Mark Keam (D)
- Office Sought: State Delegate, Virginia (35)
- Residence:Vienna
- Occupation: Currently not working; previously was Democratic Policy Counsel, Verizon government relations
Education
- BA, political science, University of California Irvine
- JD, University of California Hastings School of Law
- Past president, Courthouse Oaks Homeowners Association
- Den parent, Boy Scouts Vienna Pack 1139
- Member, Rotary Club of Vienna
- Co-founder, Fairfax for Obama
- Member, Fairfax County Democratic Committee
- Member, Vienna-Tysons Regional Chamber of Commerce
- Member, Virginia Governor's Asian Advisory Board
- Member, Leadership Greater Washington
- Member, DC Bias Crimes Task Force
- Member, numerous bar associations
Offices and positions held
What is the most urgent problem facing your jurisdiction?
Transportation is the most urgent problem facing Northern Virginia. The gridlock faced by commuters and residents every day affects our quality of life and our ability to attract new jobs to the region. I will fight for a dedicated and sustainable source of transportation funding for Northern Virginia to receive our fair share of state funds, ensure current construction projects are completed on time, and advocate for new projects -- such as I-66 expansion, more mass-transit options. and incentives like HOV lanes and telecommuting to keep more cars off the roads.
Why should voters elect you?
I am a pragmatic problem-solver who seeks consensus and builds coalitions of people with differing views and interests to find common solutions.
How can the state attract more high-paying jobs?
Virginia is consistently rated as a top state for business because of our bond ratings, strong government management, pro-business environment, great schools and abundance of highly skilled and educated workers. In Northern Virginia, we have a tremendous pool of workers with the right skills for high-paying occupations, such as information technology, professional services, research and academics. Even in these difficult economic times, we need to encourage entrepreneurship by providing smart government incentives to businesses so that they can put these employees to work. I support providing tax incentives for employers who create five or more good-paying jobs, offering small businesses capital-investment tax credits to help expand their enterprises, and aggressively competing to have companies from other states or overseas locate in Northern Virginia.
What are three specific goals you have in managing and making necessary cuts to the state budget?
First, I want to see spending caps at all levels of state government, including autonomous authorities and agencies. Second, I want to re-evaluate existing state contracts and private-public partnerships to seek ways to eliminate waste and redundancies and to streamline them for greater efficiency. Third, I want to implement a zero-based budgeting process to make every government agency justify the taxpayer dollars they would spend, which will allow the General Assembly to do a better job of measuring their performance and holding them accountable.
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