Susan Hartley Kuiler
For City Of Fairfax Mayor
My Vision For Fairfax City
Why I Am Running For Mayor
I am running for mayor to get machine politics out of City of Fairfax government by restoring our longstanding tradition of independent, non-party machine local governance. Machine politics have no place in our city government. They have already blighted governance at national and state levels, and we must not allow this kind of politics to become embedded here. Our city has a long tradition of independent, non-party elections that has been compromised in recent years. Consequently, we must honor our heritage of independence by restoring it to ensure sound, open government in our city. We need to hear all voices from a variety of perspectives – not just a party line – in order to achieve consensus about what our priorities are and work together to keep our city beautiful, livable, and safe for all of us. You can help by electing a politically independent mayor and politically independent city council members.
Prioritizing Critical Needs
My Priorities
Ensure our public safety
Security is about more than keeping homes and businesses safe from robbers and vandals. It includes people feeling safe in our parks and on our playing fields, while waiting at bus stops to ride home or to work, and while walking their dogs or strolling along a trail or in a park. We must give the police and allied social service agencies the tools they need to look after not only our safety but also the safety of public and private property.
In addition, our police department, like departments across the country, is understaffed and finding it difficult to retain experienced officers and recruit new officers. We need to work with the department, including officers on the beat, to determine why officers are leaving and identify changes that can be made to retain them.
Spend our tax dollars prudently
We live in an age of finite resources, and, to meet the challenges of the future, we must ensure that our money is spent wisely. At present, project expenditures appear to be made without a broader view of the city’s long-term planning. This approach leads to spending money on many new projects while higher priority items are neglected or remain unfunded. To meet the fiscal challenges of the future, we must have the requisite oversight and processes in place to ensure that our money is spent wisely and reflects our priorities. And we need to make sure that fiscally responsible guardrails are in place to ensure that our money is spent to fund its intended purposes.
Preserve our scarce and precious green spaces
We can protect our environmental resources and save money while advancing our transportation goals. We can spend our money responsibly by using existing well-lit, safe, low-volume roads to connect city neighborhoods. We can make our streets safe for bicyclists and pedestrians without destroying our wild spaces.
Keep our residents informed
Frequently, City of Fairfax government actions are shrouded in mystery. Lack of transparency is not good governance. We need to ensure full transparency by implementing public outreach mechanisms that are robust and provide frequent, timely information to our residents, civic and religious groups, and businesses, especially those in neighborhoods and workplaces most affected by proposed city projects.
Support our local business community
In our city, local businesses provide the venues where we work, shop, and enjoy each other’s company. In our city, business enterprises constitute a vital network of the exchange of goods and services. Indeed, local businesses create a web of social interactions in which we all participate and which can only strengthen our city. To this end, we should explore ways to sustain the vitality of our business community and attract new businesses.
Safeguard the well-being, health, and safety of our children
Fairfax City Schools are strong, and we must continue to ensure that our school system has the resources to meet our students’ needs in terms of academic resources, strong vocational programs, and physical infrastructures. Schools should be healthy, safe, and challenging places for our students to grow and to realize their potential. In modernizing and maintaining our school facilities, we must assess the safety of materials and replace unsafe materials with non-toxic alternatives.
Promote cooperation and collaboration in city governance
Many city projects reflect a “stove pipe” or “silo” approach to doing business. Frequently, such projects lead to waste, redundancies, and duplication of goods and services. For effective and fiscally responsible government, we must minimize such practices. In a small city such as Fairfax, city departments should engage in collaborative planning and project and program execution and oversight across departments.
Promote diverse housing options
To help those who cannot afford to live here, we must explore options, including public-private partnerships, to assist all prospective home buyers, especially people who provide vital services to our city and who want to live here but who cannot afford to do so. It is inexcusable that people who serve our city in many different capacities, such as maintaining our infrastructures or providing critical services, cannot afford to live in our city. We can do better.
Address issues of our homeless population
In common with other towns and cities, our homeless population is growing. The issues are complex, and their solutions will require robust public-private partnerships. We have made a start, and we must continue the process without falling into the trap of adopting facile solutions without planning and oversight. We need to listen to the concerns of residents, civic and religious groups, and businesses to develop practical, effective solutions to help our homeless population without compromising anyone’s safety and sense of security.