Sharon Bulova vs. Pat Herrity (Is Burke Liberal?) (Hampton, Springfield: real estate, new home)

[Skapov]

Okay, since I've spent the last several weekends in Burke/West Springfield area, I noticed that there is an election going on because of all the signs everywhere for Sharon Bulova (D) and Pat Herrity (R). My husband & I are very politically active, we were "big" Obama supporters who donated money & time, and had I not been pregnant at the time I would have even canvassed NoVa for the Obama Team.

We prefer to be among like-minded individuals, and I know people say Virginia is changing, what what is the "vibe" currently especially in Burke? Did the McCain/Palin yard signs outnumber the Obama/Biden signs last Fall? I saw a few cars with Obama bumper-stickers, but of the people my husband & I work with who live in Virginia, they all tend to be Republican.

Also, in local elections (County Council, School Board, Judges, etc.) do residents vote along party line, or based on the person running? Pat Herrity seems like a decent guy, but should I avoid voting for him since he's the registered Republican? We close on our house this Thursday, and so I hope there will be time for me to register to vote and cast my ballot, but I'm confused on what the political atmosphere will be like in my new hometown of Burke.

[VEIK]

Palin? who is that?

[Fairfax Mom]

People are very conservative around the Fairfax/Burke suburbs

[claremarie]

Burke, like everywhere else in northern Virginia, is diverse. You'll find both liberals, conservatives, and everything in between. Most people seem to get along with their neighbors even though they don't see eye to eye on things political. Sometimes they can even be friends.

[saganista]

The election is Tuesday, Feb 3, and it's for County Board Chairman -- sort of the CEO for all of Fairfax County -- so it's an important position. The incumbent chair, Gerry Connolly, ran for Congress and won. Next week's winner will replace him. Probably 99% of people who voted for Obama will vote for Sharon Bulova, an experienced mainline Democrat and the current Board Vice-Chairman. But as the Republicans have been getting clobbered in the County lately, they are desperate to win something, and will try to sneak away with a win in a low turnout election by max'ing their voter turnout effort. Pat Herrity (son of a former Board Chairman) is a conservative Republican, about the only kind that's left around here it seems, as all the moderates have "turned blue" as they say...

[claremarie]

More than 60% of voters in the Burke precinct voted for Obama. Virginia Election Results: Fairfax County | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com
It's all relative, of course, but that doesn't seem like a "very conservative" area to me.

[Skapov]

Originally Posted by saganista

Probably 99% of people who voted for Obama will vote for Sharon Bulova, an experienced mainline Democrat and the current Board Vice-Chairman.

But isn't she responsible for the whopping 17% Budget shortfall that Fairfax County is faced with? I'm getting a bit worried to read about all the proposed cuts to education funding and the plan to increase class size, because the outstanding school system is precisely the reason I chose to relocate to FC. I'm not sure I'd vote for Bulova, even though I'm a huge Obama fan and loyal Democrat, because she was in charge of that budget and someone has to be held accountable!

[saganista]

She's been Chair of the Budget Committee alright, but the revenue shortfall has mostly to do with declining real estate valuations. Fairfax could have chosen the same path as Loudon and jumped the tax rate by 20%, but they stuck to less than 5%, which means the average county tax bill fell this year. We'll likely not have that luxury next year, even if the bottom has been passed now, as some recent real estate data have suggested.

I'm not really into the off-with-their-heads form of accountability. The County Board didn't manufacture this problem, and have been pretty good about trying to ride it out without dipping into people's pockets. The composition of the Board isn't going to change in this election. I'd expect a Herrity win would just set the Chairman and the Board itself at odds and make it less likely that anything worthwhile would get done...

[mlv311]

Originally Posted by claremarie

Burke, like everywhere else in northern Virginia, is diverse. You'll find both liberals, conservatives, and everything in between. Most people seem to get along with their neighbors even though they don't see eye to eye on things political. Sometimes they can even be friends.

When we first moved to the area, I thought Burke would be more conservative given the high number of military families, but like Claremarie shared, 60% voted for Obama. I've found that even the church isn't as conservative as I expected. I'd say that the "political signs" were pretty evenly distributed. My neighbors and I all had our own political signs out (a mix) and that didn't affect our friendship in any way. So to answer your question, I think you'll be fine in Burke.

[springfieldva]

Fairfax county is purple - probably more centrist than far left or right. Some folks are loyal Bulova/Connolley supporters, others think it's time for a change and will be voting for Herrity.