Next Hunter Mill Democrats Meeting: Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Meeting Graphic

The January meeting of the Hunter Mill Democrats will take place on Wednesday, January 8, 2020 at 7:30pm at the Reston Regional Library, 11925 Bowman Towne Dr, Reston, VA 20190.

This is the first meeting of the new year, and occurs on the same day of the start of the 2020 Virginia General Assembly session. It’s time to get to work in the new year, so come to the meeting to learn about what you can do to help keep the blue wave rolling.

We look forward to seeing you!

Hunter Mil Democrats Elect Officers for 2020-2021

On December 11, 2019, the Hunter Mill District Democratic Committee elected its officers for 2020-2021. The Committee elected Richard Chew, who served as Vice Chair of Finance in 2018-2019, as its new chair for the coming biennium. The Committee also re-elected Kenny Bledsoe as Secretary. The Blue View provided coverage of the reorganization.

As of December 11, we are all “new” members again, so thank you to all of the new members who came out to make your voice heard in the future of the Hunter Mill District Democratic Committee. Let’s look forward to an exciting two years of continuing success in electing Democrats!

Richard Chew presides after being selected as Hunter Mill committee chair, while Secretary Kenny Bledsoe takes minutes (Photo by Brad Swanson, h/t the Blue View)

It’s Time to Renew Your Membership/Join the Committee for 2020–2021

When you join as a member of the Hunter Mill Democrats, you are also joining the Fairfax County Democratic Committee (FCDC), which is the largest political organization in Virginia.

Every two years, the current term of membership expires for all members and new two-year term gets ready to begin. Members of the Hunter Mill Democrats have special privileges in meetings and also get to make decisions on items such as policy positions FCDC may take, what kind of voter engagement projects should be prioritized, and how the party spends its money, for example.

If you’d like to become a member (or continue as a member), you’ll need to apply by December 1st at 5:00 PM. Click here for an application for the Hunter Mill District.

If you are not sure if you live in the Hunter Mill District, click here for a lookup tool to see what district you live in.

To use the paper membership application, click here to download the form, or call the Fairfax County Democratic Committee at (703) 573-6811.

Members are elected! The Hunter Mill Democrats will be holding our caucus to elect members at 7 PM on Wednesday, December 11th at Lake Anne Elementary School. There is a cap of 130 members per district (not including Lifetime, ex oficio and Emeritus members). Click here to read the Fairfax County Democrats Resolution for Reorganization.

The caucus to elect members will be at 7pm, and the reorganization will be at 8:30pm. If applications for membership have not exceeded the 130-member cap, then the caucus will not be necessary, and the reorganization will start at 7pm.

Fairfax County Democrats Leadership Elections January 7th, 2020

On January 7th, the members who were elected in December will select the leadership of the Fairfax County Democratic Committee and will vote to pass the new Bylaws.  On the ballot will be the following offices:

FCDC Chair
FCDC Vice Chair South Vice Chair for Finance
FCDC Vice Chair Central Vice Chair for Outreach
FCDC Vice Chair North Corresponding Secretary
Vice Chair for Precinct Operations Recording Secretary
Vice Chair for Technology Treasurer
Vice Chair for Voter Registration and Education Assistant Treasurer

Anyone seeking election to one of these positions must send an email to elections@fairfaxdemocrats.org stating their intention to run by 5:00pm on December 27th, 2019 in order to have their names printed on the ballot.  (To run for these positions, you also need to become a member of FCDC.)

Please contact the Fairfax County Democratic Committee at  (703) 573-6811, or info@fairfaxdemocrats.org, if you have any questions.

2019 VICTORY!

A huge thank you to all of our volunteers who called voters, canvassed voters, donated money and helped all our candidates up and down the ticket this election cycle! We would especially like to thank our Fighting4Fairfax organizer Henry Pratt, and campaign manager, Jeremy Cullimore.

We had a Democratic sweep in Hunter Mill and we congratulate all of our winning candidates below, including Hunter Mill members Sen. Janet Howell, Del. Ken Plum, Sheriff Stacey Kincaid, Hunter Mill Supervisor-Elect, Walter Alcorn, and Hunter Mill School Board Representative-Elect, Melanie Meren!

