By Jay Swanson: I like Sen. Chap Petersen (D- 34) a lot. One of the first votes I ever cast when I turned 18 was for him. But he made the wrong decision when he sided with the Republicans to not move Virginia’s May 5th municipal elections to November. The move had been suggested by our Democratic governor—and medical doctor—Ralph…
By Susan Laume: A day that began with hope quickly ended in anger and frustration as Republican state legislators in Richmond abruptly shut down a special session on gun violence less than 90 minutes after it began on Tuesday, July 9. Democratic legislators were shocked when Republicans used their small majorities in both the state House and Senate to adjourn…
By Brad Swanson: Kofi Annan is puzzled. He’s the president of the Fairfax County NAACP, one of the largest and most active chapters in the Commonwealth, and winner of a prestigious prize as the best chapter in the country. Yet Gov. Ralph Northam’s office, much less the governor himself, won’t speak to him about how to deal with a racist…
Gov. Ralph Northam (D) cancelled a campaign stop in Burke on Sunday in the face of protests organized by groups that normally have little in common — the Fairfax County NAACP and the Fairfax County Republican Committee. After the cancellation, Farfax NAACP President Kofi Annan commented on Facebook, “Virginians deserve a governor that does not have ties to the KKK.…
Ed Note: Normally The Blue View prints original content only but we are making an exception in the case of a constituent letter dealing with the current turmoil in Richmond posted on Facebook by Del. Mark Keam (D- 35) on Friday, Feb. 15. We think Keam has done a public service by drawing a closely-reasoned road map through a complex…
By Susan Laume Police were a visible presence Saturday at two town halls in Fairfax County on Saturday, including one that had been cancelled but nevertheless attracted hundreds of demonstrators. The unusual police presence highlighted the emotional nature of two issues state legislators are dealing with currently – a racist photo connected to Gov. Ralph Northam, and partisan vilification of…
By Susan Laume: After two bills which would have removed some of the medically unnecessary impediments to women’s abortion care were defeated by the Virginia Senate Health and Education Committee on Thursday, Jan. 17, Virginia’s leaders reaffirmed their support for women to make their own reproductive decisions. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, and Attorney General Mark Herring…
By Dr. Vivian Thomson: Is an African American community in rural Virginia the right place to put a massive compressor station for a natural gas pipeline? This is the question the Virginia Air Pollution Control Board will consider at their meeting Tuesday, January 8. The compressor for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline is one of only three along the 600-mile planned…
By Roberta Kellam and Dr. Vivian Thomson: Ed. Note: The authors formerly served on state environmental regulatory boards. Their views are personal. Gov. Northam has failed the citizens of Virginia with his sudden decision to appoint two new members to the State Air Pollution Control Board just as the board is considering a controversial permit for a natural gas pipeline compressor…
By Paul O’Shea: The last person executed in Virginia was mentally ill. Yet Virginia, which has executed more people than any state except Texas, has no law protecting the mentally disabled from capital punishment. It’s time to change that. When Virginia completed the task of executing William Morva at 9:15 p.m. on July 6, 2017, it had killed a disturbed…
By Holly Hazard: Lost in the discussion of how minority Democrats won Medicaid expansion last month in the Virginia General Assembly is the story of one vibrant 26-year-old woman who may have made a big difference. The story starts with the surprising change of mind of Del. Terry Kilgore, a long-serving Republican whose 1st District ( parts of Lee, Scott,…
By Brad Swanson: Almost 400,000 Virginians will gain medical care after the state legislature voted late Wednesday to expand the federal healthcare program Medicaid. The federal government will pick up at least 90% of the cost, estimated at about $2 billion annually. The decision caps a five-year campaign by Democratic legislators, and marks a big win for Gov. Ralph Northam,…