The papers are in!

My ballot petitions are done and the completed candidate packet was duly delivered to the House District 37 Chair in early afternoon today! The first hurdle has been cleared to running in an open seat and I am exhilarated by the adventure that lies ahead.

I keep meeting great new people who are coming out to volunteer for the campaign, and the campaign is starting to find its own rhythm. It is exciting to watch this campaign machine come together.

Breaking News

Big news! Current Fairfax Delegate Chap Petersen just announced that he will not seek reelection to his House seat, and instead is focusing entirely on his campaign for Lt. Governor.

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The House of Delegates 37th district is now an open seat, and the Janet for Fairfax campaign is running full speed ahead. Stay tuned for my official campaign announcement: details to follow soon!

New Friends and Old

Many thanks to Chris and Phil Niedzielski-Eichner for hosting such a fabublous fundraiser for the campaign last night. We had a packed house of both new and old friends who made the occasion special for us all. I can't thankeveryone enough for braving the inclement weather to join in philosophical and political discussions about issues that affect us at every level of our lives: health care, education, economic development and of course, transportation.

Much was said of the sorry condition of our transportation woes in the metropolitan area. There is not one family who isn't affected by the stubborness of the problem, whether because of commuting to work or doing errands during the middle of the day. Often, you "can't get there from here." Any time neighbors and friends get together, the topic eventually drifts to car hours in traffic...and it makes me more determined to find a working solution to the transportation morass.

So Much Going On

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. The pace of the campaign is picking up already and I just haven't found a minute to sit down at the keyboard. On the positive side, that means I have all kinds of news to share.

Fundraising Deadlines

There's less than a week to go now until the first campaign finance filing report deadline on March 31, and every contribution, no matter how large or how small, makes a very big difference in our campaign. I can't thank you enough in advance, for your support in my effort to mount a competetive race for the House of Delegates. We've added a contribution section to the sidebar of the blog, to make it easy and convenient for you to make secure online contributions. Plus, when you contribute online, we receive your contribution instantly--and we can put your money to work in the campaign right away. Thank you to all the friends, old and new, who have already clicked that Contribute! button and invested in our campaign. I really appreciate your generosity and support.

Birthday Surprise

I received the best birthday present today. (Yes, today really is my birthday.) My fabulous staff put together a meet and greet and a great big canvass for my birthday present. So today, I received what every candidate dreams of: a house full of new volunteers. Thank you so much to everyone who came out to make this is a special day for me.Following the festivities, a friend from my School Board race, Bob Smith, and I grabbed my petition forms and hit the streets knocking on doors. I met some very concerned citizens in Fairfax City who shared with me the problems they were having with the new property assessments we recently received in the mail. Some were on fixed incomes and wondered how they ever were going to pay the higher taxes. Here is one example of our Commonwealth passing on the cost of doing the public business to the localities.

And now you know the truth about grassroots campaigns: even on your birthday, you go out knocking door to door. At least I feel like all this exercise is making me younger!

You Are Invited

This Monday night, my school board colleague Phil Niedzielski-Eichner and his lovely wife Chris are kindly hosting a reception in my honor. We would all be delighted to have you join us.

A Reception in Honor of Janet Oleszek
The Niedzielski-Eichner Home
10403 Adel Road,Oakton,VA View Map
Monday, March 28, 7:30pm to 9:00pm

Sponsor $250
Benefactor $100
Patron $50
Friend $35

To RSVP or for more information, please call 703-323-0202 or email RSVP@janetforfairfax.com.

So if you didn't make it out for the meet and greet this afternoon, I hope to see you soon, on Monday night or when I'm door knocking in your neighborhood.

Cheers,

Janet

Pathways to Peace

I was thrilled to see over 500 public school students from the entire Northern Virginia region meet at George Mason University to participate in Pathways to Peace, a conference on mediation and conflict resolution. Hosted by the Fairfax County Public Schools, this most important conference sought to train students while among their peers to identify and prevent violence in our community. Workshops were set up in the two day event to reinforce lessons learned by these very observant students.

