F.C. Candidate Statements

Lou Mauro

I am a 25-year resident of Falls Church and have become increasingly concerned about the negative impact on our quality of life caused by skyrocketing real estate taxes, burdensome long-term debt, misguided development policies, overcrowded schools, inadequate recreational opportunities for our children, and insufficient opportunities for citizens to communicate with City government. Despite good intentions, the Council frequently loses touch with the realities our citizens face and lacks an appreciation of future consequences. I am running for City Council to bring common sense to bear in addressing these issues.

I stand for real economic development -- retail and commercial businesses to provide needed goods and services, expanded opportunities for sports and health and fitness activities, and for arts and entertainment. I am for real mixed use development, not bogus “mixed” use projects that are 85-90 percent residential condos or apartments. I believe that only by insisting on development of an inviting, appropriately-scaled, environmentally sound commercial core for our City can we reduce dependence on increasingly crippling real estate taxes, and ensure that Falls Church remains affordable for a diverse population of citizens who have made this a great place to live.

I am from Long Island, New York, but have deep roots in our community. My son, Joseph, is a member of the George Mason High School (GMHS) Class of 2004. I am a member of the Steering Committee of the GMHS Planning Committee and a substitute teacher at GMHS. I have coached GMHS golf, volleyball, baseball, and softball teams, and also our kids on Little League and Babe Ruth baseball teams. I am a parishioner and lector at St. James Church and sing with two local choral groups, The Metropolitan Chorus in Arlington, and Choralis here in Falls Church. I am a graduate of Georgetown University and Georgetown Law School, and a retired attorney, having spent most of my career at the U.S. Department of the Interior specializing in federal land use, environmental, and water rights law.

I look forward to listening to your views on these issues between now and Election Day, May 4, and representing you on the City Council.

Joan Wodiska

I’m deeply honored to have received the CBC endorsement and am excited about the upcoming campaign for School Board. Thank you CBC members for your vote and kind words of encouragement.

I'm the daughter of a public school teacher and a state university professor. I'm an expert on K-12 education policy and have dedicated my career to improving education. In short, I'm passionate about and believe in public education.

I currently work for a national organization representing local School Board members before the U.S. Congress and the Administration. In the future, I'll be leading the federal education policy efforts of a national gubernatorial organization. Previously, I worked for the American Counseling Association and as an education policy advisor in the U.S. Senate.

During my career, I’ve fought for increased federal spending for special education, child nutrition and health, school counseling, education technology and teacher training. I've also fought for and won millions of dollars to help communities build or modernize schools.

There are several challenges facing our schools. Expenses related to the new middle school building and the State shortfall for the teacher retirement fund placed additional financial requirements on our local community and taxpayers. Consequently, it’s becoming increasing difficult to find the resources to pay for new local needs while complying with state and federal mandates.

Therefore, should I be elected, I'll strongly support seeking new funding from Richmond, Washington, for-profit and non-profit entities to try and keep local taxes as low as possible. Furthermore when your tax dollars are used to pay local school expenses, I'm committed to ensuring that those costs are reasonable and responsible.

Our schools also face new requirements because of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. I would like the opportunity to use my knowledge of this law to work with the School Board on this very complex issue.

Our public schools make the City of Falls Church a desirable place to live, work and do business. I'm excited about our schools and want to work with you to make them -- at all grades and for all children -- even better.