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Feldbush challenges Cole for House seat

Feldbush challenges Cole for House seat

By CHELYEN DAVIS

Date published: 5/7/2003

A former candidate for Stafford sheriff is challenging freshman Del. Mark Cole for the 88th District House seat.

Charles A. Feldbush, a police detective in Prince William County, is seeking the Democratic nomination to run against Cole in November's election.

Feldbush lives in North Stafford. He ran, and lost, a 1999 race for sheriff to Charles Jett. Feldbush ran as an independent in that race but said his "philosophies have changed" since then, pushing him toward the Democratic Party.

Cole, reacting last night to the news, said: "Any challenge, you've got to take it seriously and work hard and get your people out to the polls. If you don't do that, that's when you get [an] upset."

Feldbush said he has not seen the Republican-led state legislature take any action to slow development in the Fredericksburg area, a primary reason that he wants to run.

"I have seen nothing, absolutely nothing, in the way of trying to halt, stop, help the continuing sprawl," Feldbush said. "There appears to be no control by the state. The state doesn't give the locality the tools to handle this all I've seen is a lot of lip service, a lot of talk. I have not seen a lot of action being taken. So my question would be, when does it start? As an elected official, I would certainly make that a priority."

Feldbush said he supports the use of impact fees and proffers to make developers pay for the infrastructure their development creates.

"Builders have fought that tooth and nail because it makes them accountable. We have to make them accountable," Feldbush said. "We the citizens are forced to carry the brunt or the burden of paying for all of the infrastructure. The citizens out here want the control back. They want their local people, their local boards, to be able to do something for them, and right now the state has not given localities anything."

Feldbush said he also supports "adequate public facilities" legislation that would allow local governments to deny development permits if the localities determine they can't pay for the infrastructure--like roads, schools and water--to service a new development.

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Date published: 5/7/2003