GERRY CONNOLLY FOR CONGRESS

Potomac News and Messenger

 February 22, 2009

Nothing works so well to mitigate distrust as a promise kept, and that is what Rep Gerald “Gerry” E. Connolly, D-11th, did Thursday.

While campaigning for his seat, the former chairman of the Fairfax Board of County Supervisors promised he would keep his constituents informed.

Thursday he ran around meeting with the editorial board of this newspaper, Chapter 1270 of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, the employees of General Dynamics in
Woodbridge and the residents of Westminster at Lake Ridge. That’s a good start.

Politicians tend to do a lot of hobnobbing with their constituents when they are eager to collect votes but less when the pressure of an election is off. Unfortunately, the less exposure a representative has to his or her constituents, the less effectively he or she can do the job. That’s why Connolly’s promise and his keeping it are boons both to the people and to him.

The people can gain an understanding of what is happening in Congress and how one of our representatives is acting, and Connolly can gain an understanding of what the people think about it all.

During our meeting with Connolly, he explained his rationale for voting for the stimulus package and also dispelled some of the rumors that representatives didn’t read the entire bill. He told us how we
would benefit locally, and he also told us some of what he didn’t like in the final bill.

He also gave us a view of what kinds of things we can expect in the future, and he gave us a promise of further interaction.

All around, the meeting was informative and enlightening. A view of Congress from an insider always provides a unique view, one that is often missing from traditional media reports.

Connolly has made a good beginning on his promise to keep the people informed. We will hold him to his commitment to continue to do so.