Q & A: Town Council Candidate Joseph Mydlinski

Ten candidates will appear on the Nov. 6 ballot when the Town of Leesburg holds its first fall election next week.

Eight candidates are looking to fill a council member's seat. Among them is Joseph Mydlinski. Below are his responses to a list of questions asked by Leesburg Patch:

Q: What made you decide to run for Town Council?
A: Leesburg is a nice place to live in. As a 44-year resident my goal is to keep Leesburg a pleasant place to work in and an even better place to live in. I believe the town government is well managed providing services at a reasonable tax rate and I want to continue this effort.

Q: After speaking with the voters during your campaign, what is one concern that you've heard the most and how would you address it?
A: Voters that I spoke with had diverse concerns but no single issue stood out. If I were to pick out one issue it would be transportation problems - increasing in-town congestion during rush hour, what mass transit will look like, and rising tolls.

Q: A recent debate in the town has been the possible relocation of the court system from downtown Leesburg. What are your views on this topic as well as your position?
A: The Court House Complex should not be moved from downtown Leesburg. As a Loudoun county resident I cannot express how strongly that the court system should stay in Leesburg. A move to a location outside of town would be too costly for the for the county and too disruptive to the court system and to its employees. All the reasons stated for the move were answered by the Town Council and any new issues can be resolved by the council working in good faith with the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors. In a time of austerity and the board of supervisors wanting to lower taxes constructing a new building is a waste of taxpayer money, especially since the current complex recently underwent a multimillion dollar renovation.

Q: How do you feel about the upcoming election? How has your campaign been going and do you have any big events planned prior to Nov. 6?
A: I feel optimistic about the upcoming election. Going door-to-door is tiring but interesting and informative. I didn’t realize how many people I knew or knew me from church, coaching baseball or soccer, or my volunteering at the local food bank. As a late write-in candidate and as a first-time candidate for elective office big events are not planned.

Q: What is one thing that you would like the voters to know about you before heading to the polls in November?
A: I want voters to know that my wife and I consider Leesburg our home and I want to do whatever I can to keep the town a good place to raise children as we did our three sons.

To read more about Joseph Mydlinski check out his campaign coverage on Leesburg Patch.

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Leesburg Patch will continue to share Q & A's each week leading up to the Nov. 6 election. Did you miss one? You can find more campaign coverage here. And, don't forget to submit your questions to the candidates.