Misc/Other Fairfax County Issues
Elected Representatives
Contact information for local, state, and national representatives for the residents of Fairfax County.
2024-07-30: Daily Caller: Herrity Calls For End Of Sanctuary Policies, by Jason Hopkins
Fairfax County Supervisor Pat Herrity, the one-and-only Republican supervisor in the deep blue jurisdiction, is demanding county officials put an end to laws that protect illegal migrant criminals in the county. Herrity's public comments follow a brutal murder earlier this month along a popular hiking trail in Oakton. Three illegals are being held for that crime.
2024-06-09: FCTA: Fairfax County 2024 Candidates, by David Swink
2023-12-29: Fx Times: Reader says Steve Descano is Grinch of the Year -- letter
I nominate Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano as Fairfax County's "Grinch of the Year" for his coddling of criminals, the resulting adverse impact on law-abiding citizens, and his war on the police. -- William McGill, Fairfax Station
2023-10-23: Yahoo: High Schooler Invents Soap to Fight Skin Cancer, by Samantha Dorisca
Heman Bekele, a ninth grader at W.T. Woodson High School in Annandale, VA, has invented an inexpensive soap to fight skin cancer. In so doing, he has won the 2023 3M Young Science Challenge and taken home $25,000 as "America's Top Young Scientist".
2023-10-09: Gazette Leader: Two distinct visions for Fairfax BOS chair, by Brian Trompeter
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay (D) and his Republican challenger, Arthur Purves, politely exchanged views -- with the occasional sharp elbow -- during a televised Oct. 2 forum.
2023-09-22: WT: Fairfax Co Traffic Camera Cash Grab -- editorial
Fairfax County's new school-zone traffic speed camera program is off to a bad start. The policymakers who came up with the idea swore the cameras would go after flagrant offenders only. As so often happens with government, however, what's initially promised is not what you end up getting.
2023-06-29: WT: Another Blue Dog Democrat bites the dust, by David Shephard
Mr. Petersen's defeat last week in the Democratic primary to left-wing challenger Saddam Salim brings the Petersen era to an end, and with it an era of centrist Democrats in Fairfax. Mr. Petersen was a rational, reasonable person. Nowadays, such a person is not going to win in a Democratic primary in Fairfax County.
2023-05-26: FCTA: Candidates for 2023 Elections in Fairfax County
(FCTA president Arthur Purves running for BOS Chairman.)
2023-05-16: Free Beacon: Connolly staff assailant previously let go by Soros prosecutor
The Virginia man arrested on Monday for assaulting a Democratic congressman's staff with an aluminum bat was arrested just last year for attacking two police officers, but he was put back on the streets by George Soros-backed prosecutor Steve Descano after he completed a mental health treatment program.
2023-04-11: GMU: Population Change in the Washington Region, by Keith Waters
Among jurisdictions in the Washington region, Fairfax County recorded the largest domestic out-migration of any jurisdiction in the region with a net loss of -21,573 from July 1st 2021 to June 30th 2022. Prince George's County (-19,902) and Montgomery County (-16,188). The region's exurban counties recorded the largest population increases.
2023-03-23: AMAC: Trio of Soros-Backed Prosecutors Under Fire in Virginia, by Shane Harris
Even in reliably blue northern Virginia and with backing from Soros-linked funds, Descano, Biberaj, and Dehghani-Tafti each face a real threat of losing re-election this fall, with all three looking at tough primary challenges. Perhaps even in liberal enclaves, Americans have had enough of the perverse vision of justice put forth by the left.
2022-10-05: WTOP: Voters set to replace Fairfax Co. delegate Mark Keam, by Nick Iannelli
Voters in Northern Virginia will soon have a chance to replace Mark Keam, the longtime Democratic state delegate who resigned last month. On Oct 8, Democrats wil choose between Holly Siebold and Karl Frisch; and on Nov5, Republicans will field a candidate (TBD). A special election will then be held on Jan 10.
2022-09-28: AMAC: Soros-Backed Prosecutors Face Backlash In Virginia, by Andrew Abbott
In Fairfax County, Virginia, defendants charged with criminal offenses are walking free with only misdemeanor charges courtesy of Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano, one of nearly 100 Democrat prosecutors funded by far-left billionaire George Soros. Now, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin and Attorney General Jason Miyares are ramping up pressure on Descano as well as the Old Dominion's other radical prosecutors to enforce the law.
