By Susan Laume: A letter sent in 2014 by a child desperately seeking relief for her pain spurred Virginia State Sen. Dave Marsden (D-37th District) to act. The compassion he felt for that child’s suffering from intractable epilepsy started the senator on his four-year journey to assist those in extreme pain. In 2015, Marsden first sponsored a bill that allowed…
Category: Issues
Fifty-plus canvassers seek new voters to help beat Comstock
By Stephanie Witt Sedgwick: Fifty-plus canvassers gathered early Saturday at a bare bones campaign office in Ashburn. Their task: canvass their assigned neighborhoods looking for unidentified Democrats and finding out what issues mattered to them. It’s all part of a broad voter identification program going on throughout Virginia’s 10th Congressional District. The goal is to find the new voters who…
Red and Minor Terry take fight against pipeline across Virginia
By Karen Kirk: After spending 34 days living in trees to block the Mountain Valley Pipeline from being built on their property in Roanoke County, Red Terry and her daughter Minor are taking their fight around Virginia this week. They were joined by Virginia Delegate Mark Keam, 35th District, Delegate Sam Rasoul, 11th District and attorney and activist Jonathan Sokolow…
Candidate Question Time: How would you improve transportation
Each week until the Va-10 congressional district Democratic Party primary election on June 12, The Blue View will ask all six candidates to respond to a key question on an important issue in 100 words or less. This week’s question: As a member of Congress, what would you do to improve transportation infrastructure in Northern Virginia? Answers below from candidates, in alphabetical order:…
Primary candidates are aligned while striking Comstock hard on gun control
By Stephanie Witt Sedgwick: Gun control is a hot issue in the Democratic primary campaign for Congressional District VA-10 as candidates head into the final month before the June 12 polling day. The six candidates view incumbent Barbara Comstock as an easy target on this topic, given her “A” rating from the NRA and a spot on the top ten…
First Person: A school shooting is a family matter for me
By John Parks: The Parkland school shooting hit me hard, as teaching runs deep in my family. My mother was a teacher as are two of my children, one a principal. And I have 7 school-age grandchildren. When a shooting happens in a school, it immediately becomes personal. That could be one of mine. I am infuriated at hearing Wayne…
Win-win tax reform: Restoring fairness and spurring growth
By William Berkson: Tax reform is not a zero-sum game. Since Ronald Reagan lowered taxes in the 1980s, followed by George W. Bush in the early 2000s and Donald Trump last year, middle class income has stagnated despite productivity increases, and overall economic growth has been mediocre. Instead of lose-lose, we can have win-win, bolstering both fairness and economic growth…
Photo Essay: Taking a stand for clean energy
More than 100 people took a stand for clean energy in Virginia on Sunday at the 2nd Annual Mother’s Day Climate Rally at Veterans’ Amphitheater in Fairfax, VA, sponsored by the the FCDC National Affairs Committee and the NOVA Climate Movement. Speakers included VA District 34 Sen. Chap Peterson and three Virginia delegates, Carroll Foy, Elizabeth Guzman and Vivian…
Virginia leads Democratic resurgence, say Moulton and others at FCDC fundraiser
By Brad Swanson: Democratic elected officials took turns praising Virginia’s role in turning the tide after the disastrous 2016 election and urging continued attacks on Republican majorities in the mid-term elections in November. The politicians were speaking at Sunday night’s Jefferson Obama Dinner, the main fundraising event of the year for Fairfax County Democratic Committee. “We wake up tomorrow in…
Candidate Question Time: Conflict in Syria
Each week until the Va-10 congressional district Democratic Party primary election on June 12, The Blue View will ask all six candidates to respond to a key question on an important issue in 100 words or less. This week’s question: Under what circumstances should we withdraw from Syria? Answers below from candidates, in alphabetical order: The question needs to be, how should we intervene?…
New survey lets voters compare N. Va. Congressional candidates
By Chris LeMenestrel and Francesca Costantino: Virginia Democracy Forward (VADF), in partnership with a coalition of grassroots groups, has put together the Cross-Grassroots Survey of Virginia Congressional Candidates to identify Democratic primary candidates to support in the 2018 election cycle who will advance a progressive agenda. Click here to view the survey. The survey provides information on the personal story,…
Fairfax County narrows teacher pay gap in new budget rising 5%
By Stephanie Witt Sedgwick: Public school teachers in Fairfax County will receive pay raises averaging 5% following the Board of Supervisors decision on Tuesday to narrow the gap between Fairfax County and neighboring school systems. The school pay hikes were part of a total county budget of $4.29 billion, rising $192 million, or 4.6%, over last year. The spending increases…
Photo Essay: Never give up the fight for gun safety measures
Never give up fighting for gun safety was the message delivered at Tuesday night’s Student Town Hall on Gun Safety that U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA-11thDistrict) hosted at the Providence Community Center in Fairfax. Connolly spoke about the many common sense gun measures he has supported which failed to pass Congress. He supports limits on assault weapons, expanding background checks,…
Why should we talk to voters?
By Todd Smyth: What is the best way to reach voters? Although hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on political TV and radio ads and mailers, those have no lasting impact on voters as they only go in one direction. “Research shows that almost half of all political ads are completely ignored,” says marketing consultant Matthew Sheffield, in the…