About Eric
I’m Eric Clingan and I ask for your help in sending me to the Virginia House of Delegates because I want to alter the current Virginia budgetary practice of borrowing today and relying on Northern Virginia’s next generation to bail out the Commonwealth. I also want to return the focus of public service on those things that matter the most, to the most of us: Education, Transportation and Economy. As your delegate I will not waste your tax dollars pursuing a Radical Social Issues Agenda, which only serves to split us apart as a community and weakens Northern Virginia’s political clout in Richmond.
The 67th district is comprised of Chantilly, Centreville, South Riding, Herndon and Fairfax. As a community, we are richly diverse but share core common values that keep us together. Please allow me to introduce myself with these values in mind.
LESSONS OF MY YOUTH
I grew up in Rochester, New York, with three siblings and hard-working parents who struggled monthly to make ends meet. Through their love and discipline, I learned the value of integrity. As much as I desired a new Atari video game or shiny bicycle, my folks followed the rule that, “You cannot spend what you do not have.” At the age of 12, I gave my parents some breathing room and started my own paper route. Soon, that bicycle was earned in full and not a dime was borrowed in the process.
MILITARY SERVICE
After high school, I decided to join the U.S. Air Force. There, I learned the value of dedication. Simply put, I served my country overseas during the Cold War. In Iceland and the United Kingdom, my heart and mind proudly remained focused on the task at hand, ensuring the protection of our freedoms.
COLLEGE AND LAW SCHOOL
My military service honorably ended at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona. Arizona’s weather was quite different from Rochester’s, so I decided to pursue my undergraduate and law degree at the University of Arizona. I found value in wanting to make a difference on my campus and in the community. On campus, I took a job at the school paper as a columnist. My rhetorical writing skills gained a following as I often wrote provocative pieces to raise thorny issues for consideration by an otherwise quiet student body. In the community, I parlayed my provocative approach to current events and enjoyed doing stand-up comedy shows in the Southwest United States while I continued my law studies!
During the summers of ’99 and ’00, I took two internships. The first was with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Civil Rights Division. There, I assisted on the investigation of civil rights violations related to zoning ordinances that encouraged the location of polluting industries in or around neighborhoods densely populated by minorities.
My second internship was as a law clerk in the Arlington County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office. In that position I experienced my first jury trial, prosecuting cases under the direct supervision of a Commonwealth Attorney.
MOVING TO NORTHERN VIRGINIA
My experience in Northern Virginia those summers led me back here, passing the Virginia Bar and moving to Fairfax County in 2001. Soon, I became a Fairfax County Public Defender and saw a side of Fairfax County that most people do not know exist. On a daily basis, I witnessed how poor decisions fueled by addiction and non-existent family structures can destroy a person’s every chance at a productive life. The blessings bestowed upon me for the opportunity to help my indigent clients improve themselves –and prove themselves –to a suspecting society were humbling.
Of course I’ve enjoyed recreational activity, as well. My love of baseball and football, along with my appreciation of the rules of the game led me to give my time to Arlington Babe Ruth Baseball as an umpire and to Fairfax County as a football referee for our youth.
POLITICAL CHANGE
Federal politics from 2000-2008, forever altered my political views and spurred me to action. Our country’s problems were not being addressed. On a national level I watched my fellow veterans go into combat without proper body armor and without a clear, concise plan for victory. Here at home, our roads were increasingly potholed and neglected due to a failure to lead. Meanwhile, trillions of state and federal obligations were pushed off on our children. I decided to act. I found a commonality with the journey of Senator Jim Webb, a veteran like me –and a former Republican, like me. I also found that Senator Mark Warner’s approach to public service, while governor, was honorable, straightforward and inclusive. These respected role models clearly demonstrated to me that public service could once again be an honorable way to address our needs.
SMALL BUSINESS OWNER
Today, as the owner of my own small business, Clingan Tull, PLLC, I enlist a plainspoken candor that has earned me the trust and satisfaction of my clients and colleagues. Sincerity is a value necessary to maintaining my solid reputation and the highest standards of professionalism.
THIS ELECTION IS IMPORTANT
Government is the way we share responsibilities as a society. Our collective responsibilities to each other should be embraced not ridiculed. As your delegate, I won’t shirk my responsibility to make the tough choices needed to keep our schools strong, render our congested roads a thing of the past and ensure our economy remains the envy of the Commonwealth. Just as I did as an umpire and referee, I will keep my eye on the ball and not allow my focus to be distracted by political gimmicks rejected in the 1820’s and a small bands radical agenda of social issues meant to split us apart.
So, there you have it. I’m Eric Clingan and I thank you for allowing me to introduce myself to you along with the values I will hold dear as I push for a more responsible approach to public service that betters our schools, roads and economic future. I truly hope you will welcome me onto your porch in the coming days.