Zach's Plan for Leesburg
Zach Cummings is running for Leesburg Town Council to bring a fresh approach to Leesburg. If elected, Zach’s priorities will be helping our small businesses survive and thrive during our current health crisis. He will support smart growth here in Leesburg. Finally, as a member of council, he will work to end the gridlock that has kept important ideas from being debated by the council.
Check out Zach’s fresh approach for Leesburg below.
Check out Zach’s fresh approach for Leesburg below.
COVID-19
The most pressing issues in front of the Leesburg Town Council are the effects of our current health crisis on our small businesses and the fiscal health of our town. As a member of Council, Zach will work to ensure our small businesses not only survive, but thrive.
Even during the COVID-19 crisis, the town of Leesburg must not only maintain the status quo of our economic development operation but increase the incredibly important work of promoting Leesburg, our small businesses, and helping more businesses open!
As a member of Leesburg Town Council, Zach will focus on helping our economic development team expand their work by:
Zach will work to support our small and large businesses here in Leesburg by:
As an elected official in Leesburg, Zach’s number one priority is to the fiscal health of the town of Leesburg. Zach will work to hold the line on taxes charged to the citizens of Leesburg. In order to maintain strong fiscal policy in Leesburg, Zach will:
At the beginning of 2020, there were almost 3600 residential units approved to be built in Leesburg. Zach believes we need to let some of these developments mature to see the effects they will truly have on traffic flows, schools, and parking in Leesburg. A large number of these units came via “by right” development, meaning the land was zoned for the development currently taking place. As a member of Leesburg Town Council, Zach will focus on smart growth for our future:
A perfect example of smart growth under Zach’s plan is the new Ketterman’s Jewelers building on Catoctin Circle. The building was pre-existing and already had town water and sewer lines running to it and the roads were paved to the building. So when the Kettermans purchased the building the town did not need to spend money expanding utilities or roads to the building, but it went from a single tax-generating entity to at least three tax-generating entities. Additionally, and as equally important, the building redevelopment fit the neighborhood’s look and feel.
Parks & Green Space
As a member of Leesburg Town Council, Zach will work to continue promoting Leesburg’s incredible amenities like the Ida Lee Recreation Center, the A.V. Symington Aquatics Center, and our neighborhood parks and green spaces. These public green spaces and parks have always been important to Leesburg citizens, but during COVID-19 they became even more important and deserve Leesburg Town Council’s attention.
The former WestPark Golf Course is being tossed back and forth as the current owners are looking to sell the over 120 acres. There was an opportunity for the town of Leesburg to purchase some of the land, but several of the current councilmembers rejected even having staff study purchasing the land and revenue-generating ideas for it. If the analysis warrants the purchase of WestPark, then town council shall attempt to purchase the property. As a member of Leesburg Town Council, Zach will work to be part of the solution to provide even more public green space and parks without breaking the bank for the town of Leesburg.
Leesburg & Loudoun County
The town of Leesburg is the largest town in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the county of Loudoun. Our citizens and the town are the largest taxpayers to Loudoun County. As a member of Leesburg Town Council, Zach will work to improve the relationship between Leesburg and Loudoun County by creating a committee of town and county staff and elected officials to build bridges between the two governments. Additionally, town council members need to be more engaged in the day to day negotiations between Loudoun County and Leesburg on the joint land management area(JLMA.) The negotiations on the JLMA represent an incredible opportunity for the town of Leesburg fiscally. As a member of town council, Zach will work to help bring the incredible opportunity in the JLMA to the town of Leesburg.
The most pressing issues in front of the Leesburg Town Council are the effects of our current health crisis on our small businesses and the fiscal health of our town. As a member of Council, Zach will work to ensure our small businesses not only survive, but thrive.
- Leesburg must continue to fight for emergency funding from the federal and state government to help cover expenses incurred due to COVID-19.
- The town council and town economic development must continue to look for ways to use state and federal emergency funds to bridge these difficult times for Leesburg’s small businesses.
- Just like shutting down King Street on the weekends to allow our restaurants to have more outdoor dining, the town of Leesburg must think outside the box on ways for our restaurants to continue serving customers.
- The town should help block off spaces for “carry out/no contact pick up” for our restaurants.
- The town should look into purchasing, with CARES Act funding, outdoor heating equipment, wind shields, and other cold weather apparatuses for our restaurants and small businesses.
- The town’s economic development team and town council should continue working with our small businesses to brainstorm best practices during COVID-19 and create business mentors to ensure all small businesses in Leesburg have a shot to survive our current health crisis.
