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Carrying a message: For Arthur Purves, campaign more important than results
Vienna's delegate race could be called one-sided if fund-raising totals mean anything.Vienna's delegate race could be called one-sided if fund-raising totals mean anything.Incumbent Democrat Del. Steve Shannon has raised $100,000 to try and hold his 35th District seat, compared to the $5,000 Republican challenger and tax activist Arthur Purves has generated.
"I would be very surprised to win," Purves acknowledged, "but there are things that are more important than getting elected."
To Purves, those important things have to do with government spending and taxes, and he's willing to lose an election for the sixth time to draw attention to those issues.
"We're paying higher taxes to perpetuate problems instead of solving them. Our General Assembly is out of control," Purves said.
Running a campaign you expect to lose is a difficult thing for many to understand, but even Shannon believes Purves' campaign is important.
"I give him a lot of credit for jumping into the fray," Shannon said. "When people get a free ride, they tend not to go out ... to find the issues. We need competition."
According to Shannon, 35, a former prosecutor first elected to the General Assembly in 2003, the issues he hears about fall under one common heading.
"The quality-of-life issues - transportation, public safety, the environment and education - those are what people are concerned about," Shannon said.
The incumbent's philosophy for tackling those problems is right in line with Northern Virginia's Democratic 2007 platform, emphasizing preschool education and environmental concerns and touting his record of working across party lines in the House.
"A lot of accomplishments in the legislature are result of not hanging back in a regional delegation but reaching out to others," Shannon said.
Perhaps in line with that philosophy, Shannon comes off a little softer on the Republican-endorsed 2007 transportation bill than some of his fellow Democrats.
"We made progress on transportation funding. It's a good start," Shannon said, adding, "The emphasis is on 'start.'"
In contrast, Purves isn't soft on anything. Other candidates' Web sites open on pictures of them smiling with their families; Purves leads his with a series of graphs charting the disparities between Fairfax county's income growth and real estate tax hikes.
"While households were getting poorer, taxes were getting higher," Purves said. "I think the real issue is paying for transportation infrastructure without raising taxes."
He has a lot of experience in attacking Virginia's tax code. For 10 years Purves has been president of the Fairfax County Taxpayers Alliance, a tax watchdog group. Among other spending, he is critical of the planned Metrorail extension to Washington Dulles International Airport.
"We should not be extending the aging Metro infrastructure further. It's irresponsible," Purves said. "We're spending $3 billion on a nonsolution."
On education, Purves also believes that existing funds are used irresponsibly, necessitating calls for increased spending.
"The curriculum is doing a poor job of educating at-risk students, meaning more remedial classes," he said.
Purves knows that advocating against increased education funding and the rail extension will turn some voters against him, but he doesn't care.
"The truth is not always a majority vote," Purves said.
Shannon and Purves are scheduled to meet in their first debate Oct. 9 at the National Association of Retired Federal Employees meeting at the Vienna Community Center.
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