Many of you know me from my five plus years on Town Council.  During that time period, I have led the fight for tree preservation, promoted our democratic values through leadership in Liberty Amendments Month and Vienna250, and championed updated zoning, including alternatives to single family housing.  I have gotten to know many of you through my time riding on the back of the 1946 fire truck, assisting “Santa” for the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department, attending community events, and strolling through the Farmer’s Market.  As a longtime resident, I share your concerns about taxes, public safety, traffic and the maintenance of our roads and utilities.  If re-elected I will continue to “show up” in council debates, and seek ways to make Vienna an even better place to live and raise families.  As I have just retired from my day job, I will have even more time to devote to council activities.

For those of you who don’t know me, or want to know more, here is my “origin story:

I believe that the ultimate test for political service is character.  You, the voter, have the right and the need to know who I am – including where I come from, the formative experiences in my life, and where I stand on important issues.

My journey to Vienna has had a few interesting (and mostly fortunate) turns.  I was born in West Virginia, the son of a coal miner and a coal miner’s wife.  My father died in an avoidable coal mine explosion, and my mother moved to rural Michigan (where she had family) so that my brother and I would not end up in the mines.  She remarried and had six children in total, the last one adopted.  My stepfather worked in various factories in the area, until the owners moved them south, in search of lower labor costs.  Education was always a priority in my family. After raising six children, my mom, who had married at sixteen, went to college and did not stop until she had secured her doctorate.

I was raised in a wonderful small town, fittingly named “Blissfield.”  Modern Vienna and the Blissfield of the 60s and 70s have a lot in common: a solid sense of identity, a healthy economic base, and a strong tradition of self-government. No doubt my commitment to small town community comes from my formative years in Blissfield, Michigan.  With a population of less than 3,000, Blissfield could maintain a full slate of social activities only if individual participation remained high.  A great advantage of growing up in such a small town is that you get to try your hand at a lot of different things.  In high school, I participated in sports (track and cross-country), band, student government (more below), and national honors society, while also holding down jobs as a bus boy and waiter at a local restaurant, and, during the summer months, as a crew chief at a local farmer’s seed corn operation.  During my teen years, I also had some other interesting work experiences, including washing cars at my uncle’s Mopar dealership, working on a maintenance crew at my stepfather’s factory, and plucking chickens!

I was guided by a wonderful college counselor to apply to the University of Chicago under a special program for rural students.  I spent my first two years there doing the Chicago “Great Books” core courses, an eye-opening experience for someone from rural Michigan.  In my junior year, I transferred to Williams College in western Massachusetts.  During my two years there, I became a budding academic, concentrating in American colonial and revolutionary history and political science.   The topic of my senior thesis in history was George Mason and slavery.  I graduated from Williams in 1979, summa cum laude, with highest honors in history.

Williams was kind enough to give me a scholarship for two years of study at Oxford University (Exeter College).  At Oxford, I took my exams in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, or “PPE,” eventually earning an MA.  It was an exciting time to be in the UK:  Margaret Thatcher had just been elected, and my economics tutor was advising her government regularly on privatization and shrinking the size of government.  My principal politics tutor, Lord Crowther Hunt, was a Labor member of the House of Lords and also an expert in U.S. government and politics. He heightened my interest in government service.

Living outside the United States for two years certainly gave me a new perspective.  Those years in England coincided with the debates over the installation of neutron bombs and medium range nuclear missiles.  These issues took on a different light when you were living only 800 miles from Moscow.  I cherish my two years at Oxford, including the several close friendships with British nationals who graciously allowed a Yank to enter their lives.

I met my wife, Laura, in DC, while working for the U.S. Department of Commerce (see below).  We were married at Falls Church Presbyterian Church (where we are still active – see below) in 1988.  Together, we raised two children in Vienna, after building our house and moving here in 1997.

What is my Professional Background?

Upon completing my degree in England, I flew back to the United States, during the early months of the Reagan administration.  At the time, Michigan’s unemployment rate was running in the low 20s.  I had always wanted to live in Washington DC anyway, so I borrowed $2,000, spent most of it on a terrible used Plymouth Satellite, packed my worldly belongings onto the trunk and back seat and headed south.  The waiter experience came in handy, as the money ran out fairly quickly.  My first job in DC was at the Italian restaurant, Gusti’s, at 18th and N St., NW (ironically, just down the street from my current office).  After a short stint serving as a glorified telephone operator at the House of Representative Office of Legislative Information, I landed a job at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Import Administration.

At Commerce, I was responsible for conducting investigations of foreign companies that were accused of receiving unfair subsidies.  After a little over two years at Commerce, I was asked to join a nascent consulting practice at the firm of Coopers & Lybrand (now part of Pricewaterhousecoopers, or PWC) that advised law firms and companies in this arcane area.  In just a few months, I found myself head of the practice.  Over the next four years, I built this niche start-up consulting venture into a viable business.  Our core group left Coopers for ICF Consulting in 1988.

