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Our Schoolchildren Need Expanded Enviro Ed – Melanie Meren

By Melanie Meren

For the kids, families, and our furry friends we bring to outdoor spaces, it’s critical to remember that it’s the hard work of county officials that preserves our environment and connects us with nature. I want to take that success into all Fairfax County classrooms.

Connecting students with their natural surroundings can inspire them to be the environmentalists we need while also helping them achieve in school! Students are motivated to learn when they understand how what they’re learning matters to them.

What I’m proposing as a Democratic candidate for School Board from Hunter Mill District is to implement bold and proven Environmental Education (“Enviro Ed”) ideas that result in academic success and cultivate environmental stewards.

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Parker Messick: Development in Hunter Mill is excessive

Blue View Editor’s Note: We invite all Democrats running for office in northern Virginia to submit an individual statement, maximum 500 words. This one comes from Parker Messick,  a candidate for Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Hunter Mill District. The primary election for this race will take place on June 11th.

By Parker Messick

The Hunter Mill district is a dynamic community that is home to many.

We are strengthened by the diverse cultures and ideologies that our great citizens bring to the district. Regardless of wealth or status, this community has been a beautiful place to live and work. However, over the last several years the Hunter Mill district has undergone an excessive amount of development. The increased burden on our local businesses, roads, environment, and schools goes against the intended purposes of development in our community. This burden of excessive development has been especially felt by long term residents of the district.

As a near lifelong resident of this community, I have witnessed the place I call home slowly transform into a community that only benefits a select few. The addition of expensive, high-rise apartments and buildings has made it extremely difficult for the Hunter Mill district to be a home to many. Increased development is not acceptable when it prohibits members of the district from enjoying what the community has to offer.

The paid parking at the Reston Town Center is a prime example of this prohibitive behavior. Restonians should not have to pay for parking at the Town Center. The simple act of paid parking discourages many citizens from socializing and shopping at Town Center, removing a source of community engagement and hurting local businesses in the process. The congestion present on local roadways has also impacted the citizens’ abilities to commute in a timely manner and practice safe driving practices. Our roads need to be upgraded and expanded for shortened commutes and safer travels.

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Samirah wins VA House of Delegates 86th District

Virginia Democrat Ibraheem Samirah won the Virginia 86th District special election Tuesday with 59 percent of the vote, defeating Republican candidate Gregg Nelson and independent challenger Connie Haines Hutchinson.

Samirah will replace Democrat Jennifer Boysko in the Virginia House of Delegates. Boysko was elected to the Virginia Senate, replacing Democrat Jennifer Wexton, who was elected to Congress in November.

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Fairfax County Democratic candidates reach out to Muslim Community

Muslims are believed to be under-represented among Fairfax County voters, but outreach efforts by Democratic Party candidates for local office aim to change that equation.

The latest such effort took place Saturday, Feb. 16, at Dar al Hijrah Mosque in Mason District, where three school board candidates met with Muslim community members to describe the workings of the  Fairfax County Democratic Committee (FCDC) and urge membership.

Abrar Omeish, candidate for an at-large seat, and Jessica Swanson, Mason District candidate, addressed the audience and took questions while Jung Byun, Providence District candidate, also attended the event and mingled with participants.

“I’m excited to learn about how I can contribute to the party,” said participant Maura Yasin, who has volunteered in campaigns since the candidacy of Barack Obama but only recently became an FCDC member.

According to Omeish, Muslims are estimated at about 10% of the county’s population but only 4% of registered voters. While some are ineligible to become voters, she estimates that Muslims would account for at least 1-2% more of the electorate if all eligible voters registered.

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Get Involved and Help Democrats Keep HD86

Our hard work has continued to pay off, as we succeeded in electing Jennifer Boysko to the Virginia Senate in January 2019. This means that Senator Boysko’s former seat in the House of Delegates, District 86 (or HD86, for short), must be filled, and the special election to fill that seat will take place on February 19, 2019. The Democratic candidate for this seat is Ibraheem Samirah, a local dentist. More info on his biography is available here: https://samirah4delegate.com/biography/

The election will be open to registered voters who live in the Hunter Mill Precincts of: Floris, Fox Mill, and Stuart

Polls will be open from 6am-7pm on February 19, 2019. If you live in Floris, Fox Mill, or Stuart precincts, you will vote at your usual polling location on that day.

A delay affecting In-Person Absentee (Early) Voting for the HD86 Feb 19th Special Election has been resolved, and voting is now open as of January 30, 2019.  Please check the VA Board of Elections website (https://www.elections.virginia.gov) or call 703-222-0776 for further information on in-person absentee (early) voting in this special election.

