Q&A: Del. Jim LeMunyon, 67th Delegate District

Del. Jim LeMunyon (R) and Eric Clingan (D) are vying for the 67th Delegate District seat, which will be decided Nov. 8. Patch sent in the same questionnaire to each candidate. The following are LeMunyon's unedited responses. Click here for Clingan's responses.

Local Editors Ask Local Questions

Q: Some elected officials and advocates for mass transit have suggested that Metrorail extend the Orange Line to Centreville within the next decade or two. Should it? Explain. 

Yes. In my view, the project should have taken priority over extending Metro to Dulles, as an Orange Line extension along I-66 would take more cars off the road and do more to reduce congestion.  The federal government requires that an Environmental Impact Study (EIS) be completed first.  This study is now in progress.  The EIS should have been completed years ago, but was cancelled by then Governor Mark Warner.  Governor McDonnell restarted it last year.

Q: What fresh ideas do you have concerning congestion along Route 50 and 66?

On October 25, 2011 I testified before the Commonwealth Transportation Board at its hearing in Fairfax to request more transportation funding for Northern Virginia.  I was the only Member of the General Assembly to do so.  The CTB is the state government organization that allocates funds for major transportation projects.  A copy of my written statement is available, which proposes the following items.

Accelerate completion of the:

• Active Traffic Management system on I-66 to open shoulder lanes automatically, any time they are needed;
• I-66 multi-modal study to plan for additional bus service;
• I-66 Environmental Impact Study as a prerequisite to planning additional I-66 improvements and extension of the Orange Line;
• Rt. 50 from Rt.28 to Poland Road;
• Widening Stringfellow Road between Fair Lakes Parkway and Chantilly High School;

New projects that need funding:

• Redesign of I-66/Rt. 28 intersection;
• Installation of counters at the parking garages at the Vienna Metro station to encourage more use of Metro, with displays visible from I-66;
• Construction of an additional garage at the Vienna Metro station;
• Construction of a ramp from I-66 to the West Falls Church Metro station to allow direct access from I-66 to encourage more use of Metro;
• Widen I-66 eastbound inside the Beltway;
• Redesign of the intersection at Braddock Road and Pleasant Valley Road to encourage use of Braddock Road as an alternative to Route 50.

Q: With Oakton constituting just a small portion of your district, how do you plan to ensure its residents’ needs are being met? From your experience campaigning, what have you learned about Oakton’s priorities versus the rest of the 67th District?

Our three children are all graduates of Oakton High School (’03, ’05, and ’07) and so we are very familiar with the Oakton area and have many friends living in Oakton.  Since the 67th district is fairly compact, the issues of concern to people living in Oakton are not that different that people in Chantilly or other parts of the district.  However, it became clear in my door knocking this year that encounters with the deer population are a specific concern to Oakton residents.  While this is primarily a county and not a state issue, I’m in favor sensible solutions to reduce the number of deer.

General Questions

Q: A new study shows that the wage gap in Virginia has reached a 30-year high. From the Washington Post: "The top 10 percent of wage earners make at least 5.7 more than those in the bottom 10 percent, according to The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis, a Richmond-based think tank." How, if at all, should the state address this problem? 

What the study shows is that economic downturns hurt the lowest wage earners more than anyone else.  Economic growth is, therefore, the best remedy.  It's important to keep in mind that government doesn't do a good job of attempting to force prosperity.  However, it can help create an economic environment that fosters business expansion and job creation.  This is what Governor McDonnell's Jobs and Opportunity Agenda is all about.  I have voted for the many bills that comprise this Agenda to reduce regulation on business and encourage business investment and job creation.

Q: Would you support telecommuting centers where government employees can easily access their secure networks without having to commute all the way into the D.C. area? From where would this funding come?

This is a fine, long overdue idea.  Secure centers and office buildings used by government contractors are very numerous in Northern Virginia, and have been paid for by the companies themselves and commercial developers.  The private sector should continue taking the lead in creating the space needed by government employees as well.

Q: Gov. Bob McDonnell has talked of making Virginia colleges more available to Virginia students and adding the resources necessary to ensure that more students graduate in four years. Do you agree? If not, why not? If so, what would you do to support it?

I voted for HB 2510, which sets a goal of creating 100,000 additional undergraduate degrees in Virginia during the next 15 years. The bill increases access and affordability for more in-state residents wanting to attend Virginia’s institutions of higher learning. It also improves institutional efficiency by encouraging colleges and universities to analyze the use of state-owned buildings to find opportunities to use buildings year-round and explore technological alternatives for summer and on-line classes.

The General Assembly shouldn’t mandate graduation in four years at public colleges and universities, as some students who are making their best effort to obtain a degree will take longer.  However, it is appropriate for colleges and universities to create incentives for students to graduate on time if at all possible.  This is especially important at Virginia’s most competitive public universities, which are capacity constrained.  Students who take longer than four years to graduate can inadvertently deny an opportunity for an incoming freshman to attend.