Author: Rick Horner

Gina Ciarcia has been an educator most of her life, whether it was as a tutor, homeschooling her five children, or teaching history at a private Christian school she has dedicated a good portion of her life to education and sees it as an important role in shaping the people of a nation. 

 

[caption id="attachment_176280" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Fairfax, Prince William] announces a new data center lab at the Northern Virginia Community College Woodbridge Campus. [Photo: Rick Horner][/caption]

Since 2009 Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) has represented the 11th congressional district which included Prince William County and Fairfax County. Connolly has been in the seat through the district's growth as well as its trying times such as the aftereffects of the 2008 recession and the recent coronavirus pandemic.

With the recent redrawing of the 11th district, Prince William County is no longer within Connolly's purview and has become part of the seventh congressional district which is now within the 7th and 10th congressional districts, represented by Abigail Spanberger (D) and Jennifer Wexton (D).

Voters will head to the polls on Tuesday, November 8 to vote for who will fill these seats for the next two years.

Potomac Local News had a chance to talk with Connolly about his experiences representing Prince William County which include some of the highlights and concerns during his tenure.

PLN: What were some concerns you had coming into office?

Connolly: One of the first things we had to do was reopen the office so people could come to me and tell me about their concerns and issues. The office hadn't been opened in a long time and I wanted my constituents to have a place to come to us and tell us about their issues.

One of my first goals was to reopen Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge. It had been closed for about 20 years and I wanted to open it back up to the public.

PLN: What were some of the successes that you had during your time representing Prince William County?

Connolly: We managed to get hundreds of millions of dollars for the county for various programs and projects, but one of the things that I'm most proud of is helping to elect Democrats across the county. There are many more Democrats now on the county's Board of Supervisors and there are more democrats representing Prince William County in the General Assembly in Richmond.

My former district director Briana Sewell was elected to the House of Delegates, she was wonderful and we do miss her up here but she's going great work down in Richmond.

PLN: What were some of the challenges that you had to work to overcome, especially during the great recession and the coronavirus pandemic?

Connolly: Well, I came in after the recession but we did have to deal with some of the aftereffects. As far as the pandemic, I worked with the Prince William County School Board to save 300 jobs through the Recovery Act.

We also worked hard to keep everyone in the county up to date about the ongoing pandemic, even though there were no face-to-face meetings for a long time we were having them online all the time. It was important to let the people know what was going on and get the information out to them.

PLN: Are there any regrets you may have, anything you weren't able to accomplish?

Connolly: I don't have any regrets, but one thing I hope happens sooner than later is for Metro to come down to the area. The county's population is growing and most of those people will be working in Northern Virginia and Washington D.C., without public transit to get them up there the county is going to become a bedroom community.

There's been slugging down here and that's helped but having that public transit will go a long way. That lack of public transit was a problem during the pandemic as well, people who had to drive home from Northern Virginia took an hour longer than my constituents in Fairfax. They'd have to jump on to watch the meetings just as they walked through the door at home.

PLN: Will there be anything you'll miss about the county, any places you liked to go to or any events?

Connolly: Well, there is this used bookstore in Woodbridge that I liked to go to called 2nd and Charles, they have a great selection of books and there's a lot to look at. I'll certainly miss the parades on the Fourth of July and Martin Luther King Jr. Day. I'll miss going to the various houses of worship on Sundays and meeting with my constituents.

PLN: Any final words of the matter?

Connolly: For nearly 14 years I've been honored to represent Prince William County in Congress. In times of celebration and in challenges we've always come together. Collectively we have transformed our County into a more inclusive, economically competitive, and progressive community. I am proud of that work and have been fortunate to make so many friends along the way. While my congressional district boundaries may change next year, my commitment to Prince William County will not end. This is my community, these are still my neighbors, and our important partnership will continue.

This interview was edited for length and brevity.