2022-09-23: AMAC: Arlington's Left-Wing Crusade to Abolish the Suburbs, by Steven Peay
In 2020, former President Donald Trump repeatedly warned about Democrats' plan to "abolish the suburbs" -- a claim since proven correct. In Virginia's Arlington County, an owner of a single-family home could soon find that their neighbor's house has been sold to a developer, who will promptly tear it down and build a four-story apartment building right next door. (Et tu, Fairfax?)
2022-08-29: Cardinal News: NoVa Experiencing Net Out-Migration, by Dwayne Yancey
Alexandria, Arlington Co, Fairfax city, Fairfax Co, Falls Church, Manassas, Manassas Park and Prince William Co all saw more people move out in 2020 than move in. Virginia saw a net out-migration of -7,561. Fairfax County alone accounted for -14,231. And the people moving out make more money than the people moving in.
2021-10-20: Fox News: Fx Co violating election law in race for governor, by Tyler O'Neil
Complaint: Fx Co General Registrar, Scott O. Konopasek, had instituted a procedure to approve absentee ballot applications on which the applicant has not provided the last four digits of his or her Social Security number -- violating Virginia election law two weeks before the off-year gubernatorial election.
2020-11-08: FCTA: Fairfax County 2020 SAMPLE BALLOT ... and the Results, by David Swink
2020-09-20: Bacon's Rebellion: The Undemocratic Origins of 'One Fairfax', by Emilio Jaksetic
On July 12, 2016, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors worked with outside groups and adopted a One Fairfax resolution to achieve "racial and social equity" and "direct the development of a racial and social equity policy for adoption". But they never bothered to ask the people of Fairfax County -- whom they consider as mere subjects -- whether they thought it was a good idea or agreed with the effort.
2020-08-27: Sun Gazette: NoVa Leaders Holding Onto Control ... Forever? -- editorial
Northern Virginia elected leaders recently got together ("virtually") to pat themselves on the back for the great job they believe they're doing and declared we are moving into the "chronic" phase of the pandemic here in the local area. "Chronic" is local-government code for "we're going to milk this situation for all it's worth; you the unwilling public will have to pry the 'emergency' powers we have seized from you out of our cold, dead hands."
2020-08-06: Patch: Dems send absentee ballot applications to Fx Co residents, by E. Leayman
The mailing from the Center for Voter Information (a non-profit founded by Democrat strategist Page Gardner) includes pre-filled absentee ballot applications with return envelopes. The problem is, the return address is the City of Fairfax's registrar, not Fairfax County's.
2020-06-19: WT: Fairfax County orders police to stop helping ICE, by Stephen Dinan
Under the new rules, officers are prohibited from sharing personal information about those they encounter with federal agencies unless it's for criminal cases, rather than immigration -- though the order confusingly also says that police will comply with a federal law that specifically requires information-sharing.
2020-05-19: FCTA: Chairman McKay RE Your Shutdown of Fairfax County, letter by Tom Cranmer
Letter to Chairman Jeffrey McKay, blasting the Board of Supervisors' decision to continue the COVID-19 lockdown in Fairfax County, without a proper hearing from County residents.
2020-02-10: Sun Gazette: Civic group urges Fairfax leaders to uphold promises on Tysons
Coming up on the 10th anniversary of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors' approval of the Tysons comprehensive plan, the Greater Tysons Citizens Coalition e-mailed a letter on Jan. 29 asking supervisors and members of the county's Planning Commission and School Board not to back off from the plan's requirements. Lack of adequate infrastructure is already affecting Vienna, in increased traffic and use of athletic fields and schools.
2020-01-03: Bacon's Rebellion: Fx Co has More Registered Voters than Voting-age Adults
More Northern Virginia news you will never read in the Washington Post... Fairfax County has a registration rate of 105%, according to conservative activist group Judicial Watch. In other words, the number of voter registrations exceeds the number of citizens in the county old enough to vote. Judicial Watch is not alleging that any voter fraud has occurred, just that Fairfax County is failing to comply with federal law.
2019-12-03: Examiner: Central Americans escape MS-13, meet them again in Fairfax Co
Immigrants who fled Central American countries to get away from transnational criminal organizations such as MS-13 have come to the United States only to find the exact same gangs terrorizing Northern Virginia immigrant communities.
2019-11-13: Daily Caller: Dem Prosecutors Fear For Suburbs' Safety With Soros Proxies
The Soros candidates ran on a platform of not prosecuting certain crimes and charging others as misdemeanors when state law says they're felonies. Virginia's felony larceny threshold is $500, while the new Fairfax prosecutor has stated he won't charge theft under $1,500 as a felony. In California they did the same thing and theft is up dramatically.