  • Location: Fairfax County Government Center, 12000 Government Center Pkwy, Fairfax, VA 22035
    • Dates/Times: Monday 1/28/19–Friday 02/15/19 from 8am–4:30pm; Thursday hours are extended to 7pm. Saturday 2/16/19 hours are from 9am–5pm
  • Location: Herndon Fortnightly Library, 786 Center Street, Herndon VA 20170
    • Date/Time: ONLY on Saturday 2/16/19, 9am–5pm

Volunteer for Ibraheem Samirah for State Delegate

Once again, most voters do not expect elections in mid-February, so volunteering to make voters aware of an upcoming election will be critical to success. Everyone is strongly encouraged to knock doors, make calls, or write postcards to let voters know about this election:

Sign up for canvassing and phone banking shifts here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdKpTnOWkzjrr930CiJlcGPgBnYGRVSvD_1zRJHn17XDpHw4A/viewform

Remote Phone Banking is also available.

For more information on canvassing and phone banking, contact: Austin Hall, Field Organizer austin@samirah4virginia.com / 703-200-0395

Post Card Writing for Ibraheem Samirah will take place at the following dates and times, and these are listed on HMDDC’s calendar:

  • Wednesday, 01/30 & 02/06 at Herndon Panera, 460 Elden St from 3:00pm-5:00pm
  • Thursday, 01/31 & 02/07 at Herndon Panera, 460 Elden St from 6:30pm-8:00pm
  • Friday, 02/01 & 02/08 at Fox Mill Starbucks, 2523 John Milton Dr, Herndon from 10am-12noon

To Learn more about Ibraheem Samirah’s campaign for House District 86, visit: https://samirah4delegate.com/

For more information how how you can help in Hunter Mill, or if you have any questions, please contact HMDDC Vice Chair for Precinct Operations, Joanne Collins at collinsjoanne@yahoo.com / 585-703-1121.

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Unpacking the sausage of Fairfax County elections

By Brad Swanson:

You should not look too closely into the making of laws or sausages, runs the saying attributed (incorrectly) to Germany’s “Iron Chancellor”, Otto von Bismarck. But what would he have thought about the convoluted process of making Democratic Party candidates for Fairfax County elected offices?

Overall, there will be more than 50 offices on Fairfax County ballots on November 5, 2019. Whew! And before you have elections you have candidate selection –or, in the case of non-partisan offices, endorsement.   And this is a process of legislative, not to mention sausage-packing, complexity.

To keep the machinery moving, Fairfax County Democratic Committee (FCDC) helpfully keeps a  list of candidates and ongoing selections, updated frequently. Click here  to access.

To start, here are the offices to be elected on Nov.  5:

9 State Senators
17 House of Delegates Members
9 Board of Supervisors Members
1 Chairperson, Board of Supervisors
1 Commonwealth’s Attorney
1 Sheriff
9 District School Board Members
3 At-Large School Board Members
3 Soil & Water Conservation District Directors

Total: 53

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FCDC General Meeting on January 22

January 22, 2019, at 7:30pm the Fairfax County Democratic Committee (FCDC) will hold a general meeting in the Blue Cafeteria at Robinson Secondary School, 5035 Sideburn Rd., Fairfax, VA 22032.

In addition to hearing from 2019 candidates and getting a first look at the FCDC budget, we anticipate important decisions will be made on the nomination and endorsement processes for Democrats in important local elections. You must be present in order for your voice to be heard, so we hope to see as many Hunter Mill Democrats there as possible.

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Monthly Meeting: Wednesday, February 13

The February meeting of the Hunter Mill District Democratic Committee will take place on Wednesday, February 13 at 7:30pm at Lake Anne Elementary School, 11510 N Shore Dr. Reston, VA 20190 (map below)

All are welcome to arrive at 7pm to meet one another and members of the executive board before the meeting begins at 7:30pm.

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday, February 13!

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Monthly Meeting: Wednesday, January 9, 2019

The January meeting of the Hunter Mill District Democratic Committee will take place on Wednesday, January 9 at 7:30pm at Lake Anne Elementary School, 11510 N Shore Dr. Reston, VA 20190 (map below)

SPECIAL NOTICE: Method of Nomination Selection at Next HMDDC Meeting

The Hunter Mill District Democratic Committee will choose its preferred method of nomination for the Democratic Candidate for the Hunter Mill District Board Supervisor at the next General Membership Meeting. Please be sure to attend and express your preference of nomination.

All are welcome to arrive at 7pm to meet one another and members of the executive board before the meeting begins at 7:30pm.

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday, January 9!