Politics & Government

Dwight Dopilka Holds Campaign Kickoff

Dopilka is one of nine candidates running for a seat on Town Council.

Town Council candidate Dwight Dopilka officially kicked off his campaign at the on Saturday. He is who will appear on the ballot during the Nov. 6 election.

Back in April, Dopilka fell 148 votes short of winning the Town Council’s special election against opponent Kelly Burk. He said he was very encouraged with the results and feels that his ideas resonated with a lot of people.

“I think they were good ideas then and they are good ideas now,” Dopilka said. “I think we can still make Leesburg a better place for everyone to live in and I want to serve on the council, serve the people and help move Leesburg forward.”

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Dopilka said his platform is focused on expanding economic opportunities and job creation, reducing residential and business tax rates and preserving the historical nature of the downtown area, while supporting and promoting the development of the Leesburg Executive Airport, among other things.

Regarding Rail to Loudoun, Dopilka said, “I’ve been opposed to Metrorail coming into Loudoun County for a number of months and I am pro business and I think it’s eventual moving into Loudoun County will be beneficial.”

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“Based on the current proposals and all of the studies, it’s not clear to me that there’s tangible benefits specifically for the residents of Leesburg," Dopilka continued. "I see more negative attributes of it then positive attributes and what I see from a negative standpoint is an expected $1 million per year cost coming out of the Leesburg budget for years, decades, basically an additional tax, to fund our contribution.”

Dopilka said that Leesburg does not need additional taxes and that he will continue to focus on what’s best for the residents and business owners within the town.

[Editor's note: Under the currently favored funding plan, ]

As the campaign progresses, Dopilka said that he will be conducting a series of “Listening Tour” meetings in various town locations over the next four months. This will give him the opportunity to hear from more citizens rather than trying to go to every door. The first meeting is scheduled for Monday, July 9, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Rust Library. 


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