Evening star., 1951-07-29
Winners in Supervisors Election VIII Install New Form
BY Mary Lou Werner

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forthcoming Board of Supervisors
election.
The six supervisors that emerge
victorious from the August 7
Democratic primary and the No
vember general election will take
Office January l as Fairfax shifts
to a county executive form of gov
ernment.
Because Of the new powers and
duties to be heaped on the SUI
pervisorS with the change, the
candidates see this election as the
most important in the county's
history.
New functions of the supervis-
ors will be to appoint the School
Board, Board of Health and Board
of Welfare, and the police chief.
A merit system for county en-
ployes will have to be established
and nearly all county finances
will come under the supervisors
control. A finance director to re-
place the treasurer and revenue
commissioner will be appointed.
Research Project Launched.
In fact, there are so many
changes that the supervisors have
set up a research project under
David Lawrence, news writer and
vice chairman of county govern
ment study commission, to study
the new governments require
ments. Mr.. Lawrence expects to
report to the supervisors in Oc-
tober.
But the research project is only
to set forth the legal changes in
volved.
The policies to be followed as
the new government takes shape
will be in the hands of the super
IviSorS.
Mindful of this, the IL candi-
dates seeking the six Democratic
nominations have singled out Sc
lection of the county executive
the county's top administration
official under the new government
as the most important issue of
this campaign. Nomination in the
Democratic primary is tantamount
to election in Fairfax County, al
though two Republicans already
have announced they will run in
the November general election.
The supervisors will be elected
from six magisterial districts, with
residents of each district voting
independently for their super
visor.
Redistricting Planned.
1t is probably the last time
Fairfax County voters will elect
six-member board. A commits
sion has been set up to redistrict
the county and indications are
that five, seven or nine magisterial
districts are to be established by
the rearrangement. The redis-
tricting will not be accomplished
in time for this election, however,
because of the pending Falls
Church and Alexandria annexa-I
ton suits against the county.
In the Democratic primary,
there are two-way contests in four
districts; a three-way contest in
one district, and an unopposed
candidate in the sixth district.
All the members of the present
Board of Supervisors are seeking
denomination in the primary.
Only one primary contest re-
fleets the bitter division of voters
in last November's government
reform referendum. This is in
Providence District, where the in
cumbent chairman of the Board
of Supervisors, G. Wallace Carper,
is opposed by Guy M. Bayes. presi-
dent of the Fairfax Federation of
Citizens Associations.
Mr.. Bayes was a leader of the
county manager forces. Mr.. Car
per was foe of the county man
ager movement and on one oc-
casion during the Government re-
form debates he issued a state
ment upholding the present type
of administration. OF the two
new Government types proposed
last year-county executive and
county manager-Mr. Carper said
he favored the county executive,
however.
County Executive Backed.
Neither was completely on the
winning side after the referendum
votes were counted. The people
voted for a change but they gave
a large majority to the county
executive form.
Another candidate who worked
for the county manager plan is
Mrs. Anne A. Wilkins, opponent of
the incumbent C. B. Runyon in
Falls Church Magisterial District.
Mr.. Runyon was on the same side
of the fence in the Government
reform campaign, however. He
was the only supervisor to sup
port the county manager plan.
Next to the government reform,
taxation ranks second in import
ance in the campaign.
The candidates are unanimous
in their belief that something
needs to be done about the present
tax structure and that new sources
of taxation should be tapped. This
promise is especially tempting to
Fairfax County voters this year
since most have had their real
estate tax bills increased as a re-
suit of a reassessment, and a
greatly increased school budget.
! Reassessment Protested.