2019-11-06: FCTA: Fairfax County 2019 Ballot and Election Results, by David Swink
Democrats swept all but one elected position within the County, with Republican Pat Herrity squeaking out a Board of Supervisors win. (Democrats also will take control of the Virginia House and Senate.)
2019-10-17: 2019 Fairfax County core election issues, by Fred Costello-231
The current Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and wants to change the county from suburban to city. And the School Board is hell-bent on reducing the quality of education to meet the left's continuing 'woke' meme. Are you OK with that?
2019-10-15: The Destruction of Fairfax County, by Fred Costello-230
2019-10-08: Daily Caller: George Soros funds 'One Fairfax' polices nationwide, by Luke Rosiak
Many cities and counties are adopting radical policies that see every aspect of government operations through the "lens" of race. A network of George Soros-backed activist groups has worked to push these policies at the most local level of government, where there is little scrutiny.
2019-10-01: WT: Fairfax County suspends officer who cooperated with ICE, by Stephen Dinan
Fairfax County Police Chief Edwin C. Roessler Jr. said Tuesday he suspended an officer who cooperated with federal deportation officers by turning over an illegal immigrant he encountered during a traffic stop -- a move the chief said violated department policy [as a sanctuary county].
2019-09-24: IRLI: Fairfax, Montgomery tied as 7th worst sanctuary communities in U.S.
We've all heard of the sad situation in Montgomery County, MD. But Fairfax County, VA recently celebrated its decision to refuse cooperation with ICE detainer requests. At the time an "immigrant rights" group stated, "This is a victory for immigrant residents in Fairfax County. This is a step in the right direction and a way to restore trust within the immigrant community."
2019-09-16: WT: Va. Republican Nick Bell raises the issue of infanticide, by Allan H. Ryskind
Though a passionate pro-life candidate, what propelled Mr. Bell into the race was not the abortion issue per se, but "the fanaticism of some Democrats on this issue, including the governor and my opponent [Vivian Watts, D-39th House District]." He's also concerned that such views are taking hold in other states as well, and wonders whether extremism sink Democrats in Virginia.
2019-09-12: College Fix: GMU hosts sex-ed carnival with penis-ring toss, by Zachary Petrizzo
A penis ring toss, vagina bean bag toss, and lubricant taste tests... And you thought Fairfax County Public Schools already taught every form of sexual perversion?
2019-09-03: FCTA: Fx Co Joint Environmental Task Force (JET) Meeting, by Darren Braynard
A regular citizen attended and recorded this JET meeting. Jet appears to be part of 'One Fairfax', our leaders' attempt to virtual signal their leftist credentials, while ignoring real issues such as our poor road conditions and the deplorable state of our public education system.
2019-08-29: WAMU: State Police Investigate Jeff McKay (Fairfax BOS), by Ally Schweitzer
Virginia State Police are investigating Fairfax County Board of Supervisors member Jeff McKay. This comes three months after a political opponent filed an ethics complaint alleging McKay swapped a political favor for a real-estate deal.
2019-07-25: WaPo: Fairfax's top bureaucrat aims to shake things up, by Antonio Olivo
For decades, Fairfax County's government has been a portrait of decorum -- making the abrasive, in-your-face style of its relatively new top bureaucrat stand out. Since taking over day-to-day operations in early 2018, County Executive Bryan J. Hill has startled and shaken up Virginia's largest jurisdiction.
2019-06-18: Sun Gazette: Taxpayer advocate to run against Janet Howell, by Brian Trompeter
It's an uphill battle, to be certain, but Fairfax County Taxpayers Alliance president Arthur Purves will take on, as a Republican ,seven-term incumbent state Sen. Janet Howell (D-32nd) in the Nov. 5 election.
2019-06-12: Daily Caller: Arlington Parent Fight Schools over Transgender Policy... Fx next?
More than a hundred parents in the Arlington Public School System in Virginia are fighting what they describe as an activist-led effort to implement a dangerous new transgender policy in their schools. (So Fairfax will likely soon follow.)
2019-06-10: Free Beacon: Soros Buys Fairfax, Arlington Prosecutors for $1M, by Joe Schoffstall
Liberal billionaire George Soros has continued his bid to "overhaul" the criminal justice system in the United States by pouring nearly $1 million into local Virginia prosecutor races to prop up far-left candidates -- Descana in Fairfax and Dehghani-Tafti in Arlington.
