By Mimi Dash: Experience matters. Look no further than across the Potomac River at the job House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is doing to an inexperienced president and administration. But as our Democratic Party drifts further and further to the left, one thing is becoming abundantly clear: purity is becoming a hotter commodity. That, in a nutshell, is the decision many…
By Jung Byun: Growing up in an inner-city public school district sparked my passion and curiosity for education. I learned that not everyone is guaranteed access to a high-quality education. I was one of the few lucky students who tested out of a high school with a graduation rate of 50% into one with a graduation rate of 99%. This…
By Trisha Rahman: As a student currently attending a Fairfax County Public high school, I am familiar with many of the issues high school students care about. Yes, we think about test scores, our football team stats, even Ariana Grande’s new song, but we also contemplate problems impacting our schools on a large scale. When public schools all over the…
By Julie Galdo: Recently I had a visit from State Sen. Dick Saslaw (D-35) for the first time in 36 years living in Falls Church, and I was disappointed. Instead of sharing why he was running again, Sen. Saslaw spent our few minutes together telling me why his Democratic primary opponent, Yasmine Taeb, was not worthy of my vote. I…
By Susan Laume: As the Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney’s office handles thousands of civil and criminal cases every year, and touches many thousands of lives in northern Virginia, the social policies of the elected official running the office demand the attention of voters. This is why the Fairfax County NAACP sponsored a debate on March 16 between the two Democratic…
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…
By Paul O’Shea: Following recent passage in the state Senate of a bill to ban the death penalty for criminal defendants with severe mental illness, northern Virginia welcomes a leading proponent of a national movement against the death penalty on March 24th. Mike Farrell, founder and president of Death Penalty Focus, will keynote the annual awards luncheon of Virginians for…
By Susan Laume: Local governments in northern Virginia and elsewhere in the Commonwealth can now generate up to 30 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy for sale back to the power grid, thanks to recently passed legislation sponsored by state Del. Kathy Tran (D-42). The pilot program allows counties, cities and towns to generate electricity from renewable energy sources at their…
By Susan Laume: Two candidates vying for Democratic Party endorsement for Springfield District school board member faced off on Thurs. Feb. 28 for an hour-long debate before an audience of about 70. Laura Jane Cohen and Robert Walter, both education professionals with children in Fairfax County public schools, largely agreed on most topics, but differed on their choice of the…
Ed 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…
Mason District Democratic Committee has lost one of its favorite sons. Adolph “Sonny” Schick was known to many as the host of the annual Mason District Crab Feast but had many more facets to him, as shown in the following tribute by a fellow Mason District committee member. Remembering Adolph Schick. By Larry Byrne When I joined the Mason District…
As Black History Month 2019 in Fairfax County draws to a close, here is a small sample of the many speeches, celebrations, exhibitions and events that have made it specially memorable. At left, Dontae Bugg, Esq., soon to take office as the third African-American ever to become a circuit court judge in Fairfax County. Bugg gave the keynote speech at…
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…
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. When…