Earlier this campaign cycle, the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors asked Celianna Gunderson to respond to their candidate survey. The following are Celianna’s responses.

Celianna Gunerson’s campaign calls on all candidates to be transparent and release the answers to all candidate surveys they are asked to respond to.

Will Your Campaign Accept Corporate PAC Contributions? 

It depends on the source, but I would be honored to receive a contribution from NV/RPAC.

What motivated you to run for office?

I’m a divorced, single mom who was busy raising my kids, earning a living, volunteering, and minding my own business. Then I started to notice that things weren’t quite right in our schools, crime was becoming a real issue that our city’s elected leadership wanted to ignore, and our city council seemed to be one big “GroupThink” operation with 7-0 votes being the norm. All opposing opinions were being squeezed out, and I talked to many voters who were very unhappy about that.  I thought somebody needed to do something to represent other opinions at city hall.  Then it clicked: “I’m somebody.” So, I decided to enter the arena and run for a seat on Alexandria City Council.

If elected, what will be your top three priorities? 

I believe a person’s home “is their castle” and that Alexandrians must feel safe from crime in order for our city to be livable.  Therefore, public safety and support for our local law enforcement is my #1 priority. My #2 priority is to reduce local property taxes by scrubbing our city budget of unnecessary expense in order to focus on basic city services, and thus make housing more affordable. My #3 priority is to address road safety issues and keep our city livable without the major disruptions of the Vision Zero Road Diet reconfigurations which have actually increased the number of accidents (on formerly-safe Seminary Road, as an example), reduced the number of lanes, and created medians needing constant repairs.

As of this writing, the median home price across Northern Virginia is $780,000.  Assuming low debt, a 700+ credit score, a 10% down payment, and a 7% interest rate, a household would have to make $208,000+ to afford the median home. The median household income in Northern Virginia ranges from $113,000 (Alexandria) to $145,000 (Fairfax). Home prices continue to rise, meanwhile, inventory of homes for sale has continued to drop significantly in the last couple of years. There is an imbalance between home prices and what residents earn. What local policies do you support to place homeownership within reach of existing and future residents?

I can assure you that I not only acknowledge the problem of a lack of affordable housing, but I live it!  Unfortunately, I don’t think there is a magic wand to fix these national socio-economic problems that seem to have started with the resulting rural job losses from NAFTA in the 1990’s, which sent jobs outside the USA. Jobs are concentrated in big cities now and attracting populations that were formerly happy living in more rural areas because they used to have well-paying manufacturing jobs that formed economic foundations for communities. Now, rural areas have excess housing and school capacity, and we have a shortage of housing and school capacity.  I want to believe in the free market, and that things will eventually settle down without a boatload of endless subsidies, which only raise taxes for everyone. I give credit to Governor Youngkin, who seems to be doing a great job of attracting more employment opportunities to rural areas which could help decrease housing demand (and thus prices) here in Alexandria.  But I don’t claim to be an economist.  I’ll listen to any good ideas that anyone has on this very important topic.

Do you support recently passed zoning reforms to expand housing options in Arlington (Expanded Housing Options) and Alexandria (Zoning for Housing)?

I think that everyone is trying to find affordable housing solutions, and I respect that. Some ideas are better than others. But I do think that the existing homeowners in single-family neighborhoods have a right to expect minimal changes in their neighborhoods and expect not to get priced out of their own homes by rising property taxes.  Also, no one wants people in a new four-story building staring down at their family in their back yard.  It’s an invasion of privacy. Nor should long-established neighborhoods lose long-standing street parking, as happens when the city provides approvals for nearby multi-family housing that doesn’t include adequate parking facilities. I don’t think that expanding opportunities for one group necessarily needs to be done by contracting the property rights of another group. Let’s find win-win solutions, and remember that Alexandria is only 15 square miles and can’t solve all of the problems for Northern Virginia (which arguably consists of up to 10,000 square miles).

If they survive legal challenges, these missing-middle-type reforms are a piece in the puzzle for increasing housing inventory, but what other pro-housing zoning changes would you support or advance if elected?

Regarding zoning changes, I don’t think zoning is ever one-size-fits-all. Rollbacks may be needed on our city’s new zoning policies.  I would be especially interested to see the private sector tackle the housing issue without any local subsidies paid for by Alexandria taxpayers. *I think one important barrier to home ownership is insufficient financial literacy.  Two similar families making the same amount of money can have very different spending and saving habits.  Long term wealth can only be accumulated by saving (living beneath one’s means).  It’s extremely hard to do, but choices have consequences.  Money spent on fancy cars and clothes on credit might make us appear wealthy, but they don’t put money in the bank. Can you tell that my parents taught me to be frugal?