Civic duty

Today the campaign trail took me door knocking, door knocking, and more door knocking. I think meeting new neighbors and hearing their concerns is the best part of campaigning. (If only it didn't require lots of stairs and hills!) Maybe when the weather heats up, I won't be so enthusiastic!

In the evening I attended the Washington Post annual awards banquet honoring Dr. Ray Worley, Jennifer Cooper and Merrily Pierce. Each of these honorees have volunteered for over 25 years chairing councils, advisory committees to the School Board and Board of Supervisors, while partnering with religious organizations and the business and professional communities to improve the condition of our community. When describing why she volunteers so much time and energy, Merrily said "the future is purchased by what we pay in the present." I think those words are profound, and explain in large part why I'm seeking office in the House of Delegates.

I am concerned with the future. My children's, your children's, and my neighbors' children. If we don't get working harder to solve the major dilemmas of today such as affordable higher education, affordable housing, reasonable transportation relief, the future will be upon us with no solutions and no hope. We need leaders who offer a present and a future that makes sense to all of us, not just some of us.

Springtime carnivals and fun fairs

Sorry I haven't been able to write for a few days, but I've been busy in the community meeting some very special folks who work very hard organizing and supporting programs that directly benefit children.

For example: today I was volunteering at the Providence Elementary School Fun Fair which serves as a major fund raiser for the PTA. I just learned from Courtney Robinson, School Board Member in Fairfax City and Providence School mom, that this year the Fun Fair increased its profits by 1/3 over last year.

Providence's fundraising success today is important because the state has refused to provide the necessary financing for after school programs, facility repairs, equipment and even teacher compensation--and the PTA's around the state have increasingly taken responsibility for funding more and more programs and services on their own to close the funding gap. As a result, many principals have wish lists that only PTA's routinely fulfill.

In other words, whether or not you have school-age children in your family, please go out and support your local schools this spring during the carnival and fun fair season. Your support can make a big difference in the quality of education in the schools in our community.

Congratulations to Courtney and Providence Elementary for a great job today!

Welcome to our new blog

Well, after putting up that first "real" post last night, I feel like this blog is really happening. It is exciting to add the blog to the list of ways that we can reach out to voters and that voters can get in touch with us.

Most of all, it is exciting to be back on the campaign trail again, knocking on doors, and working side by side with my friends and neighbors in Fairfax, as I run for the House of Delegates in the 37th District. Thank you again to everyone who helped on my successful 2003 campaign for Fairfax County School Board. I know that the hard work of so many friends and volunteers was what made me the top vote winner out of 6 candidates in that competitive race, and I can’t thank you enough for your ongoing support.

I am building on my 2003 campaign success to run for the House of Delegates this year in order to continue the 37th District's current tradition of high engagement with the community, accessibility to voters, and responsiveness to constituents’ needs. I deliver 20+ years of public service fighting for Fairfax children and families; extensive legislative and policy expertise; as well as a proven, long-term commitment to the people of Fairfax. I look forward to your support again in this critical race.

Volunteers, donors, and friends old and new: please get in touch with us by phone at 703-323-0202, by email at campaign@janetforfairfax.com, through our website at www.janetforfairfax.com, or by leaving a comment right here on the blog. And, don’t forget to sign up for our campaign newsletter, the J Team, for instant news and updates from the campaign. Subscribing is as simple as adding your email address to the box on the right hand side of this page.

I look forward to winning with you once again! See you on the campaign trail.

Local student drug program in peril

It was great to see the students who were recognized for participating in the Safe and Drug Free Award program this afternoon at Fairfax High School. The program is responsible for teaching important avoidance skills, and has been a huge success with children from Kindergarten through High School.

At the same time, I was very concerned to learn that the $600,000 funding for this important drug prevention program has been cut in the proposed federal budget. Here in Fairfax, as state and local governments have to shoulder these kinds of economic burdens, the cost gets passed on to local homeowners through our property taxes.

I am running for the House of Delegates not just to fight for education issues like keeping our children drug-free, but also to fight to protect local homeowners. I hope you'll join me!

Cheers,

Janet