Meet The Candidate: Stevan Porter For Herndon Town Council

HERNDON, VA — In addition to voting for the president and vice president, U.S. senator and U.S. representative in the Nov. 3 general election, residents of the Town of Herndon will be choosing from among 10 candidates to fill vacant seats on the Town Council. They will also choose who will be the new mayor.

Stevan Porter, 51, has more than 25 years of experience in information technology, including 20 years with Oracle America. He is running for a seat on the Herndon Town Council.

As part of its coverage of the 2020 election, Patch has asked each of the candidates in Herndon to fill out a questionnaire to describe why they think they're the best person to fill the job they're running for.

Candidate

Stevan Porter

Age (as of Election Day)

51

Town/City of Residence

Herndon

Office Sought

Herndon Town Council Member

Party Affiliation

Non-Partisan Race but Endorsed by Libertarian Party

Family

Johnise Molloy 52 -- Married in 2009. Johnise works is a marketing proposal professional. We also have two dogs -- Biscuit and Crumpet.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

I am a volunteer and part-time employee within the Loudoun County Fire and Rescue System. No one works within Herndon.

Education

B.A. in Social Sciences (Minor in Sociology) from Washington State University. Post graduate work (but no degree) in Philosophy and Theology from Gonzaga University and The Catholic University of America. Assorted professional and fire/rescue certifications.

Occupation

25+ Years of experience in Information Technology including 20 years with Oracle America. 18 years as a paramedic and instructor in the Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue System.

Campaign website

www.porter4herndon.com

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

I served on the Loudoun County Volunteer Services Board and various positions in the Fire and Rescue System and other non-profit organizations. No offices in the sense I think you are intending.

The single most pressing issue facing our town is the financial recovery from the pandemic, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The single most critical issue at the moment will be financial recovery and adjustments from the pandemic. There are three primary things we will need to do about it. 1) Carefully examine spending priorities and what services the community truly wants the Town to provide. 2) Determine how to fund those services. This needs to include both tax strategies (significantly raising taxes in this economony would be counter productive) and also looking at innovative ways to better involve residents, businesses, and organizations in solutions. 3) Developing plans to help mitigate the impact of any future events.

Do you support Black Lives Matter and what are your thoughts on the demonstrations held since the death of George Floyd and the shooting of Jacob Blake?

"Black Lives Matter" can have two different meanings depending on who you are talking about. If we are talking about the formal organization, it really depends on the specific affiliate and I do have some concerns about the overall agenda of some of them. The other meaning -- and the one I have seen more frequently around Herndon -- is the general social justice movement that seeks to make people more aware that we need to be focusing more on the specific issues of racial bias and inequality that Black Americans and other people of color are still facing in our country and communities. I fully support that aspect of BLM and appreciate the work NAACP, SURJ, local faith communities, and others are doing in this space.

In regards to the demonstrations -- I fully support peaceful demonstrations. Where they have crossed over into violence against people and property, not so much. Fortunately the demonstrations we have seen in Herndon have all been peaceful and generally trying to foster understanding and support of both our law enforcement and our communities of color.

What are your thoughts on the campaign to "defund" the police?

Again "defund" has different meanings depending on who you talk to. I do NOT support the elimination of the Herndon Police Department or significant, punitive cuts to its budget. On the other hand I also do NOT think they need military level hardware (which I don't think they have). The other aspect of defunding the police is to shift resources to alternative response models such as paramedic/social worker teams. I do support those types of efforts for alternative responses, however, those fall outside the realm of Herndon's government and resources since rescue, social, and psychiatric services all fall to the County and State.

What are your thoughts on the state and national response to the coronavirus pandemic? Do you favor such measures as limiting operation of non-essential businesses or restricting indoor/outdoor dining? And do you favor a nationwide mask mandate?

Evaluating the state and national responses is difficult without good data and some historical perspective which we will not have until after the event is over. We have done some good steps and made some mistakes. I personally do not envy either President Trump or Governor Northam in having to deal with this.

