OPINION
I like 11st Congressional District Congressman Gerry Connolly, I really do. I don’t always agree with his politics; however, he has supported a few initiatives I am really fond of, like Telework, and his constituent services are first class. While I lean right, I voted for Connolly in the past, and had planned to for the indefinite future.
Then, redistricting happened. I was not pleased. I found myself in the 1st Congressional District that stretches from Prince William all the way to Willamsburg, and wondered out loud, “who is this guy, Congressman Rob Wittman?”
I finally got to meet Wittman at a veterans information event held at the Dale City Volunteer Fire Department this spring (courtesy of the Prince William Veterans Council). While his knowledge of veterans affairs and issues, particularly jobs, impressed me, I was still a bit disconcerted about his lack of visibility in Prince William County.
Not being the shy type, I told Wittman we just don’t see enough of him.
His Chief of Staff called to arrange for a meeting at “my office” (the Starbucks on the corner of Hoadly Road and the Prince William Parkway), and I had a chance to chat with the Congressman about support for Prince William County, and a range of issues facing the Federal Government.
I left the meeting impressed, and a bit humbled. Those of you who follow this column know that I am a big fan of telework, social media, and the use of technology to take people off the road. Wittman is clearly “wired” and “plugged in” to all of the tools available to keep in touch with his constituents.
Wittman is eating the dog food I’ve been pushing for years using technology to be accessible to the public.
If you want to get to know Wittman or have an issue you would like to discuss, you might just want to participate in one of his on-line venues. He personally hosts Twitter Tuesdays, Facebook Fridays, and tele-town halls. If technology isn’t your thing, he has a number of satellite offices around the 1st Congressional District, including one in Dumfries. His staff also answers the phone (as I found out when I needed a little help with one of those large Government Agencies.)
I will point out that Wittman spends a lot of time traveling around his District meeting with constituents one-on-one to address their concerns and perhaps help with issues. He sandwiched me in for an hour on a Sunday afternoon for such a conversation with me.
Wittman sits on the House Armed Services Committee and the Committee on Natural Resources. I had a chance to hear him talk about Veterans issues at his visit to the Dale City firehouse, and discussed a number of national Defense issues with him during his visit to my “office”. As a Naturalist, I was pleasantly surprised by his grasp of environmental issues. Wittman sponsored the Chesapeake Bay Accountability and Recovery Act of 2013.
While I don’t agree with all of the Congressman’s public policy positions, I found myself agreeing with most of them. He’s a small Government fiscal conservative who believes in accountability, metrics, and sound fiscal management.
The Congressman does have one “soft spot”, an abiding respect for federal employees. Wittman fully supports constraining the size and growth of the Federal Government; however, he recognizes its employees shouldn’t be “collateral damage” in the process. The Congressman recognizes the hard work performed by feds keeps the machinery of government running, and has little tolerance for those who criticize them.
The Federal Government is going through some tough times, and its employees are taking a lot of heat. Wittman recognizes this, and (IMHO) holds today’s Federal Employees in the same high regard he holds Veterans.
I still like my old representative Gerry Connolly, and miss him. That being said, Wittman won me over. He is very accessible to anyone with a laptop, tablet, or smartphone, and doesn’t mind driving to Prince William County to meet with constituents in person (even on a beautiful Sunday afternoon).
