Anti-Growth Backlash in Loudoun

Wake up call for the GOP: Democrat Mark R. Herring just picked up a state Senate seat in a special election against Mick Staton, Jr., in a formerly Republican seat. Herring, according to today's Washington Post, "spoke to the frustration of many residents over unchecked growth and traffic."

Staton, who ran as a fiscal and social conservative, won only 38 percent of the vote.

Smart growth advocates did not hesitate to declare victory along with Herring. "Virginia’s voters have made it clear that they want something done about poorly planned growth because they know it makes their commutes longer and longer,” said Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth in a prepared statement released yesterday.

“Both candidates must now address these growth issues, Herring as Senator and Staton as Supervisor,” said Andrea McGimsey of Campaign for Loudoun’s Future. “Voters do not have a partisan approach on growth issues, they want all of their officials to look at the big picture and work with them to make wise decisions about where and how the region grows.”

“We are encouraged by the bi-partisan leadership at the state level in support of connecting transportation and land use planning," said Christopher Miller, President, Piedmont Environmental Council. "Senator-elect Herring understands local problems and will help deliver the needed tools for addressing growth.”

Will the political dynamics in Loudoun carry over to other localities? Perhaps not. Growth-related stresses in Loudoun, one of the fastest-growing counties in the country, are the worst in Virginia. But the magnitude of the political reversal there suggests that Republicans had better come up with better ideas for coping with growth than they have so far or they will continue to lose ground in Virginia's high-growth counties.