Finally, thank you to Supervisor Cathy Hudgins and to Hunter Mill School Board Representative Pat Hynes for their many years of service to Hunter Mill District, Fairfax County, and also for supporting the Hunter Mill Democrats.

Senate of Virginia

  • Jennifer Boysko, 33rd District
  • Barbara Favola, 31st District
  • Janet Howell, 32nd District
  • Chap Petersen, 34th District

Virginia House of Delegates

  • Mark Keam, 35th District
  • Kathleen Murphy, 34th District
  • Ken Plum, 36th District
  • Ibraheem Samirah, 86th District

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors

  • Jeff McKay- Chairman
  • Walter Alcorn, Hunter Mill District Supervisor

Fairfax County School Board

  • Melanie Meren- Hunter Mill District Representative
  • Karen Keys-Gamarra- At-Large Member
  • Abrar Omeish- At-Large Member
  • Rachna Sizemore-Heizer- At-Large Member

Fairfax County Constitutional Officers

  • Steve Descano- Commonwealth’s Attorney
  • Stacey Kincaid- Sheriff

Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District

  • Monica Billger- Director
  • Chris Koerner- Director
  • Jerry Peters- Director

Next Hunter Mill Dems Meeting: Wednesday, 10/9/19

The October meeting of the Hunter Mill Democrats will take place on Wednesday, October 9, 2019 at 7:30pm at the North County Governmental Center, Room B. This is the last regular meeting of the Hunter Mill Democrats before the November 5, 2019 election, so come hear from campaigns and party organizers to learn how to help Democrats win in 2019.

All are welcome to arrive at 7:00pm 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!

#Fighting4Fairfax This Week and Beyond

Fighting for Fairfax, the coordinated campaign for Fairfax County, keeps a running list of upcoming volunteer events at https://www.mobilize.us/fairfaxdems, but take special note of upcoming events here in the Hunter Mill District of Fairfax County. The Hunter Mill office is located at 2942 Hunter Mill Rd, Oakton, VA.

Be sure to check back often for new additions to the list. Contact Henry Pratt at henry@fairfaxdemocrats.org or (703) 705-2039 with any questions:

  • September 19, Coordinated Day of Action In Reston, Fox Mill Shopping Center Starbucks, 2523 John Milton Dr., Herndon, VA 20171, 4:30 to 7:30pm
    • Join us September 19th as friends and neighbors gather to knock doors and talk to voters in Reston.

Save The Date for this list of future Hunter Mill #Fighting4Fairfax events:

  • Saturday 9/28, Canvass
  • Sunday 9/29, Canvass
  • Tuesday 10/8, Phone Bank
  • Wednesday 10/9, Canvass
  • Saturday 10/19, Canvass
  • Sunday 10/20, Canvass
  • Tuesday 10/29, Phone Bank
  • Wednesday 10/30, Canvass
  • Friday 11/1, Get Out the Vote!
  • Saturday 11/2, Get Out the Vote!
  • Sunday 11/3, Get Out the Vote!
  • Monday 11/4, Get Out the Vote!
  • Tuesday 11/5 (election day), Get Out the Vote!

Join Us on Sunday in Fighting for Fairfax!

Please join us this Sunday, September 8th at 2435 Flint Hill Road in Vienna for our first canvassing shifts as part of Fighting for Fairfax, starting at 11am and/or 1pm. We will be door-knocking for School Board endorsee Melanie Meren, Hunter Mill Supervisor nominee Walter Alcorn, as well as our at-large candidates and state representatives. We cannot win in November without you! Click here to register with us to door-knock on Sunday and be part of the 2019 Blue Wave!

Click here for our Facebook event.

The Coordinated Campaign will be hosting campaign events four times a month in Hunter Mill. We hope to see you this Sunday for the first Fighting for Fairfax canvass event in Hunter Mill!

About Fighting For Fairfax :

This week, the Fairfax County Democratic Committee officially launched the Fighting for Fairfax Coordinated Campaign. The Coordinated Campaign’s mission is to pool voter outreach efforts and volunteers from campaigns across all magisterial districts, which will help us elect Democrats up and down the ballot in Fairfax County. Click here to read more about the Fighting For Fairfax Coordinated Campaign.

