Supervisor Andrea McGimsey (D-Potomac) announced yesterday that she will be seeking a second term as Potomac District supervisor in Loudoun County. We here at Loudoun Progress couldn’t be happier.

Andrea has been in the forefront in moving Loudoun County towards energy efficiency,  along with job creation through the efficient use of energy. She also has been a leader in ensuring safe access for bicyclists and pedestrians, which not only is a public safety issue, but also an issue that deals with cleaner environment, traffic reduction, and overall healthy living.

Through Andrea’s hard work, she helped plan the Loudoun Energy Strategy, funded as part of a $2.2 million federal grant, which provides guidelines to residences and businesses on how to increase their energy efficiency. The plan also puts the focus on development projects that are energy efficient. According to the Washington Post, the projects funded under the strategy created “an estimated 70 new jobs” and saved the county “more than $125,000 in energy costs”.  Retrofitting for energy efficiency is a triple threat: it’s good for the environment, it saves money, and it creates jobs. Andrea is a leader in that area.In addition, the Board, in December, passed three of Ms. McGimsey’s initiatives aimed at making Loudoun safer for bicyclists and pedestrians. The county will prioritize a list of bicycle and pedestrian projects in order to apply for federal funds when they become available. At the top of the list is a project aimed at giving bicyclists and pedestrians safe and easy access to the future Silver Line Metro stations at Routes 606 and 772. Reducing the number of cars on the road, improving our commutes, making our air cleaner, and keeping people safer is another way Andrea is proving her worth as a leader.

Andrea has also worked hard to see that Loudoun County not only passed a balanced budget this past year, but also passed a budget with a $94 million surplus. For a county that had been mired in budgetary difficulties because of the poor decisions made by the previous board, the long hours and years spent on getting Loudoun back in the black again is all due to the work of dedicated public servants and leaders such as Andrea McGimsey.

Loudoun County is better off because of Andrea serving on the Board of Supervisors, and we look forward to 4 more years of her leadership representing Eastern Loudoun.

Go Andrea!!