Fairfax Needs Affordable Housing Renovation Fund, Citizen Task Force

Patch

By Michael O’Connell

Fairfax City Council candidate Anthony Amos focuses on three changes to make the city a more prosperous and democratic union.

FAIRFAX CITY, VA — Fairfax City voters heading to the polls to cast ballots in the Nov. 5 general election will find candidates running in the city council, school board and mayoral races.

Anthony Amos is one of the six candidates on the ballot in the Fairfax City Council race that have not previously run for elected office. Three incumbent candidates are running for reelection and two current members of the City of Fairfax School Board are seeking seats on the council.

All of the candidates in the city council race participated in the Sept. 25 candidate meet-and-greet at the Sherwood Community Center. Before voters got a chance to speak one-on-one with them, each of the candidates delivered a statement summarizing their reasons for running. The following are the remarks Amos made at that event.

“Aloha, everyone. As a local government employee, you see a lot of things.There’s a lot of angst and suffering around us. When my partner and I moved to this city, it was because we had nowhere else to go. The owner of a townhome we rented decided to move back in, and we had 60 days to find an affordable place to live.

“Since our transition, we have experienced a cycle of flooding, mice and bed bug infestations, and rats and raccoons hanging near our trash bins. Due to allergies, that meant months of sleeping in our car or in the bathtub, and unfortunately, it’s not an uncommon occurrence here. You learn a lot when knocking on doors.

“I share this with you because it is a narrative that we seldom discuss here in the city. People ask me why I’m running. It’s because I think that government should be fun.

“But here are three standout items that I ask that you expect out of all of us. It is time for an affordable housing renovation fund. It is time to connect city council even more with the community through opportunities like a biennial city council parks tour. And perhaps most importantly, it is time to launch a participatory budgeting pilot program, where a portion of the city’s budget is allocated to a citizens task force, and you decide how it’s spent. It’s being done right now in places like Chicago and Greensboro, encouraging more people to get engaged in local government, especially the youth and underrepresented.

“It’s time to become the change we want to see. It’s not easy doing this, but this isn’t about me. It’s about my little brother, my future child, and all those who come after. So, I ask you to, like me, to try to give us what we need, for us to come together, regardless of creed or color, to promote and advocate for these ideas in order to form a more prosperous and democratic union. Thank you.”

Patch is publishing a new story each day featuring remarks made by one of the candidates who spoke at the Sept. 25 meet and greet at the Sherwood Community Center, which was co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters of the Fairfax Area and Central Fairfax Chamber of Commerce.

Listen to the full audio from the Sept. 25 candidate meet-and-greet event