My Record

During my time in office, I have voted to support:

• funding for the city's first low-income permanent supportive housing development

• funding for the city's first Pride and Juneteenth events

• improvements to the city's motorist, bicyclist, and pedestrian infrastructure

• redevelopment projects that will increase the city's vibrancy, walkability, green space, supply of housing, including designated affordable dwelling units, and/or efficiency in land use

• funding to support the City Jobs program to provide jobs for the homeless

• funding for a subsidized loan program for home renovations

• addition of support for expansion of state resources for childcare and early childhood education and removal of support for qualified immunity in the city's legislative program sent to the General Assembly

• amending the zoning ordinance to allow "minor" social services delivery uses, such as drug treatment centers, which can save lives and address one of the root causes of crime, as well as research and development uses by-right in all commercial zones

• canceling the portion of the George Snyder Trail east of Fair Woods Parkway and modifying the remaining portion

• joint redevelopment and expansion of the Willard Health Center and Sherwood Community Center

• funding for business retention efforts

• establishment of a fee structure for electric vehicle charging stations on city property while keeping the first three hours free

• funding for the hiring of a new police bike team

• funding for the issuance of grants for non-profits

• a bond referendum and appropriations for the renovation of the elementary schools and improvements to the high school

• the Fairfax Circle Small area plan, which provides a vision to turn Fairfax Circle into a safer, more efficient, more inviting neighborhood developed in coordination with city residents and stakeholders as well as the county

I would continue to support these and similar initiatives as they come before the Council. Furthermore, I would support:

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Housing & Development

• Environmentally conscientious development of new trails and sidewalks to facilitate walking and biking as alternatives to driving

• Restoration and repositioning of buildings over 50 years old with cultural significance to the city instead of demolition and redevelopment

• Opposition to any new private development that increases impervious surface in Chesapeake Bay Resource Protection Areas or floodplains without sufficient mitigation efforts

• Development projects that include significant affordable housing and oppose all developments that would lead to a net decrease in affordable housing taking naturally occurring affordable housing into consideration

• Negotiation with developers to preserve green space and natural environments where feasible as well as use sustainable building practices, especially that lead to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, Green Globes, or similar certifications, as much as possible

• Projects that will lead to more efficient, sustainable, and vibrant development, increase green space, and/or improve traffic through improvement of intersections and development of street grids that eliminate bottlenecks as well as projects that contribute significantly to the tax base to help keep residential real estate taxes low

• Canceling the portion of the George Snyder Trail east of Fair Woods Parkway and modifying the remaining portion, but not canceling the entire project due to the lack of any safe, practical alternatives for bicyclists

• Canceling the Country Club Hills Connector Trail in light of existing and potential alternatives

• Moving the Pickett Road Connector Trail to the west side of Pickett Road and merging with the sidewalk if feasible, but not canceling the project due to the only existing alternative being an unbuffered 8' sidewalk directly adjacent to a roadway frequented by large trucks

• Expansion of opportunities for homeowners to build accessory dwelling units on their property

• A dedicated funding source for affordable housing efforts and programs

Safety

• Banning guns in public streets, roads, alleys, sidewalks, and rights-of-way and any other places that are open to the public and are being used by or are adjacent to permitted events or events that would otherwise require permits

• Upgrading a violation of the ban on guns in city parks and buildings as well as public spaces being used for events and adjacent public spaces if added to the purview of the ban from a class 4 misdemeanor (punishable by a fine of up to $250) to a class 1 misdemeanor (punishable by up to 12 months in jail, a fine of up to $2500, or both) as originally proposed (consistent with the penalty in Fairfax County, Arlington County, Alexandria, and Falls Church)

• Pursuing recommended police and fire recruitment and retention efforts and staffing increases

• The establishment of a law enforcement civilian review panel, ideally with the authority to, if feasible and practical, make binding disciplinary decisions, review internal investigations, review and make recommendations on the department budget, and/or investigate complaints from citizens, incidents involving police or civilian employees of the department, and department policies and practices, to strengthen the relationship between the community and the police, work to help ensure residents continue to be treated fairly and thoughtfully by city police, potentially increase trust in and respect for the Police Department, and be proactive in improving the practices and efficacy of the Police Department

• “Walk facing traffic” signs along certain roads without sidewalks, especially those frequented by students

• “Use audible signal when passing pedestrians” signs for bikes on shared use paths

Community & Governance​

• Expansion of city bus service

• Ensuring municipal elections remain on the same day as the presidential and midterm elections every even-numbered year to maximize turnout, civic engagement, and the efficacy of our local democracy unless a change is supported by a referendum on the November ballot

• Preserving our sense of community by prioritizing developments that contribute to a diverse range of housing options so that residents can remain in the city throughout all stages of life

• Permitting clinics, including woman’s health clinics, by right in all commercial and industrial zones by reclassifying them as medical offices which they were classified as before 2013

• Continuation of city efforts to achieve carbon-neutral city operations by 2035

• Exploration of additional potential sites for community gardens and composting

• Development of a collective bargaining agreement for city employees​

• Exploration of options for universal preschool and childcare, as well as a progressive real estate tax structure if granted authority by the Commonwealth to institute such a system