The Fairfax County government and others across the region are working to reduce bureaucratic regulations in an effort to help businesses thrive, local leaders said at an Aug. 26 forum.
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chair Jeff McKay used the 11th annual Northern Virginia Regional Elected Leaders Summit to say area governments must acknowledge concerns of the business community.
“They’re real,” McKay said, preaching the need for governments that deliver “reliability and predictability and adaptability.”
That includes reevaluating current practices and “reducing and streamlining regulations,” he said.
“We need to get out of our old boxes,” Fairfax’s Board chair said. “It’s not always easy. People don’t like change.”
Several hundred business leaders attended the forum, held on George Mason University’s Arlington campus. The annual program is sponsored by the Arlington Chamber of Commerce and Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce.
Cosponsors included the Alexandria and Loudoun chambers of commerce, Northern Virginia Regional Commission and Regional Elected Leaders Initiative.
McKay was joined on the dais by:
- Alexandria Mayor Alyiah Gaskins
- Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chair Phyllis Randall
- Arlington County Board Chair Matt de Ferranti
The four Democrats largely were on the same page, saying governments need to identify and remove administrative impediments to recruiting and retaining businesses of all sizes.
Localities should “have as little regulation as you possibly need — only the absolutely required regulation,” Randall said.
“We need to not get in the way,” de Ferranti added.
As he had at previous events, de Ferranti gave a glass-half-full evaluation of local economic conditions. He said the area was overcoming impacts of federal government layoffs and their ripple effects across the broader economy.
“Arlington’s economy, and the region, is strong. We are adapting,” de Ferranti said.
Alexandria City officials are taking aggressive action to attract and retain businesses large and small, Gaskins said.
“We want to be a city where businesses feel their ideas are heard and implemented,” she said.
Gaskins touted the recently updated ALX Forward plan for economic growth. She said the city also has embarked on a review of existing taxes and fees impacting businesses and owners of commercial and retail properties.
“We recognize that impacts our competitiveness,” she said.
Despite economic headwinds owing in large part to the federal government downsizing, the region as a whole is in a good position for future evolution, said Bill Murray, a senior vice president at Dominion Energy.
Arlington Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Kate Bates said getting local government leaders in front of the business community once a year benefited both sides of the equation.
The discussion provided an opportunity to discuss “key issues shaping our region and our economy,” she said.
Strengthening connections between local governments, businesses and educational institutions makes for a community that is “more innovative and more successful for everyone,” said Cheryl Drew, an associate dean in GMU’s Costello College of Business.
Arlington’s de Ferranti said local governments have learned to adapt to changing conditions, and would continue to do so.
“We’re going to get there,” he said of improving interactions with the business community.
