Mg Ggw Questions For 47th Delegate 2

Questions from Michael Perkins to candidates for 47th District, Virginia House of Delegates. Miles Grant’s answers below: 1. Q: What’s your opinion on the Columbia Pike streetcar project? Where else do you think we should upgrade our transit network with higher-quality service? MG: The streetcar project must be the next step in bringing mass transit to Northern Virginia well beyond the Rosslyn-Ballston Corridor and the Dulles rail project. Expanding the reach of public transportation will be one of the boldest steps Virginia can take, and as a Delegate I’ll support this step in the right direction. While Residents of communities like Barcroft have understandable concerns about cost, traffic and development threatening low-income residents and locally-owned businesses, I believe cost, development, and disruptions can be managed while bringing needed investment and providing an attractive, low-cost transit option for residents of neighborhoods along the Pike. Lee Highway is a target for a transit upgrade, though it’s far too early to say what that might look like. In the very long-term, Metro’s Silver Line to Dulles could also become part of a longer Beltway Metro line that crosses the Wilson Bridge into Maryland. The elephant in the transit room is Metro’s Rosslyn tunnel. At peak times, it already struggles to squeeze through Orange and Blue Line trains. Metro needs dedicated funding from Richmond to support the Silver Line, effectively determine whether to divert Blue Line trains across the Potomac River bridge that Yellow Line trains use now, and begin planning a possible additional tunnel or bridge crossing. Look at what public transportation has done for Central Arlington. I will go to Richmond to work with Metro in breaking our dependence on auto transportation and grow our mass transit system. 2. Q: Some people believe that Bus Rapid Transit is a cheaper but just as effective alternative to rail transit like streetcars or light rail. What’s your opinion? MG: Much cheaper? Yes. Just as effective? That’s far less clear. Would a business set up shop on the Pike because there’s rapid bus instead of a regular bus? Would a bus accomplish the same goals of broad community revitalization? Look, the Columbia Pike streetcar isn’t just about moving people from point A to point B. It’s about demonstrating the Arlington community’s commitment to revitalizing the Pike. It’s a signal to the entire DC area that we won’t let our economic growth pass anyone by. And finally, there’s a national movement toward greener electricity grids. A streetcar powered by wind, solar, or other green energy is far, far better than a fleet of petroleum and natural gas burning buses.

3. Q: After the election, it’s possible that the House might still be controlled by a faction opposed to any tax increase. How would you work to obtain more money for transit given this limitation? MG: Any delegate from Arlington must prioritize securing a dedicated funding source for Metro. I’ve spent my career advocating for a greener infrastructure, and dedicated funding for Metro is a piece of that puzzle. If Republicans from other parts of Virginia continue to roadblock this desperately needed investment, I’ll be the first to point out (loudly) that those General Assembly members are blocking economic growth, killing jobs and choking prosperity. Explain that one to the Club for Growth. While I’m open to negotiating create ways to find new revenue, as a taxpayer, I find it insulting when our elected officials try to hide revenue increases in unconstitutional “abuser fees,” referenda that pass the buck to us to raise our own taxes, and other sleight-of-hand methods. Let’s be honest with voters. 4. Q: How would you ensure that Virginia's transportation money is being spent in the areas with the most pressing transportation issues, as opposed to the areas that enjoy political clout? MG: It’s not just transportation funds – Virginia energy policies and even our methods for investing in new parks are based on antiquated policies that punish Northern Virginia and reward parts of the state that make up a shrinking percentage of our population. These problems won’t be solved incrementally – an extra percent of funding here or there – but with a radically different set of policies that recognize that Virginia has shifted from red, rural and Southern to blue, suburban, and Mid-Atlantic. It’s yet another reason to support Brian Moran or Terry McAuliffe as Virginia’s next governor, as each Democrat is much more likely to fight for Northern Virginia’s fair share. 5. Q: Some people believe that widening roads doesn’t reduce traffic because the wider roads will quickly become congested again. Do you believe that widening congested roads induces more traffic to use them in the long run? If so, what do you believe is the best way to spend transportation dollars to accommodate growth? MG: Traffic behaves like a gas – it expands to fill all available space. Each new or wider highway has only encouraged developers to build McMansion-filled subdivisions even further away. Simply put, I don’t want to build a wider I66 so an Arlington teacher who lives in Fauquier County can get to work three minutes faster – I want to build a sustainable Virginia so the next generation of Arlington’s teachers can afford to live here in Arlington. I think the solution to highway congestion is to broaden Metro’s reach in Virginia, especially by laying the foundation for a network of new light rail and Metrorail lines.

6. Q: Should localities be allowed to require LEED certification as a condition of approving rezoning, proffers or exceptions to zoning requirements? MG: From green buildings to affordable housing, local governments need more home rule to take targeted action to address their unique local problems. Loosening Dillon restrictions is a reasonable step towards sensible, specific solutions as an alternative to our current statewide, one-size-fits-all system. Especially on residential buildings, LEED standards are still a work in progress, so any requirements should be carefully considered. However, Arlington has shown that a push to baseline LEED standards and healthy development can go hand-in-hand. We should also work towards efficiency gauges for existing buildings. After all, if you buy a car or a refrigerator, it has a sticker on it telling you how much energy it consumes. Why aren’t homes and offices held to the same standard? 7. Q: If the money were spent on transportation improvements, would you support a gas tax increase? If not, where do you propose to get new funding for transportation? MG: I support a gas tax increase with the funds carefully appropriated. We don’t need another tax that collects revenue from Northern Virginia and then sends it to far-flung corners of the state. Revenue should be appropriated based on need with prioritization for funding bus and rail service along with urgent road and bridge repairs. 8. Q: If taxes or fees must be increased to raise money for transportation, would you prefer to raise the fixed costs of car ownership (through increased titling or decal fees, or personal property tax), or to raise the marginal costs of operating a car (through a gas or mileage tax, or tolls)? MG: Let’s be clear – taxes and/or fees must be increased to pay for transportation. We just watched a chunk of concrete fall from the Glebe Road overpass onto Route 50, luckily at an off-peak time -- we need more money and it has to come from somewhere. Anyone who claims otherwise has no business holding public office. I’m open to any funding solution that raises money for transit while creating disincentives for long-drive commutes. Generally speaking, I’d lean towards mechanisms that reward efficient vehicles and wise driving (like a gas or mileage tax) than to title or decal fees, which equally hit the grandmother who only drives to the grocery store and the commuter who hauls in daily from Stafford in his SUV. A mileage tax is a better long-term solution than a gas tax, which seems to direct more anger towards the price of gas than to the consumers’ own choice of vehicle and driving patterns. With cut-throughs already a problem in many

Arlington neighborhoods, tolls must be used carefully to avoid pushing traffic onto residential roads.