VA Elected Official Reponds To Patch Story On Controversial Trail Project: Letter

This letter was submitted in response to this story: George Snyder Trail Decision Delayed By City Council

Michael,

I read with interest the article that you published Thursday about the George Snyder Trail and several comments and quotes regarding me. Because I was not invited to review and comment on your story in advance of publication, I would like to clarify some points that are unclear and possibly misleading.

As you know, I am deeply committed to environmental sustainability issues. This includes long standing efforts to find a constructive resolution to conflicts involving the George Snyder Trail dating back to my service as Chair of the City’s Environmental Sustainability Committee. As a Council member, I have played a key role in leading efforts to forge alternative solutions and informed community dialog to address many of our City’s environmental and community needs.

My commitment to sustainability includes mobilizing support and making motions for two recent Council resolutions resulting in unanimous (6-0) votes on the George Snyder Trail to enable our community to explore constructive outcomes through high level dialog between Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and our elected officials. Since passage of these resolutions, two very constructive meetings with VDOT have been held in which I was involved. As an outgrowth of these, I was an invited guest at the VDOT Six Year Plan public hearing on May 8. I joined local elected officials from across the region and was called upon, along with other local elected officials, to share thoughts on transportation needs. The public was also invited to speak, including several citizens from our City. This hearing was one of a series held statewide.

In my remarks, was able to thank state and regional officials for support on transportation alternatives in our City. I posted these comments on social media and received many grateful comments from our citizens. Since the VDOT hearing, the Council has requested additional flexibility on alternatives to the George Snyder Trail, including action taken this past Tuesday.

As part of my service to the City, I am pleased also to serve on several regional boards and commissions through formal appointments by our Council. These engagements allow me to engage in peer exchange and commitments for cooperation with council members and other elected officials from neighboring jurisdictions, as well as state and regional government representatives, on transportation commitments. My appointments include:

• Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) Planning and Coordination Advisory Committee (PCAC) City representative
• Metropolitan Washington Council Of Governments (WASH COG) Transportation Planning Board, City representative
• WASH COG Air Quality Committee, City representative
• WASH COG Climate Energy and Environment Policy Committee, City representative
• Virginia Municipal League (VML) Infrastructure, Transportation and Environmental Quality Policy Committee, City representative
• NVTA, alternate City representative
• Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC), alternate City representative
• Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC), alternate City representative.

I am not sure how to post comments in response to articles and appreciate your guidance. If you post this response, please include it in its entirety without deletion. If you have any questions, I’d be happy to respond. In the future, please reach out for comments on news coverage related to me prior to publication to avoid potential errors or misleading statements.

Thanks,

Thomas D. “Tom” Peterson

Fairfax City Council Member