- With recent budget shortfalls caused by COVID-19, the town of Leesburg must continue to look at budget tightening measures and fiscal bridges for our current gap in funding. As a member of town council, Zach believes his number one priority is to preserve the fiscal health of Leesburg without raising taxes during a global pandemic.
Even during the COVID-19 crisis, the town of Leesburg must not only maintain the status quo of our economic development operation but increase the incredibly important work of promoting Leesburg, our small businesses, and helping more businesses open!
As a member of Leesburg Town Council, Zach will focus on helping our economic development team expand their work by:
- Urging Leesburg Town Council and staff to study the fiscal investment provided to the economic development team and produce a report on the return on investment (ROI) of Leesburg’s economic development operation
- Look to increase the budget for our economic development team that includes an additional staff member and resources to continue selling Leesburg and our small businesses
- Work with the town staff to identify and pursue funding opportunities from the state and federal governments for economic development, as well as look into public/private partnerships that can help support Leesburg small businesses
- Study the feasibility of creating a Leesburg Economic Development Authority to accept and distribute outside funding to the small businesses and entrepreneurs in Leesburg.
Zach will work to support our small and large businesses here in Leesburg by:
- Evaluating the process in which a business interacts with the town of Leesburg to streamline this process making starting a business easier in Leesburg
- Working with our small businesses to identify and help fill employment gaps by working with Loudoun County Public Schools, local universities and colleges, and trade schools to highlight the gaps in employment here in Leesburg
- Continue to partner with our local Virginia Small Business Development Center at the George Mason University and ensure our small and large businesses know about the incredible resources the SBDC provides our business owners and entrepreneurs
As an elected official in Leesburg, Zach’s number one priority is to the fiscal health of the town of Leesburg. Zach will work to hold the line on taxes charged to the citizens of Leesburg. In order to maintain strong fiscal policy in Leesburg, Zach will:
- Work with the town manager and department heads to capture state and federal funding to help increase or offset the town’s tax income
- Examine each line item in the budget process to determine the return on investment of your tax dollars
- Continue to operate the Leesburg budget in a “pay as you go” system and preserve our bond usage to large, important projects
- Request town staff to provide a profit/loss statement to council to determine costs of projects to determine ROI, whether fiscal or use/enjoyment
At the beginning of 2020, there were almost 3600 residential units approved to be built in Leesburg. Zach believes we need to let some of these developments mature to see the effects they will truly have on traffic flows, schools, and parking in Leesburg. A large number of these units came via “by right” development, meaning the land was zoned for the development currently taking place. As a member of Leesburg Town Council, Zach will focus on smart growth for our future:
- Urge town council and citizens to examine the current zoning throughout the town via the town plan
- Ensure developers are asked to share the burden with their developments through adequate proffers that help offset traffic issues and overcrowding schools
- Request town staff provide a profit/loss statement for the town’s coffers on all development projects that come to town council for approval
A perfect example of smart growth under Zach’s plan is the new Ketterman’s Jewelers building on Catoctin Circle. The building was pre-existing and already had town water and sewer lines running to it and the roads were paved to the building. So when the Kettermans purchased the building the town did not need to spend money expanding utilities or roads to the building, but it went from a single tax-generating entity to at least three tax-generating entities. Additionally, and as equally important, the building redevelopment fit the neighborhood’s look and feel.
Parks & Green Space
As a member of Leesburg Town Council, Zach will work to continue promoting Leesburg’s incredible amenities like the Ida Lee Recreation Center, the A.V. Symington Aquatics Center, and our neighborhood parks and green spaces. These public green spaces and parks have always been important to Leesburg citizens, but during COVID-19 they became even more important and deserve Leesburg Town Council’s attention.
The former WestPark Golf Course is being tossed back and forth as the current owners are looking to sell the over 120 acres. There was an opportunity for the town of Leesburg to purchase some of the land, but several of the current councilmembers rejected even having staff study purchasing the land and revenue-generating ideas for it. If the analysis warrants the purchase of WestPark, then town council shall attempt to purchase the property. As a member of Leesburg Town Council, Zach will work to be part of the solution to provide even more public green space and parks without breaking the bank for the town of Leesburg.
Leesburg & Loudoun County
The town of Leesburg is the largest town in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the county of Loudoun. Our citizens and the town are the largest taxpayers to Loudoun County. As a member of Leesburg Town Council, Zach will work to improve the relationship between Leesburg and Loudoun County by creating a committee of town and county staff and elected officials to build bridges between the two governments. Additionally, town council members need to be more engaged in the day to day negotiations between Loudoun County and Leesburg on the joint land management area(JLMA.) The negotiations on the JLMA represent an incredible opportunity for the town of Leesburg fiscally. As a member of town council, Zach will work to help bring the incredible opportunity in the JLMA to the town of Leesburg.