2019-06-09: FCTA: Fairfax County 2019 Candidates, by David Swink
2019-05-20: FH Herald: Democrat Chair candidates support affordable housing, illegals fund
In a spirited community forum on Sunday, the far-left Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement (VOICE) obtained commitments from the Democrat Party contenders for Chairman of the Board of Supervisors to include millions more dollars in County funding for affordable housing projects, and to expand the legal defense fund for local illegal immigrants.
2019-05-01: Sun Gazette: Letters about the proposed McLean drug treatment facility
Currently, a concerning issue in McLean is the planned mental-health-treatment facility on Davidson Road, near McLean High School. Here are five letters-to-the-editor posted by the Sun Gazette regarding this plan -- 1 Pro and 4 Cons.
2019-04-10: WaPo: Fairfax considers defending illegals with taxpayer money, by Antonio Olivo
Fairfax County is considering creating a taxpayer-funded legal defense fund for illegal aliens caught in deportation proceedings, part of a growing effort by local governments to counter the Trump administration's crackdown on undocumented immigrants.
2019-04-09: Sun Gazette: Vienna officials foresee higher water, sewer fees, by Brian Trompeter
Vienna officials at an April 8 public hearing gave their reasons for proposing to hike the town's water rate 3.9% and its sewer rate 10.5% during fiscal 2020. The town previously had been investing only about one-quarter of the necessary capital funds for its water system. But parts of that water system will "age out" in about a decade, and major work will need to be done.
2019-04-06: Drug Rehab Center Planned Next to McLean High School, by Xiaobing Zhang
Monroe Operations LLP recently purchased three residential homes on Davidson Road, across the street from McLean High School, and intends to use each as a psychiatric and/or drug treatment facility. The County says this is permissible under residential zoning laws. But a similar situation did not fare well in Connecticut.
2019-04-05: Fx Times: Fx Co Supervisors JET into Global Warming hype, by Angela Woolsey
Ever on the prowl for ways to make residents miserable, Fairfax County elected officials on Apr. 2 created a Joint Environmental Task Force (JET), which will "identify areas to further Fairfax County's goals in energy efficiency and environmental sustainability," according to BOS Chairman Sharon Bulova.
2019-03-19: Annandale Blog: Gross, Aiken clash on redevelopment issues at candidate forum
Mason Supervisor Penny Gross and her Republican challenger, Gary Aiken, clashed over how to revitalize aging commercial centers, the East County Office Building, and Bailey's Upper Elementary School at a candidate forum March 18 hosted by Bailey's Crossroads/Seven Corners Revitalization Corporation.
2019-02-10: Epoch Times: Pro-Iran Socialist Taeb Runs for Saslaw's Senate Seat, by T. Loudon
Muslim socialist attorney Yasmine Taeb is challenging Virginia Senate Minority Leader Dick Saslaw (D-Va.) for the seat representing Northern Virginia's 35th District that he's held since 1980. Currently, she is seeking the endorsement of a group she formally joined last fall: the country's largest Marxist organization, the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).
2019-02-03: kBoulevard.com: VA HOD District 86 Special Election Voters' Guide -> Feb 19
2019-01-22: WaPo: Fairfax County Supervisor Cathy Hudgins to retire in 2019, by Antonio Olivo
Hudgins, 74, made her announcement during a county board meeting, saying simply that she will step down at the end of what will be her 20th year as the Democrat supervisor representing the Hunter Mill district.
2018-12-06: WaPo: Fairfax County board chair Bulova to retire, by Antonio Olivo
Sharon Bulova, chairman of Fairfax County's Board of Supervisors, won't seek reelection next fall, ending a 30-year career. Supervisor Jeff C. McKay (D-Lee) plans to run for chairman in Bulova's absence, leaving his own district seat open. Supervisor Pat Herrity (R-Springfield), who is facing a Democrat challenger for his seat, has said he is also considering a bid for chairman.
2018-11-17: WaPo: Is Fairfax County headed for political transformation?, by Antonio Olivo
Fairfax County could be headed for a political transformation in 2019, with Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova and one other longtime Democratic supervisor indicating they might not seek reelection, and one of the board's two Republicans saying he will step down in the face of head winds from a growing blue wave.
