By Marcus R. Motta: Saturday, September 19, was the second day of in person early voting at the Fairfax County Government Center in Fairfax. At approximately 11:30 a.m., voters waiting in line outside the building were confronted by a large number of Trump supporters arriving in cars and honking their horns. Part of the group parked their vehicles and re-appeared…
Category: Issues
Support disabled veterans: Vote yes on Amendment 2
By Sara Helfer: Virginia Question 2, Tax Amendment Exempting Disabled Veterans from the Motor Vehicle Property Tax, is on the November 2020 ballot! We owe our veterans a debt of gratitude and this measure will help relieve a hardship for many disabled veterans while scarcely affecting state revenues. It is the right thing to do. Join me in voting YES on…
Handwritten postcards target undecided voters
By Grace Aspinall: Neither snow nor rain nor sleet nor a pandemic can stop the dedicated individuals determined to get out the word that every vote matters, especially for the Democratic candidates – they’ve just turned to an innovative solution – the postcard. No longer able to go door to door for political campaigns and candidates, handwritten messages on postcards…
Early voting is underway in Fairfax County
By Karen Kirk: Fairfax County residents can choose Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to be their president and vice president at the Fairfax County Government Center, where early voting in person is now underway and mail-in absentee ballots can be dropped off or mailed. There are three ways to vote: In-person early voting. Absentee voting by mail (in which your…
Will VA go blue? It’s up to you!
By Herb Smith: The Commonwealth of Virginia has less than two months to go before Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris become the 46th President of the United States and the Vice President respectively. In 2016, Virginia turned blue. Susan Swecker, the party Chair, was and still remains in leadership and has ushered the state to victory. Early voting…
Protests are an effective instrument for change
By: Matt Savage Dr. King said, “protests are the language of the unheard.” When millions of people gather, politicians listen. Throughout the history of the United States, peaceful protests have been a constructive vehicle for change in national policy. The Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests that have surfaced in major American cities over the last three months following the murders…
I want an end to gerrymandering: that’s why I will vote AGAINST the flawed redistricting amendment
By Susan Pederson: Many members of our community have gotten behind a proposed amendment to the Virginia Constitution they believe will take redistricting out of the hands of legislators and give it to an Independent Redistricting Commission. But, will it? Unfortunately, as with most things, the devil is in the details, and there are devils lurking in the details of…
Harris would continue fight for social justice, civil rights, environment
By Susan Laume: In October 2019, when The Blue View covered the visit to Springfield, Va. of then presidential candidate Kamala Harris, we could not have guessed we were meeting the vice-presidential candidate who will share the Democratic ticket with Joe Biden this November. Harris told the crowd that day, “Nothing we’ve done as a nation we’ve achieved without a…
Fairfax Schools show Black Lives really matter
Editor’s Note: This letter to the Fairfax County School Board was written July 23 by Reese Glassman, the new editor of The Blue View, on Black Lives Matter and the name change from Robert E. Lee High School in Springfield, Va. to John R. Lewis High School. Dear esteemed members of the School Board of Fairfax County, I see black…
County responds to small business needs with Fairfax RISE
By Grace Aspinall: July marked the distribution of grants funded and overseen by Fairfax County to assist as many small businesses as possible that have been deflated by the Covid-19 pandemic and the grant administrator has been processing approximately 100 applications a day. On July 14, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted a $46 million addition to the original…
Pet shops get standards, inspections under new law
By Susan Laume: Virginia law has been enacted to protect and monitor treatment of dogs and cats in pet shops with regulations and inspections. During the 2020 Virginia General Assembly, Sen. Dave Marsden (D-37th) sponsored SB 891 which was passed the Senate by a vote of 38-2, in the House by 64-35, and signed by Gov. Ralph Northam. Most provisions go…
Racial justice focus of Mason District meeting
By Abby Block: Racial bias in interactions of Fairfax County Police with the community and racial disparities within the Fairfax County Schools was discussed during the July meeting of the Mason District Democratic Committee (MDDC). Terry Adams, Chief Deputy in the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Office, mentioned anecdotes from his own personal experience to illustrate the negative attitude of white…
Robert E. Lee High renamed for John R. Lewis
By Marcus Motta: The Fairfax County School Board voted unanimously on Thursday July 23, to change the name of Robert E. Lee High School to John R. Lewis High School in honor of Civil Rights icon and Georgia Congressman John R. Lewis who passed away on July 17. At a hearing on July 22, the public was allowed to give…
What is Wrong with Donald Trump?
By Bob Leggett: Dr. Bandy X. Lee – a noted Yale professor and psychiatrist — presented a sobering and alarming assessment of the current president’s mental health and his fitness to hold office in a virtual discussion with Fairfax County Democrats on July 8. She warned that his conduct is almost certain to get more egregious and dangerous during the…