Fighting for Fairfax is a field operation; Jeremy Cullimore, an experienced campaign manager, will lead Fighting for Fairfax. Volunteers will target Democratic voters countywide to get out the vote.

Major elements of this campaign include:
-Campaign Director and three regional Field Organizers.
-Three full-time shared campaign offices:

  • South County
  • Fairfax Station
  • Oakton

Regularly scheduled phone banks and canvassing shifts.
-Unified literature to support all local Democratic candidates.
-Information and data sharing to maximize efficiency.

Fighting for Fairfax is directed by a Task Force of FCDC leaders to provide logistical, operational, and political support.

About the FCDC Joint Campaign
The FCDC Joint Campaign is a mailing and literature program; the campaign consists of mail and literature distributed to hundreds of thousands of voters in the County, as follows:

1. Back to School Night literature distributed by hundreds of volunteers to inform parents about the upcoming elections and remind them that Democrats are the only party that cares about public education.
2. Young Voter Outreach mailing, already underway, encourages college-age voters to request an absentee ballot.
3. Voter Guide mailed out to thousands of voters, in 76 different versions, explaining which candidates will be on their ballots in November.
4. Absentee Chase program to inform voters of their candidates as soon as they request an absentee ballot, along with tips to make sure their vote is counted
5. Sample Ballots in multiple languages to blanket our 243 precincts and ensure that voters know which candidates are the Democrats.

The team to support the Joint Campaign includes the FCDC Vice Chairs, as well as longtime absentee ballot program leaders Rick & Burma Bochner and their team of 30 volunteers working five days a week at FCDC Headquarters.

To read the full press release click here.

Washington Post Urges Voting Democrat in 2019 as the Way to Send a Message on Guns

The Washington Post Editorial Board this weekend acknowledged what we already know: the only way to fight gun violence in Virginia is to vote for Democrats. The editorial lays out the stark difference between Virginia voters’ views on guns and their representation in Richmond. The article uses Del. Tim Hugo as the primary example among Republicans scrambling to hide their allegiance to the gun lobby over the strong views of their constituents. The whole country can see that Virginia is better than its gun laws, and it’s high time our legislature started reflecting the views of Virginians on this issue.

Democratic School Board Candidates Drop by the Reston Farmer’s Market

Democratic Candidates for School Board dropped by the Reston Farmer’s Market on Saturday! From left: Melanie Meren (Hunter Mill), Rachna Sizmore-Heizer (At-Large), Elaine Tholen (Dranesville), and Karen Keys-Gamarra (At-Large). Abrar Omeish (At-Large) was unable to attend.

You never know who will drop by the farmer’s market, and the Hunter Mill Democrats are there every weekend. If you’re interested in volunteering to staff the Hunter Mill Dems’ farmer’s market table, contact huntermilldems@gmail.com.

 

Know Your 2019 Candidates: School Board

There are three At-Large Candidates for the Fairfax County School Board that have earned the endorsement of the Fairfax County Democratic Committee. Pictured above, they are: and

Abrar Omeish:

Karen Keys-Gamarra:

Rachna Sizemore Heizer:

Our support for these candidates is critical in the 2019 elections because Republicans have targeted these elections as vulnerable, and plan to invest heavily in defeating our Democratic county-wide candidates. They will need all of our help to make sure that Fairfax County Public Schools reflect our community values.

Likewise, the Hunter Mill Democrats have endorsed a candidate for the Hunter Mill seat on the Fairfax County School Board: Melanie Meren, pictured below. She will be elected only by voters in Hunter Mill, and has a Republican challenger. Melanie will also need all of our support to make sure our schools reflect our community values.


All of these candidates will be on your ballot on November 5, 2019. Take action to help Democrats win these critical School Board seats this year by attending the next Hunter Mill Democrats meeting on August 14th and learning how you can volunteer! If you can’t make that meeting, visit the websites of our candidates and send a donation to help them reach voters with mailers, phone banks, and canvass packets.