By Brad Swanson: Robert Mueller isn’t speaking in code or legalese when he practically begs Congress to impeach Pres. Trump. In fact, the special counsel says it in plain English in just eight pages of his 448-page report — the introduction to Volume II, which deals with the question of obstruction of justice by the president. Mueller opens by telling…
Category: Issues
School board endorsement vote leads to soul-searching at FCDC
By Brad Swanson: School board members have great power in Fairfax County, the 10th largest school district in the country, with a budget of almost $3 billion. And candidates – who are technically non-partisan — avidly seek the endorsement of the Democratic Party to gain advantage in this increasingly blue region. But who decides which candidates will get the Democratic…
Ex-Gov. Terry McAuliffe places his bets in No. Va. local primary races
By Brad Swanson: It’s unusual for an ex-governor of national stature to endorse local candidates in primaries, but as Terry McAuliffe acknowledged in a recent interview with The Blue View, “These are special circumstances.” The popular former governor, who served in Richmond 2014-18, has put his seal of approval on three candidates in northern Virginia’s upcoming Democratic primaries on June…
School Board at-large candidates sound off on issues
By Karen Kirk: School safety, diversity and challenges facing Fairfax County Schools were the top issues at a forum Saturday featuring at-large candidates for the Fairfax County School Board. The forum was held at Luther Jackson Middle School in Falls Church and early voting followed. Here are the four candidates’ views: Safety in schools in an era of mass shootings:…
Fairfax Supervisor candidates vow to end voluntary cooperation with ICE
By Diane Burkley Alejandro: After this year’s elections, Fairfax County may finally have a board of supervisors ready to stop voluntary cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which has made our region a national leader in deportations. This would benefit not only immigrant families, but our community as a whole, as crime is statistically significantly lower in jurisdictions…
Fairfax supervisor chair candidate top concerns: affordable housing, social equity
Affordable housing and social and racial equity are the most important issues facing Fairfax County, according to the Democratic candidates for chair of the county Board of Supervisors. The four candidates, who will face off in a primary on June 11, met at a forum sponsored by the Fairfax County NAACP on May 11 at the Heritage Fellowship Church in…
Rep. Wexton receives award for her work to support women
U.S. Rep. Jennifer Wexton (VA-10) received a Hope Award from Calvary Women’s Services Wednesday night for her work to end domestic violence and addiction at the organization’s 18th Annual Hope Awards Dinner in Washington, D.C. The event honors leaders who uplift and empower women and celebrates the success of women at Calvary who are achieving their goals and moving out of homelessness.…
No. Va. senators unite behind Saslaw re-election bid
To the Editor of The Blue View: Stop us if you’ve heard this before: “This election is the most consequential of our lifetimes.” We say it every November – and we’re proven right time and time again. After last year’s midterm elections, the House of Representatives is finally providing the much-needed check that President Trump’s White House has been lacking.…
Laura Jane Cohen victorious in Springfield Dems school board endorsement vote
Laura Jane Cohen was endorsed overwhelmingly on Apr. 27 by Springfield District Democratic Committee for the district’s Fairfax County School Board seat. Cohen, a teacher and PTA president, will face incumbent Elizabeth Schultz, a Republican, in the general election on Nov. 5. “This is the beginning of a longer adventure,” said Cohen shortly after the endorsement win. “ I feel…
Sperling eyes citizen advisory group expansion as Springfield supervisor
By Susan Laume: Linda Sperling knows first-hand how ordinary citizens can strengthen democracy by serving on one or more of the 85 advisory groups run by Fairfax County government. Sperling, a candidate for Fairfax County Board of Supervisors from Springfield District, knows this because she has been a member of the Transportation Advisory Commission since 2017. As a Commission member,…
Ricardy Anderson triumphs in Mason school board endorsement vote
Dr. Ricardy Anderson, a long-time professional educator, won the Mason District Democratic Committee endorsement vote for the district’s member on the Fairfax County School Board on April 24. Anderson served as classroom teacher and worked her way up to principal of several public schools in California and Virginia as well as director of teaching and learning for District of Columbia Public…
Karl Frisch wins Providence School Board endorsement by wide margin
Karl Frisch was endorsed by the Providence District Democratic Committee (PDDC) on April 23 as candidate for that district’s Fairfax County School Board seat. It was the first contested Democratic district school board vote in the 2019 election season. Frisch, who is executive director of the non-profit organization Allied Progress, won by a wide margin – 62% — over Jung…
Why I am not calling for the resignation of Northam or Fairfax
By Chap Petersen: One of the things I’ve learned from twenty plus years in elected office is that ordinary voters are smarter than politicians. This reality was never better illustrated than in the 2019 General Assembly session, when the Commonwealth and, more specifically, the Democratic Party, was rocked by a series of scandals which attached to our highest state office…
What it means to be an immigrant on the Fairfax County School Board
By Ilryong Moon: Fairfax County prides itself on its diversity. Our students come from all over the world and speak more than 200 languages. About a third of our county residents were born outside the U.S. In fact, Fairfax County Public Schools is a “minority majority” school district. Yet, our government leadership does not reflect the diversity of the county.…