2018-11-06: FCTA: Fairfax County 2018 SAMPLE BALLOT in plain English, by David Swink
2018-10-15: Sun Gazette: Arlington fiscal watchdog Tim Wise remembered, by Scott McCaffrey
Tim Wise headed the Arlington County Taxpayers Association from 2000 until his death in 2018. For much of that time a voice, albeit often in the wilderness, for fiscal restraint, Wise died Oct. 5 at Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg, where he had been undergoing treatment for cancer and other ailments.
2018-08-02: Restonian: County Board Approves 10M Square Feet of Development in Reston
Earlier this week, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved three massive projects that together will bring nearly 10 million square feet of new development and more than 3,700 residential units to Reston in the coming year. FCTA's Rob Whitfield expressed his concern, saying "it was abundantly clear that the Board does not give a flying fig about the adverse consequences of their action."
2018-08-01: Vienna Citizens for Responsible Development -- Details on MAC zoning
Vienna's MAC zoning encourages construction of massive buildings along Maple Avenue -- including at Nutley Street and at the Giant Food shopping center. We encourage Vienna residents to examine our detailed sketches of Vienna's present and future plans, and sign our online petition against these proposals.
2018-06-12: WaPo: Reston has a planning problem, by Walter Alcorn
We have a planning impasse in Reston. Residents are concerned about unchecked growth overwhelming roads, and county officials and staff want to protect the integrity of the planning process that produced a new Reston Plan in 2015. But the real problem is that our "new" plan is not fully baked.
2018-04-22: WaPo: Reston's "planned community" under attack by Fx leaders, by Lori Aratani
Residents in one of the nation's first planned communities -- designed as a place where people could live, work and play -- are at odds over new development some fear could result in more growth than the town can support and ruin its character. (Read also Reston 20/20 article.)
2018-04-10: Connection: Fx Co Public Safety meeting focuses on ICE ... w/o ICE, by Ken Moore
"I think we need to continue cooperating with ICE to the fullest extent possible. This is about protecting our immigrant community. It's human trafficking, it's drugs, it's murders, it's crime and we ought to be doing everything we can to get them off the street. I'm very disappointed that we invited [ICE] here, we have them on the agenda, and they're not able to speak." -- Fx Co Supervisor Pat Herrity, speaking for the minority
2018-02-08: Biznow: Why Til Hazel Has 'Serious Concerns' About Tysons, by Jon Banister
"I wish I could say things about Tysons that were upbeat and optimistic, but I have some serious concerns about the future of Tysons." ... "The region currently is not booming as it used to." ... "That's going to hurt Tysons because Tysons cannot grow as it should without the regional growth." -- Northern Virginia real estate legend Til Hazel
2018-02-03: Bull Elephant: Fairfax is now Officially a Sanctuary County, by Lou DiLeonardo
Fairfax County Sheriff Stacey Kincaid has just informed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that while her department will still share information on people booked into jail with ICE, as of May 23, 2018 it will no longer hold inmates past their regular release date/time.
2018-02-02: Fx Times: Fx Co kicks off massive zoning ordinance overhaul, by Angela Woolsey
Fairfax County is working on a comprehensive overhaul of its zoning ordinance for the first time since the document was originally adopted in 1978, aiming to reorganize and update the county's complicated, often inconsistent regulations -- due in part to the county's haphazard, piecemeal approach to making amendments.
2018-01-26: Fx Times: Whig Party reorganizes in Va, takes on Gerry Connolly in 11th District
Peter Carey, a Defense and Security professional from Fairfax has been nominated by the newly-formed Whig Party of Virginia for the United States House of Representatives in Virginia's 11th District, currently represented by Democrat Gerry Connolly who is seeking a 6th term.
2018-01-23: WT: Fairfax sheriff to stop cooperating on immigration requests, by Stephen Dinan
Sheriff Stacey Kincaid said her department will still share information with ICE on people booked into the jail, but will not hold them beyond their regular release time.
2018-01-07: Washingtonian: Is Washington's Local Economy in Trouble?, by Luke Mullins
For decades, the booming capital has outpaced the rest of the country. Recent data paints a scarier picture. The collapse begins on Capitol Hill. In 2018, Congress's failure to pass a budget leads to a 10-percent cut in federal discretionary spending in the Washington area. Contracting firms begin layoffs. ...
2017-12-17: FCTA: One Fairfax - Its Illegitimacy and Unanswered Questions, by Laura Miller
On Nov 20 and 21, 2017, Fairfax County Supervisors and the School Board jointly approved the 'One Fairfax' resolution, to ensure that all of our public community chest, resources and accommodations will be spent or utilized to achieve RACIAL and SOCIAL EQUITY outcomes in income, grades, and crime -- a Leftist globalist agenda taken from 'UN Agenda 2020/30'. Citizens should be outraged!