When ICF ran into financial difficulties in 1992, we set out on our own, forming Capital Trade Incorporated.  Today, we have fourteen professionals, and are known as the premier firm in our practice area.  One of my proudest accomplishments has been to build a place where people can work, get paid decent wages, have access to generous health benefits and profit-sharing retirement plans, and still have time to devote to family and personal interests.

As part of my job, I have had the privilege of working in over twenty-five countries, so I have seen many different models of urban development.  Our clients have included many of the top shelf law firms in DC, smaller firms, as well as a number of trade associations, foreign governments, and multinational companies.  If you are really interested, you can visit our website, www.captrade.com, or follow me on LinkedIn.

My professional career involves using a number of different disciplines, including economics, accounting, law, and data mining to analyze and solve problems.   The need to have a foundation in so many different disciplines has given me the courage to take on subjects that I know very little or nothing about. 

What Are My Qualifications for Town Council?

I have always been fascinated with politics.  As a sophomore in high school, I volunteered for my first political campaign – that of George McGovern.  Many years later, I would have the thrill of sitting next to the South Dakota senator on a plane to DC.  We talked most of the way about current affairs.

In high school, I was something of a political junkie, serving as Freshman class president, and student council representative, vice president and president.  This extended into college, where in my sophomore year, I served as president of my dorm, Greenwood Hall.

In Vienna, prior to serving on Town Council, I served on the executive board of the Malcom-Windover Heights Civic Association for approximately ten years.  I have also served on the Windover Heights Board of Review.

I served on the Vienna Planning Commission from 2008 to 2014, including a term as Chair from 2012 to 2013.  While on the Planning Commission, I assisted in drafting the Comprehensive Plan, co-authored a feasibility study for a Church Street parking garage, and led a subcommittee tasked with developing a policy for cell towers and receivers.  My most important work included participating intensively in the consideration of the original Maple Avenue Commercial zoning district (“MAC”) legislation.

In 2014, the Town Council chose not to reappoint me to the Planning Commission, in large part, I believe, because I had opposed the enactment of the MAC as then constituted.   Living right next to the former Marco Polo site, I have seen firsthand the flaws in MAC and have worked to preserve the interests of local residents and improve Maple Avenue zoning laws.  I have been very active in opposing some of the excesses of the proposed redevelopment of Marco Polo.  I have also been very active in opposing other MAC projects, including 444 Maple apartment complex, 230 Maple Avenue condominium, and the Sunrise Assisted Living project at the corner of Center and Maple.

My other volunteer activities include a number of different positions at Falls Church Presbyterian Church (elder, deacon, youth Sunday School teacher (over 20 years)), head chef for FCPC’s Welcome Table), and Boy Scouts (9 years).

Why Do I Serve?

I have decided to run for re-election to Town Council because I care about the future of Vienna.  Our town is a jewel in the greater Washington area, with a strong tradition of self-government built on widespread consensus.  If re-elected, I will work to maintain the consensus that has led to so many accomplishments in the past three years.

Having served on Council, I am aware of the amount of time this job takes.  I have attended almost every public meeting since being elected.  And I have worked behind the scenes on many issues, ranging from new park initiatives to water and sewer rates.  If re-elected, I will devote the time it takes to address key issues.

What are My Political Priorities?

Traffic and development remain Vienna’s two largest challenges. 

With our new zoning code, I believe that we will achieve a balance of allowing some modest higher density redevelopment, without overwhelming our infrastructure, schools, or roads.  I support commercial re-development in Vienna, but it must be properly scaled, at a density no greater than the roads and infrastructure can support and be designed to preserve our vital retail and commercial core.

Traffic on Maple Avenue is not going away.  As Tysons grows, the challenges of keeping traffic moving will grow as well.  I will continue to push for early installation of smart lights along Maple Avenue.  In addition, I will work to build an East-West bicycle connection to Tysons, to reduce the need for cars to get to Vienna.  Finally, I will continue to seek opportunities for bike-centric development along the W&OD trail. 

We have made great strides in updating our decades-old zoning code, but more work needs to be done.  Among other things, we need to think about changes to our zoning and tax laws that will allow for more affordable housing, so that older citizens can afford to age in place, and younger residents are not kept out by the high cost of housing in Vienna.  Having been involved in Vienna zoning and planning issues for many years, both as a Planning Commission member and a private citizen, I believe that I bring the expertise and commitment needed for this important task.

Even after Covid, the town is healthy financially.  We need to keep it that way.  However, I am concerned that we are letting expenditures get out of hand.  For the past few years, the expanding tax base and ARPA funds have allowed Vienna to spend fairly freely.  The good times, however, will not last forever.  We need to take a close look at expenditures to make sure that the budget remains as lean as possible. 

Finally, I believe that good local government should not be just about the mundane daily issues of garbage collection, road repair, and water bills (although these are important).  We also should aspire to do one or two “big things” that we can bequeath to future generations.  My aspiration is to build on the bikeability and walkability of Vienna, so we attract more people to our restaurants and shops, using transportation modes that relieve pressure on our streets.  I have built bridges to our county and state representatives, so that our needs are heard.