In regards to restrictions, I think that needs to be determined by qualified health professionals who understand the realities of the local area and what makes sense there. I do not favor national mandates since the situation on the ground in one area can be vastly different from that in another area. These decisions need to be made by well qualified people at the local (or regional) level.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

Probably the biggest difference is that I am not running as part of a partisan block seeking to not only have a majority voice on the council but to truly dominate it. I want to fully engage our diverse community of residents, businesses, and organizations in the discussions and solutions to the issues Herndon is facing. The Council needs diverse perspectives and viewpoints to avoid becoming an echo chamber and to hold the -- at times difficult -- conversations the community needs and deserves.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

The nice thing about this race is that it is for one of 6 seats with only 3 incumbents running. So it is not necessarily that anyone has failed. I am concerned though that I have seen less and less meaningful debate and dialog within the Council over the last several cycles including this year where I have been faithfully attending every Council work session and public hearing since early February.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform

I have tended to focus on some pretty high level mindsets for my campaign as opposed to specific issues simply because -- as 2020 has shown -- priorities and the needs of the community can drastically change on short notice. Overall though I have been stressing engagement of the entire community in the life and government of the town, transparency and ease of access to key data (including budget, boards, and police data), financial responsibility, and support to help the small businesses that are key to Herndon's "flavor" establish themselves and thrive here.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I have been a successful troubleshooter and problem solver both in the IT world and the fire / rescue world for many years by gathering as complete understanding of the situation as I can, exploring the options thoroughly, and then finding the best solution. I have held a variety of positions of leadership in non-profits over the years including president, secretary, board of directors, club administrator, and the various operational fire / rescue positions up to and including Assistant Chief of a 100+ member volunteer rescue company. This has exposed me to a wide variety of people, problems, and situations which in turn has helped me develop a broad toolbox of skills and experiences I can apply to the challenges and issues the Town will have to deal with. I have also been attending council meetings regularly to be up to date on the current issues so I will not have to start from square one. I think this is important and apparently very few non-incumbent candidates have been doing this.

If you win this position, what accomplishment would make your term in office as a success?

I would view my term in office as a success if I could actually look back and see a notable increase in engagement of our diverse residents, businesses, and organizations in the life and governing of the town. More public comments; more interest in serving on Town committees, boards, and commisions; more engagement with Town staff and elected officials; etc.

Why should voters trust you?

Honesty and integrity have always been a key part of who I am -- my family motto is actually STO PRO VERITATE (I Stand for Truth). I have always strived to do the right thing even if it was not the best thing for me. My service as a volunteer paramedic and the various leadership roles I have held in that system, Knights of Columbus, and Herndon Rotary would also -- I hope -- help support my trustworthiness.

What are your views on fiscal policy, government spending and the use of taxpayer dollars in the office you are seeking?

I believe any discussion of fiscal issues has to begin with spending rather than taxation. Taxes are simply how we pay for the spending priorities we set as a community. When looking at spending we need to carefully consider how a particular service or offering actually benefits the wide community and also whether there are other ways that service can be delivered in a most cost effective manner (through privatization, partnerships, cross training staff, etc.). We also need to be carefully looking at and funding future needs and efforts. Things like reserve funds, etc. should be actively provided for rather than simply being the dumping account for any surpluses.

Is there any reason you would not serve your full term of office, other than those of health or family?

Barring some unforeseen and unlikely change in my job / employment status, no.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Always be honest about your positions. You can discuss differences with people but once you lose someone's trust it is extremely hard to get it back.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

Only that I am truly running to try to bring balance to the Council and make sure all perspectives are heard / examined so that we can come to the best decisions for our community and implement them in the best possible manner. Hopefully this will include a wide involvement of our entire community both in the discussion and in many cases the solutions. I am always open to discussions and hearing from people and I hope people will give me the opportunity to serve them on the Town Council come January 2021.

Also see ...

Herndon Town Council Candidates

• Sean Regan

Mayor of Herndon Candidates

• Cesar del Aguila
  
• Roland Taylor

Links to the other candidates in the 2020 election will be added as Patch publishes their profiles.