Letter to the Editor: Lisa Merkel Brings Imagination to the Table

Dear Editor, 

Thankfully, this year’s municipal elections aren’t driven by a solitary touchstone issue, which seems to have been the case recently. This time around voters are able judge candidates on how they address many different issues—not simply which side he or she happens to fall on one hot-button topic. We also get the rare opportunity to form a whole impression of how any candidate will discharge their office—when you don’t have a hot-button issue, candidates have to tell you a little more about their strengths, about how they approach governance, about what they think can be done to make Herndon, already a fabulous community, even a better place to live. Let me tell you why I’m voting for Lisa Merkel for mayor of Herndon tomorrow.

It seems to me that we, as a Town, are at a crossroads. We’ve spent a lot of time and effort trying to decide what, if anything, we should do about our downtown, the eventual arrival of MetroRail, and all those empty storefronts in our commercial areas. I’ve listened carefully to each of the mayoral candidates offer their thoughts and reactions to each issue. Hard charging leadership has its appeal, and so does thorough analysis. But without a vision of what you want, of what you bring to the table, of what you think Herndon can be, you’re not really leading anything and simply conducting analysis because you can. Lisa Merkel embodies one quality unique among all the candidates: imagination.

Lisa Merkel offers Herndon a vision of the future of our community—one that embraces economic development, puts businesses in those empty storefronts; one that envisions Metro as an opportunity instead of a burden; one that puts the creative minds of our community to work to solve tomorrow’s problems today; and one that preserves Herndon’s unique character, a small town proud of its history and heritage which still recognizes the challenges of the 21st century. I’m excited about the potential for the future of our community, and I believe that Lisa Merkel’s vision, commitment, and leadership will make that potential blossom for us and for our children.

Please join me in voting for Lisa Merkel for mayor of Herndon tomorrow, May 1st.

Kevin East
Herndon, VA