Cleveland Anderson Wants Tax Breaks For Businesses

Editor's Note: This Q&A has been re-featured for readers as the election is Nov. 8. 

Candidate supplied profile:

As a small business owner who manages an annual payroll of over $1 million, I know how to create jobs and how to weather a tough economy.  I started my first small business with nothing but a prayer, six employees and my life savings. Since then, I have created hundreds of jobs as owner of Vincent & Vincent Hair Salon. Likewise, I am a licensed realtor and Managing Partner of Liberty Village Professional Center in Dumfries. 
 
I have lived in Virginia my entire life and in Prince William County for over 30 years. This is where I have raised my two children and this is where my two grandchildren live today. 
 
In my spare time, I have taken an active role in the Prince William community as a member of the Chamber of Commerce, Realtors Association, Lions Club and Elks Club.  I am currently enjoying my role as Fundraising Chair for the Occoquan District Boy Scouts.

Cleveland Anderson's Official Campaign Website

Question 1: What is one of the top issues facing residents of the 52nd District and how do you plan to address this if elected?

The top issue facing our residents is job creation and the economy.  As a small-business owner who has created hundreds of jobs along Route 1 in Dumfries, I know how to do this and where government can help and when government needs to get out of the way. Unfortunately, it is usually the latter… through reducing taxes or providing incentives for investment, productivity and hiring workers; and by reducing burdensome regulations that raise the cost of doing business, increase prices to customers and reduces employment. If elected, I will work with Governor McDonnell, who has endorsed me, to bring new businesses and jobs to Eastern Prince William, to take advantage of our proximity to Quantico, Ft. Belvoir and Washington DC.  I will craft legislation to facilitate investment in older areas by creating business enterprise zones… incentivizing businesses to locate in disadvantaged older areas and providing tools for them and local officials to make sure they thrive and succeed.  

Question 2: How can Virginia generate more revenue for transportation projects?  

In case folks did not notice, at the direction of Governor McDonnell, we most recently completed an audit of VDOT freeing up over a billion dollars for new roads and transportation initiatives, and we passed new road bond authority providing more than that. We need to emphasis bus mass transit along the Route One corridor to ferry folks to transit centers and maximize our VRE station efficiencies. I do not support job crippling tax increases to fund new transportation projects, but feel that with the growing clout of our Northern Virginia Delegation that by teaming up with Tidewater, we will finally be able to enact formulas to increase our share of transit and road funding.  

Question 3: How would you support economic development and job creation? 

Streamlining and reducing regulations on business; providing tax incentives for business location in older disadvantaged areas; fostering and protecting our right to work laws, and supporting sound economic policies like balanced budgets and pay as you go infrastructure projects. Again, as a small businessman, I have already created hundreds of jobs along the Route 1 corridor and that is what I will concentrate on as your Delegate. 

Question 4: Do you support HOT lanes, and why or why not? Was there a better solution to the traffic problems on I-95? 

The HOT lanes have been approved and will move forward and there is no longer a chance to modify them to any great extent and certainly not to stop them. If they result in moving Southern Commuters faster through our crowded highway lanes letting free market economics work, I will be pleased and pleasantly surprised. However, a coordinated approach to maximizing VRE rider ship and efficiencies, increasing dedicated bus transit node routes, better coordinating and facilitating shared rider ship (slugs) and creating jobs here in Eastern Prince William to take area residents off the roads we have makes more sense. 

Question 5: Do you support extending Metrorail to Woodbridge? Why or why not?

No. The cost burden on Prince William residents and businesses would be too great. Unlike Tyson’s Corner and Dulles, we don’t have commercial corridors to create a commercial tax district to help fund it. We cannot afford almost any local share of the minimum $6 billion needed to build it (probably at least twice that if it ever was approved) and it would negatively impact rail we already have in place, VRE. I also believe that it would likely target Potomac Mills rather than our older areas in Eastern Prince William and be utilized by tens of thousands of commuters from our growing suburbs to the South. Finally, I don’t object to an affordable transportation study that includes Metro as an option, but to raise hopes for area residents that they will see Metro to Prince William in their lifetimes is a cruel hoax.