Housing attainability is an increasingly important key to economic development and the efforts to attract and retain businesses, and the cost of living in Northern Virginia is certainly a barrier to economic success, but it is not the only barrier. What other barriers to economic development do you see facing our region and how do you propose to increase Northern Virginia’s economic competitiveness? 

I actually think the ability to get around town is vital for economic development and livability. Alexandria is getting known for clogged streets and a lack of convenient parking.  What business would want to come here if they and their clients can more easily ‘get around and park’ in other parts of NoVA?  Unlike some people making plans for our city, I don’t hate cars.  There is also the issue of Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), which I oppose because they are another layer of taxes to promote businesses in a defined area, but those businesses might be better served by choosing to advertise, rather than be mandated to pay yet another tax for uncertain return on that ‘investment.’ Finally, I’ll mention crime again. Areas known for crime do not attract new business.  Some local retailers have been besieged by flash mobs in Alexandria. Some more than once.  Some businesses have people defiantly walking out with stolen merchandise and I’ve heard that ‘small’ value thefts are not even worth a police report anymore. Our small businesses need a safe -environment to operate just as much as our residents need it to live.

While speaking of economic vitality, it is impossible to ignore the major role transportation, including highways, mass transit, tolls and congestion, plays in determining where individuals and businesses decide to locate, live, work and play in the region. Northern Virginia is served by various multi-modal transportation options. What are your biggest transportation concerns and what would be your priority recommendations for relief or reform? 

See Question 2 about my top three priorities and Question 6 about barriers to economic development!  Additionally, sometimes it seems like we are spending money needlessly because we received a federal grant that has to be spent on a specific road project, whether all of the money is needed or not.  Sometimes minor changes can make a road much safer. And there is no road modification that I know of that makes drivers be sober, bikes and scooters stop at stop signs, or pedestrians look both ways and use the crosswalks.  Changing human behavior may be more influential than road design when it comes to improving safety. That would be a good place to start, and an education program is a lot cheaper than reconfiguring roads.

Do you support the current funding model (state-local split) for Metro?

I have mixed feelings on this issue.  Certainly, we are an integral part of a larger DC Metro community and want our residents to have use of a robust, coordinated metro system.  But after the COVID situation and increased crime, people are reluctant to use mass transit and may prefer the safety of their cars over the convenience of the Metro.  Also, I don’t like the idea of a coalition of local governments dictating what member governments will contribute without being very comfortable with the formula used to determine the amount. I’m not keen on subsidizing other municipalities.

Localities depend on revenue from taxes and fees on real estate holdings and transactions for most budget needs. Considering inflation, the cost of living, assessments and the continuing vacancy rate for commercial properties, much of the burden of funding local government now falls on the back of residents who may be struggling. Have you considered any policies to shift future tax burdens away from homeowners as you seek to fund local services?

Absolutely, yes!  Re-evaluating the city budget for items to cut is in my #2 priority.  And it’s not just homeowners who pay real estate taxes. Renters also pay, as an element of their rent, whether they realize it or not.  Landlords have to pass their expenses on to the tenants or they can’t make a profit.  And I believe landlord property owners have the right to a reasonable profit, since they carry the risk involved in the rental business.  We have lost too many retail businesses. On City Council, I’d be pushing for more new commercial business in Alexandria, to help reduce the burden on homeowners.

If elected, you will make numerous decisions impacting the environment and sustainability in your jurisdiction and across the region. Decisions on public green spaces, tree canopy, stormwater and frequent flooding to name a few. What environmental issues concern you most and how do you hope to address these issues during your term?

I am baffled by the reduction of tree canopy by our incumbents, as well as the definition of ‘green space’ to include inaccessible building rooftops on non-permeable land areas.  Our city has approved buildings just a few feet from roads with no room for trees.  Studies have shown that trees can lower city temperatures, and I think that is very important as we have seen such high summer temperatures that they threaten public health.  I think that underground wastewater system pathways must be considered when evaluating new building projects.  Some future proposed locations for new buildings along certain underground wastewater pathways could be problematic, perhaps resulting in less permeable land, increased wastewater, and increased risk of flooding. I’d be asking questions about that on City Council.

What is your campaign’s plan/strategy to win?

I’m an underdog in this race, with a small campaign budget, so I’m not apt to spill any tea. I just hope that enough voters want my moderate voice on city council to ask probing questions and advocate for the kinds of positions and opinions that have not been represented in over a decade. I hope voters will give me one of their six votes for City Council.

What would the Realtor® endorsement mean to you and how would it play into your campaign strategy?

I would be extremely honored to receive the endorsement of the NV/RPAC and I would share that endorsement at every opportunity.  When professional realtors are successful, that’s an indicator of a thriving community. I want your profession to be successful and play a role in helping bring more affordable housing options and businesses/jobs to our area.