An interesting, and mostly civil, debate was held last night between the two candidates for Sully Supervisor, Democrat Kathy Smith and Republican John Guevara.
John Guevara was long on substance with numerous ideas for solving the 4 biggest concerns facing Sully residents. “These four are core needs in Sully, all the rest are wants”.
1.Transportation
2. Education
3. Public Safety
4. A Safety net for those in the community who need help.
Guevara was not quick to suggest more taxes on the citizens because the it’s the number one concern that he hears from Sully residents. The taxes are already too high! Kathy Smith was less concerned about taxes. She said her family is happy to eat in Vienna where the town imposes a tax on restaurants. She doesn’t mind paying more in taxes. Guevara pointed out that not all families can afford to do that and extra taxes are big burden on families and on restaurants. On a countywide restaurant tax both candidates supported leaving it up to the voters but Guevara believed it would discourage restaurants from coming to Fairfax. Guevara is all about bring more businesses to Fairfax but noted how difficult that is because of taxes, zoning, paper work, licenses, etc. (The county is not exactly user friendly for businesses.)
Kathy Smith believes we need to look at “diversifying revenue streams” including the meals tax. I am fairly certain that ‘diversifying revenue streams’ is code for ‘find more ways to tax people and businesses’ so the government can take more money from citizens. Smith believes Fairfax schools need more money because of their changing populations of students. (Like most Democrats, she’s never met a tax she wouldn’t embrace.) Guevara pointed out that there’s something wrong when the county grows by 3% and yet the budget grows by 7%.
John Guevara said Rt. 66 must be expanded inside the beltway. Arlington has prevented it for decades but that has to stop. He also supports hot lanes, HOV restrictions, more buses, and tolls, all ways to get more cars off the road. Smith would be open to a discussion on hot lanes but would not commit to expanding rt 66 inside the beltway. She had no real solutions to transportation problems, or much of anything else.
Overall, Smith was very short on specifics but said over and over she’s committed to serving. We heard over and over that she’s committed, although to what she is committed was less clear. Guevara was long on listening to people, through his website, SullyListens.com and by door knocking that he has been doing for months. After listening, he finds solutions. Guevara has also set up a website for Sully residents to report transportation and road problems to their officials, SullyStreets.com.
Smith often brags that she will devote all of her time to being a Supervisor. She need not have any other job because her husband supports their family very, very, well. Her husband’s income puts the family easily into the top 1% of American households. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.) Stephen Smith’s income is not a secret because he’s very well paid by the taxpayers. Next year taxpayers in Fairfax will also pay $90,000 a year for each Supervisor on the board. The Smith family is making a lot of money from the taxpayer’s pockets. No doubt they are worth every penny.
Following Smith’s brag that she didn’t have to work and could devote full time to being a supervisor, Guevara said his family had not been blessed with the rather large income of the Smith family so he will need to keep his job while being a Supervisor, as do most Supervisors in Virginia. However, his job is flexible and his boss allows him time off as needed to campaign and serve the people.
Well, that set off Kathy Smith who was furious at Guevara for mentioning her family! How dare he?! (The lady did protest just a bit too much.) Excuse me, she brought her family into the discussion when she said she didn’t have to work! She doesn’t have to work because her family has an enormous income thanks to taxpayers. Now Chairman of the Board of Supervisors Sharon Bulova has weighed in with this ridiculous statement,
“As a school board member and community activist, Kathy Smith has been in the trenches with kids and families struggling to realize the American dream. To make her husband’s income a campaign issue is sexist and an insult to Kathy”.
If Smith’s husband’s income isn’t an issue then how she can brag about not having to work and being free to be a full-time supervisor? Who makes that possible if not her husband? Or is Bulova saying it’s sexist for Kathy to be supported by a man? Smith makes her family’s income an issue every time she points out that she doesn’t have to work. Duh. Someone has to be supporting her. If not her family, then who?
John Guevara listens to the people of Sully, through his websites and the tens of thousands of doors he’s knocked. He knows that the majority of people in Sully and in Fairfax County do not support transgendered bathrooms in our schools where boys can use the girl’s bathrooms and their locker rooms. Despite what the majority of parents in the county want, their wishes were ignored by the school board. Leading the transgendered charge on the School Board was the Sully school board representative, Kathy Smith. She and the other Democrats on the board completely ignored the wishes of the parents. Guevara brought this up at the end of the debate as a yet another example of the government telling the citizens, the people who pay their salaries, to sit down and shut up. They aren’t interested in what the stakeholders have to say. Democrats on the school board did not want to hear from all those pesky parents and students who objected to this transgender policy change. The board knew better and knew what was best for the community. (Their arrogance is appalling.) Something like this would NEVER happen when John Guevara is Supervisor because he actually cares about, and listens to, the people he will represent.
John Guevara was the clear winner of the debate because of his detailed way of approaching and solving every problem in Sully district. He is a well known problem solver in every job he’s ever had. He knows how to work with people and get the job done. I urge readers to learn more about his campaign at his webpage, and also visit SullyListens.com and SullyStreets.com.
