Tag: hunter mill

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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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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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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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Special Election in Virginia Senate District 33

You probably know that thanks to the hard work of Democrats in Hunter Mill, Fairfax County, and in the rest of Northern Virginia, we are sending Jennifer Wexton to represent us in Washington. In order to do that, Jennifer Wexton has had to vacate her seat in Virginia’s 33rd Senate District. We will vote on Tuesday, January 8, 2019 for a new state Senator. Jennifer Boysko, a current representative in Virginia’s House of Delegates, has been nominated as the Democrat running for the seat.

Voting in the Special Election on January 8, 2019:

The election will be open to all registered voters who live in the Hunter Mill Precincts of Frying Pan and McNair. Voters in those precincts will vote in their usual polling locations on January 8, 2019. Polls will be open from 6am to 7pm.

In-Person Absentee (Early) Voting for the SD33 Jan 8th Special Election is available now at the Fairfax County Government Center, 12000 Government Center Pkwy, Fairfax, VA 22035. Early voting will be available from Monday, 11/26/18 through Saturday 01/05/19 from 9am-5pm.

Volunteering for Jennifer Boysko’s Campaign for State Senate

Canvassing and Phone Banking will  launch from 6 Pidgeon Hill Dr, Sterling, VA. Sign up here to help with weekend shifts:

And Sign up here for weekday shifts:

Remote Phone Banking is also available. If you are interested in volunteering in any capacity, please feel free to reach out to Chad Wiggins, Field Director cwiggins@vademocrats.org / 571-839-7040.

Handwritten postcards are a great way to communicate with potential voters with a human touch. Volunteers will also be organizing postcard-writing campaigns at the following dates, times, and locations:

Boysko’s campaign is also in need of housing for one more organizer through January 10, 2019. If you can assist, please reach out as soon as you can.

For More Information

Jennifer Boysko’s campaign website has further information on her as a candidate, and you can access it at https://www.jenniferboysko.com/. For more information on how to get involved and help make sure a Democrat stays in Virginia’s 33rd Senate District, contact Hunter Mill’s Vice Chair for Precinct Operations, Joanne Collins collinsjoanne@yahoo.com / 585-703-1121.

 

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Hunter Mill Democrats Volunteer Appreciation Party Saturday!

Well, we did it. We worked together and we built a Blue Wave last week. Democrats had a great night across the country, and the first signs of a good night came right here in Northern Virginia. Jennifer Wexton comfortably defeated Barbara Comstock in one of the first big flips of the night. We also propelled Tim Kaine and Gerry Connolly to decisive statement victories in their races. And none of it would have happened without our incredible volunteers. It’s time to raise a glass to you, and take an evening to revel in victory!

The annual Hunter Mill Democrats Volunteer Appreciation Party will take place this Saturday, from 5pm-7pm at Reston Community Center Lake Anne, located 1609-A Washington Plaza N., Reston, 20190.

Join fellow volunteers and elected officials, including Janet Howell, Chap Petersen, Mark Keam, Ken Plum, and and more to celebrate everyone’s hard work and our electoral success this year! Please click here to RSVP.

Light food and beverages will be provided, though if you would like to contribute a side dish, it would be welcome. Please note this in your RSVP.

There is no cost to attend, but an RSVP is appreciated so we can make sure we have enough food. Please click here to RSVP.

Questions? Email huntermilldems@gmail.com

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Hunter Mill Democrats Monthly Meeting on Wednesday, November 14 at Reston Community Center

The October meeting of the Hunter Mill Democrats will take place on Wednesday, November 14 at 7:30pm at the Reston Community Center at Hunters Woods Village Center, 2310 Colts Neck Rd., Reston, VA 20191 (map below). This will be the first Hunter Mill meeting since election day, so come and let’s congratulate one another on a job well done! It will also be time to start talking about the upcoming special and general elections for 2019. 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, November 14!

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Hunter Mill Volunteers Needed for Wexton in VA-10

One of our best opportunities to take back Congress is in Virginia’s 10th District where we are working to elect Jennifer Wexton as our next U.S. Representative and to defeat the Republican incumbent. With less than 2 weeks to go, you can sign up today to help take back the 10th District. There’s so much excitement around this campaign that many of our volunteer shifts are full in the eastern parts of the district. However, if you are able to go west, there are five locations that still need volunteers for both this weekend and in the final days before Election Day. These are important areas of the district that may hold the key to victory!

What: Volunteer for Jennifer Wexton for Congress

When: Weekend of October 28-29 and November 3 thru 6

Where: Choose a location below:

The campaign has asked Hunter Mill volunteers to assist at the Ashburn location, first on the list below. Help is welcome anywhere, but please make your best effort to help in Ashburn if you can.

Ashburn
(Hunter Mill Volunteers are asked to assist here, if possible)
20937 Ashburn Road, Ashburn, VA 20147 (map)
Click here to sign up

Aldie/South Riding
25700 Success Drive, Aldie, VA 20105 (map)
Click here to sign up

Manassas Park
170 Market Street, Unit 124, Manassas Park City, VA 20111 (map)
Click here to sign up

Leesburg
315 Ayrlee Avenue NW, Leesburg, VA 20176 (map)
Click here to sign up

Springfield
6442 Lake Meadow Drive, Burke, VA 22015 (map)
Click here to sign up

You can view a custom google map that plots each of these locations, here.

If you’re looking for other ways to help, here are a few resources:

Thanks and feel free to contact Fairfax Democrats (703-573-6811) if you are looking for any other information or resources.

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Old technology is newest tool to energize voters

Reported by Janelle Hartman and Stephanie Witt Sedgwick:

Postcards may be old technology, but they are being revived as an effective tool in the arsenal of Fairfax County Democrats to get a robust turnout at elections on November 6th.

Numerous postcard parties have been held in Fairfax County throughout the campaign season to target registered voters with personal appeals from writers urging recipients to come to the polls and vote for Democrats. The total number of postcards from area volunteers flooding the US Postal Service is unknown, but estimated at tens of thousands.

The cards are all hand written and addressed. There’s no set script, but each reminds voters of the date of election and the Democratic candidates in their district and urges the voter to have their voice heard on election day.

As volunteer Eileen Shropshire wrote, “It took me longer to write this card than it will take you to vote. Your vote matters!”

Two recent postcard parties with big turnouts:

On Sunday, Oct. 21, more than 30 volunteers from Lee District Democratic Committee  turned the back room of Fiona’s Irish Pub in Alexandria into a postcard writing factory — filling more than 1,000 postcards with personal appeals to voters who cast ballots in 2016 but skipped last year’s state election. Even Fairfax County Supervisor Jeff McKay and School Board Member Ilryong Moon squeezed into crowded tables to help.

A few days later, on Thursday morning, Oct. 25, more than two dozen volunteers filled the Whole Food Vienna café area (see image at top) to complete a three-month program organized by Vienna Neighbors United that has resulted in almost 10,000 postcards urging Virginia voters to go to the polls on November 6 and vote for the Democratic candidates in their districts.

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