Government

Letter: Connolly Wants to Hear from Reston

Congressman welcoming Reston back to the 11th District with telephone town hall.

As a result of the Congressional redistricting plan passed by Virginia's General Assembly earlier this year, Reston has been moved back into the 11th Congressional District from the 8th district. 

I've had the privilege of representing the 11th District in Congress since 2009, after 14 years on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, the last five as Chairman.  I am thrilled to have the opportunity to represent your wonderful community once again.

Reston founder Bob Simon recently celebrated his 98th birthday, and I was proud to join Restonians in honoring him at this year’s Founder’s Day.  I’ve known Bob for nearly two decades, and for me, he represents all that is great about Reston.

Find out what's happening in Restonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In the last few months, I have spent a lot of time in Reston.  I spoke to the Reston Association annual meeting, celebrated with the awardees at the Best of Reston gala, helped open the Reston Little League 2012 season, and honored the anniversary of the Reston Children's Center.  Those experiences showed me that Bob's vision for an inclusive, thriving community where Northern Virginia families could live, work, and play has become a reality and is a model for the rest of the nation. 

On Wednesday, May 2, at 8 p.m., I will hold my first telephone town hall meeting for Reston residents.  We will be dialing thousands of homes to invite them to join the call and have their questions answered, but to ensure that you are invited please visit our website www.gerryconnolly.com to sign up. 

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 As the 11th District Congressman, I hold telephone town hall meetings on a regular basis to hear the views of my constituents and address their questions and concerns.  These meetings are very popular with citizens across the 11th CD because they can ask questions on issues they care about and hear directly from me without fighting traffic or leaving the comfort of home.  Thousands join these calls and I hope you will also find them to be a positive experience. 

I’ve already heard from dozens of Restonians who are fed up with the overly-partisan tone and general gridlock in Washington.  At a time when we need to be doing everything in our power to make sure our economy continues to recover from the Great Recession, Congress has been a roadblock to progress. 

One of many examples is the Ryan budget which recently passed the House. That budget plan, advanced by the House majority, would slash infrastructure investment, cut services to the poor and the elderly, and gut important education investments in our children.  I was proud to oppose it and will continue to oppose such wrongheaded proposals.

When it comes to the budget and the deficit, the only honest discussion is one that includes both spending reductions and revenue increases.  You can’t balance the budget if you’re willing to deal with just one side of the ledger.  That’s just common sense. 

   
Many of you are also concerned about Rail to Dulles.  While Phase I to Reston is approaching completion, there are challenges to overcome with respect to ensuring the completion of Phase II to Dulles Airport.  I am committed to seeing this project completed.  We have come too far, and it is too important to the future of our region, to get side-tracked at the last moment.  

At the same time, I am increasingly concerned that toll road users are being asked to bear an inordinate share of the cost burden.  That is why I actively participated in U.S. Transportation Secretary Lahood’s working group to cut hundreds of millions of dollars in project costs, and that is why I have urged Governor McDonnell to commit state funds to the project.  We send our tax dollars to Richmond every year, and Richmond has a responsibility to help fund this state project.  

I want to hear your thoughts on these and other issues during my telephone town hall meeting at 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 2, and during my frequent visits to Reston.  I hope you will take the time to visit www.gerryconnolly.com and sign up for my first telephone town hall for Reston residents. We will certainly have a lot to talk about!   

Rep. Gerry Connolly (D), VA-11 


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