Tysons Tunnel

For Immediate Release | View this two-page Press Release as a PDF file

POLITICAL CANDIDATES VOICE SUPPORT FOR COMPETITIVE BIDDING OF
DULLES METRO PROJECT, CONSIDERATION OF A TUNNEL
Candidates show they are in step with public opinion on Metrorail extension

Tysons Corner, Va. (Oct. 23) —In advance of next month’s election nearly 20 candidates for elective office and current elected officials in Northern Virginia have submitted letters to TysonsTunnel.org voicing support for competitive bidding of the Dulles Airport Metrorail Extension project and concurrent consideration of a tunnel under Tysons Corner.

Candidates issuing these public letters of support range from those seeking a seat in the U.S. Congress, to the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate, to the chairmanship of and seats on the Fairfax Board of Supervisors, and to the town council and mayorship of Vienna. McLean, Tysons Corner and Vienna are three communities that will experience disproportional impact from the planned above-ground railway through the Tysons area.

Last month, TysonsTunnel.org asked all candidates running for public office in the Northern Virginia community as well as those not part of the current election to provide letters showing their alliance with the wishes of local citizens for a tunnel under Tysons Corner and competitive bidding of the project.

In all, five Town of Vienna councilmen, including the mayor; six candidates for the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors; seven candidates for Fairfax County seats in the Virginia House of Delegates or Senate; and one candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives replied to the grassroots organization’s request. Additional letters are expected in advance of next month’s election.

Following is a list of public officials and office seekers who have sent letters to TysonsTunnel.org (the elected office is listed in parenthesis):

Town of Vienna:

M. Jane Seeman (mayor of Vienna)
Daniel M. Dellinger (vice mayor of Vienna)
Edythe Frankel Kelleher (Vienna Town Council member)
George E. Lovelace (Vienna Town Council member)
Maud F. Robinson (Vienna Town Council member)

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors:

Gary Baise (candidate for chairman of Fairfax County Board of Supervisors)
John Foust (candidate for Dranesville District)
Vellie Dietrich Hall (candidate for Mason District)
Jeff McKay (candidate for Lee District)
Bruce Ryan (candidate for Mt. Vernon District)
Mike “Spike” Williams (candidate for Hunter Mill District)

Virginia House of Delegate Districts (in Fairfax County):

Dave Hunt (candidate for 34th District)
Margaret Vanderhye (candidate for 34th District)
Del. David Englin (45th District)

Virginia Senate Districts (in Fairfax County):

George Barker (candidate for 39th District)
Sen. Jeannemarie Devolites Davis (34th District)
Chap Petersen (candidate for 34th District)
Sen. Linda “Toddy” Puller (36th District, unopposed)

United States House of Representatives:

Doug Denneny (candidate for 11th District; election in November 2008)

In his organization’s appeal to elected officials and office seekers, TysonsTunnel.org President Scott A. Monett wrote: “Having one consistent and unified message from all of our leaders will send a strong message to the Federal Government and to Richmond. We want all leaders, in and around the impact zone, to sign the attached letter making it immensely clear that the ‘locally preferred option’ is a competitive procurement process and a tunnel through Tysons. We know that you agree with us that this popular, practical and pragmatic approach will best serve the long-term interests of our community, the region and the Commonwealth.”

The letter signed by the candidates, in part, states: “I affirm my support for a Metrorail system through Tysons Corner to Dulles International Airport. Additionally, I reaffirm my support for TysonsTunnel.org and its Citizens Petition, which I have signed previously.”

It goes on to state: “I call on all our elected officials to work toward achieving a successful Metrorail system through Tysons to Dulles. However, in solving the challenges facing the current project, our elected officials should focus their energy and political resources not only on cost reductions and funding reallocations, but also on a solution that allows adequate time for a fixed-price competitive bid and for full consideration of the Tysons Tunnel in that process. We must all work together toward these goals and take the necessary time to make this project right.”

Copies of the candidates’ letters are accessible at www.tysonstunnel.org, the Web site for the grassroots advocacy campaign.

TysonsTunnel.org represents an unprecedented coalition of community associations, small businesses, environmental groups, landowners, civic groups, homeowner associations, major corporations and private citizens calling for competitive bidding of the Metrorail extension to Dulles Airport and supporting construction of a tunnel under Tysons Corner. Web: www.tysonstunnel.org

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