For incumbents on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, the Dulles rail issue could not have come to a head at a worse time.
With all 10 members up for election in November, the course of the mammoth rail extension is threatening to turn into a political liability for those running for another term. Supervisors are now faced with deciding whether to fund the project with an unpopular aerial rail through Tysons Corner, or withhold $400 million in order to pressure the state to build a tunnel under Tysons and put the entire 23-mile project out to bid.
A decision either way could have ramifications on the political future of the supervisors. If the board signs off on the funds, it would be against the wishes of many supporters of the Tysons tunnel, which is one of the largest local movements of any kind in Northern Virginia’s recent history.
A refusal, however, could block the entire project for the foreseeable future by removing a key source of local funding. The loss of mass transit in the Dulles Corridor could be a greater political blow than the loss of a tunnel, especially in the areas west of Tysons.
For Carl Lundie, who lives in the Tysons area and supports the tunnel movement, a decision to vote to fund the aerial track and not demand competitive bidding would “indicate a non-willingness to listen to the citizens.”
“Most of the citizens want an open bid,” he said.
He said the outcome could potentially affect his vote. While he said he already supports Charlie Hall, the primary opponent of Democrat Linda Smyth in the Providence District race, he’s undecided on the re-election bid of Chairman Gerald Connolly, who is elected countywide.
