By Diane Burkley Alejandro: We all were horrified as we watched the video showing a Minneapolis policeman extinguishing George Floyd’s life with his knee. Fairfax County is not Minneapolis. But on Friday June 5, we were reminded that police violence occurs here, too. Body-cam footage initially showed police and other first responders calmly talking to a man who appeared to…
By Marcus R. Motta: The Fairfax County NAACP drew an estimated 1,000 vehicles to a rally recently designed to demonstrate that large protests can be safely mounted during the pandemic. The event, Justice for Black Lives Car Rally, was staged in the Fairfax County Government Center parking lot on Wed., June 3. Attendees, who had reserved parking spaces earlier through…
By Susan Laume: The Fairfax County Government Center auditorium was packed, despite cold and rainy weather, as elected officials, including Board of Supervisors Chair Jeff McKay, took their oaths of office on December 16. Several hundred friends, family and well-wishers braved the rain to congratulate 15 newly elected county officials — 10 supervisors, three Soil and Water Board directors, sheriff…
Democrats took control of the Virginia House and Senate on Tuesday, and consolidated their legislative hold in Northern Virginia as Dan Helmer ousted Republican incumbent Del. Tim Hugo in the 40th District (Centreville) to make the region a solid sea of blue. Democrats also swept to victory in local elections in Fairfax County, with two challengers defeating Republican school board…
Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay won the Democratic Primary for chair of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Tuesday night, beating opponents at-large school board member Ryan McElveen, Georgetown Law professor Alicia Plerhoples and developer Tim Chapman. The race for Commonwealth’s Attorney in Fairfax County was won by challenger Steve Descano, who defeated incumbent Ray Morrogh, a Fairfax County prosecutor for more than…
The Democratic Primary will take place from 6 a.m.-7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 11. Participation is open to any registered voter and you don’t need to re- register or sign up with the Democratic Party in order to cast a ballot in the Primary. The voting process is the same as it is in the November General Election. Just head…
By Steve Descano: Candidate for Commonwealth’s Attorney in the Democratic primary on June 11 Since the 1960s, Fairfax County’s criminal justice system has been led by the mistaken notion that “tough-on-crime” policies reduce criminal behavior and improve outcomes for our community. Instead, these policies harm our neighbors and perpetuate a cycle of decreased opportunity, increased poverty, and increased crime. The…
By Brad Swanson: Democratic Party candidates for criminal prosecutor clashed in a debate Friday, May 24, as challenger Steve Descano painted a vision of “progressive justice” while incumbent Ray Morrogh, represented by a staff attorney, insisted on the importance of deciding each case on its individual merits. Morrogh, who was ill and sent Katherine Stott from his office as a…
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…
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 Jim O’Connell: Steve Descano goes out night after night looking for trouble. Not trying to start some, he’s trying to resolve it. Descano is a member of the Fairfax County Police Civilian Review Panel, which reviews complaints of abuse or unprofessional conduct by officers. With 1,400 officers in a county of more than a million people where more than…