Dorthea Barr runs for Dumfries Council

By Aileen Streng

Published: April 9, 2008

Dorothea Barr doesn't believe Dumfries is living up to its potential and she wants to do something about it.

"The town has a lot to offer. If the town leaders did more to promote and market that, our property values would double," she said.

"I'm very disgusted with the actions of the [Dumfries] Town Council. They have done nothing to protect my property values, my neighbors' property values or for the town," Barr said.

Barr, 43, is running for one of the three open seats on the Dumfries Town Council.

"I've always had an interest in politics and know several on the council and several of the may-ors," said Barr, who has lived in Dumfries for 16 years.

Improving the town's Web site would be the first place Barr would start to market the eastern Prince William County town of 5,000.

"I would like to see the Web site interactive so people take a 'walking tour' of Dumfries includ-ing historic Dumfries and business Dumfries," she said. "We could do so much more."

Barr would also like to see the Dumfries Police Department doing more.

"The Dumfries Police Department is not taking a proactive role in enforcing town ordinances and regulations. In fact, a reactive role cannot even be claimed, despite numerous citizen complaints to town council," Barr said. "To create peaceful neighborhoods, the police have to enforce all ordinances aggres-sively."

She would like to see officers making regular patrols of areas and neighborhoods known to have problems and address all infractions they find.

Barr also does not like the attitudes she sees among town council members. "It makes me angry," she said. "We've elected a mayor who is retired and has time to devote to the town. He has good ideas and he is being blocked by council members and a town manager who wasn't elected.

"Over the last 16 years I've lived here, I haven't been impressed [with the council] and it's gotten worse over the last year. You have to wonder if they have the best interest of the town at heart," Barr said.

"If I get a change to get on the council, I do want to make changes," Barr said. "The town has an image problem and we need to work on that and market the town better."

Dumfries staggers the four-year terms of its six council members.

The seats of incumbents Stephanie Bradley, Brenda L. Via and Rafael Lopez are up for a vote this year. Bradley and Via are seeking re-election. In addition to Barr, Nancy West, Sean Robinson and Willie J. Toney also are vying for the three open seats.

There are 2,212 registered voters in Dumfries. Dumfries Town Council members make a yearly stipend of $5,642.

The town election is May 6.

Staff writer Aileen Streng can be reached at 703-878-8010.