Tag: Fairfax

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#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!
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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.

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Activists Hold Vigil at NRA After Republican Short-Circuit of Legislative Session

After Republicans’ stunning inaction on gun violence during last week’s short-lived legislative session, Hunter Mill members and others joined the Alliance to End Gun Violence at a vigil in front of NRA Headquarters in memory of victims of gun violence.

The organization holds a vigil on the 14th of each month in front of the NRA headquarters in Fairfax. The vigil is held from 10:00am–1:00pm except for Sundays, when it is takes place from 2:00–3:00pm. Come join us each month and make sure that gun-violence victims don’t go unseen by the NRA.

 

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Please vote in the June 11 primary; important seats are at stake!

This year’s primary is special!

Every 4 years, all 10 seats on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors are up for election – one Chairman at-large, and one for each of 9 county magisterial districts. There are no term limits.

This year, half the current Supervisors are retiring after years of service. These seats are seeing competitive primaries for the first time in decades! It’s an unprecedented turn over!

These 10 elected officials on the Board of Supervisors annually set homeowner property tax rates in Fairfax County. They establish the annual budget that allocates our property taxes to fund county-administered services – in the upcoming FY 2020 it is a $4.4 Billion budget of YOUR tax dollars – to fund public schools, police and fire services, health & human services, libraries, parks & recreation, transit, environmental sustainability, affordable housing, and much more. The Board also approves land use & development policies & plans – and more!

Linked here is a fantastic flier about the candidates and when/how to vote, from the Fairfax Democratic Committee.

You can also view links to candidates’ websites here:
https://fairfaxdemocrats.org/2019/04/23/2019-democratic-primary-information-for-voters/

Quickly, though, the competitive seats are:

  1. Board of Supervisors Chairman (4 candidates);
  2. Hunter Mill District Supervisor (5 candidates);
  3. Commonwealth’s Attorney (2 candidates);
  4. Precincts with a Senate Primary in Hunter Mill:
    1. 240 Colvin: Barbara Favola vs Nicole Merlene for SD31;
    2. 235 Frying Pan and 237 McNair: Jennifer Boysko vs Sharafat Hussain for SD33.

Please share with your friends and make your voting plans! Polls are open from 6am-7pm on June 11—check your voting location here. And, there are early absentee voting options before then. So no excuses!

Every vote really matters!

#GOTV #BlueWaveStartsLocally #LocalBlueWave #BlueWaveFairfax

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A trio of stars puts sparkle in Hunter Mill’s lasagna dinner – and enthusiasm for a win in November

By Brad Swanson:

A trio of rising Democratic stars in the state legislature fired up the audience at the Hunter Mill District Democratic Committee’s 44th annual lasagna dinner fundraiser Saturday night with a consistent message– it’s time to take back the majority in both the House and Senate.

Hala Ayala (D- 51, left), Kathy Tran (D-42, center) and Jennifer Foy (D-2, right) each delivered short but punchy presentations at the Reston Community Center exhorting diners to seize the moment to replace long-standing, but now slim, majorities in both chambers of the state assembly in state-wide elections on Nov. 5.

“We are the ones we’ve been waiting for,” said Del. Foy. “Now is the time we can play offense rather than defense.”

Del. Tran recounted some major accomplishments, spearheaded by Democrats, in the 2019 legislative session, such as Medicaid expansion. She also noted some disappointments, progressive legislation torpedoed by Republicans, but said that “all eyes are going to be on Virginia this November,” and that “we’re going to continue to fight for our values” in the effort to flip the legislature.

Del. Ayala used her own example to send a note of inspiration, having overcome financial hardship, family health issues, and rank bigotry in a successful bid to enter the state legislature.

The three speakers, all relatively young women of color, portrayed a diverse and energetic Democratic party ready to take center stage in a state turning increasingly blue.

The other major event of the evening was a tribute to Cathy Hudgins (right), who is retiring after two decades as Hunter Mill District’s representative on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. Sup. Hudgins was recognized as an effective voice for social progress and justice by former colleagues including, Rep. Gerry Connolly (D- 11), a former Supervisory Board chair, who is traveling and contributed a congratulatory video.

Read the rest at The Blue View

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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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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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