2017-12-06: FxCo: Converting Empty Office Buildings into New Uses
As it continues to grapple with more than 18 million square feet in empty office space, the county approved changes to our land use plan to more easily allow these vacant buildings to be turned into other uses, such as apartments, schools, co-working spaces or food incubators.
2017-11-21: FxCo: 'One Fairfax', the county's new "Social and Racial Equity" policy
Fairfax County's new policy formally enshrines the Democrat Party's Alinskyite platform of class warfare, identity politics, and victimhood. So renaming schools and roads, changing bathroom and sex education policies, and any other nonsense "for the children" can now be given umbrella coverage.
2017-11-16: BisNow: Stephen Fuller Sees A Crisis Coming To The D.C. Economy, by Jon Banister
Over the last three years, George Mason University economist Stephen Fuller said Wednesday that 75,000 more people moved out of the D.C. area to other places in the U.S. than entered it, a problem he does not think the region is taking seriously enough. But he offers a solution.
2017-11-16: Fx Free Citizen: Tim Hannigan Announces Candidacy for FCRC Chairman
2017-10-24: Patch: Anger Boils Over At Reston Zoning Meeting, by Dan Taylor
Hundreds of Restonians packed the South Lakes High School cafeteria to voice opposition to a plan to increase Reston's density limit. Locals voiced their frustration with the county, arguing that Reston was ill-equipped to handle the large increase in population that they believe an increase in the density limit would bring. This would be an evening for Fairfax County officials to listen to angry locals, and not the other way around.
2017-10-12: Connection: Time to Speak Up for Reston -- letter by Kim Wible
Are we going to become part of Fairfax County's general urban sprawl, with just a few plaques left at the Lake Anne Village Center to remind us that Reston was once valued as a pleasant and peaceful place to live?
2017-09-25: Reston Now: Fairfax's Misleading Reston PRC Zoning Arithmetic, by Terry Maynard
This is a crisis in preserving Reston as a well-planned community consistent with Bob Simon's vision a half-century ago. If we need to raise the population cap, we need to do so in a manner that assures that the infrastructure and amenities needed to meet County guidelines and community expectations are there as well. The County hasn't even offered a hint as to how, when, where this might be accomplished nor who will pay for it.
2017-09-25: Sun Gazette: First look at renovated Vienna Community Center, by Brian Trompeter
The new VCC opened on Sept 23. Renovations involved gutting and upgrading the existing facility, while adding about 15,000 square feet of new space. A new full-sized gymnasium with a high-school regulation basketball court will, when partitioned, allow two youth games to occur simultaneously. (See photos here.)
2017-09-07: Fx Times: The tentacles of today's Left -- letter by Catharine Trauernicht
Antifa is the latest manifestation of the political Left, enveloping previous forms taken by the Occupy and Resist movements. The Left's ultimate objective is the destruction of the United States, its Constitution, its free market system, and the Liberties we hold dear.
2017-08-03: Bisnow: Proposal To Build The Region's Tallest Tower In Tysons, by Jon Banister
There's a slew of cranes around new Silver Line stations in Tysons as the area undergoes an urban transformation. In May, Clemente Development proposed a 2.8M SF mixed-use development at the intersection of Leesburg Pike and Spring Hill Road, highlighted by a 48-story, 615-foot tower, taller than any other building south of Philadelphia and north of Charlotte.
2017-08-01: Connection: Reston Town Center North Redevelopment Process Begins, by F. Forbush
More development in Reston is in the pipeline, this time for Reston Town Center North. The county hosted a community meeting to discuss the development in the cafeteria of the Lake Anne Elementary School on Wednesday, May 31. Redevelopment will require a public-private partnership in order to make the vision of a mixed-use development come to reality.
2017-06-24: Sun Gazette: Madison HS coach Lenny Schultz killed on I-495, by Dave Facinoli
The Madison High School community is mourning the loss of its head football coach, Lenny Schultz, who was killed the afternoon of June 24 in a crash on the inner loop of the Capitol Beltway near Springfield. (Also WTOP reports.)
2017-06-20: DC Policy Ctr: Migration to D.C. stable, plummets for suburbs, by Mike Maciag
Net domestic migration remains positive for D.C. and Loudoun, but negative for the rest of the region. In 2016 alone, Fairfax County lost 17,820 of its 1.1 million plus residents -- about 42 percent of the local net migration. Manassas and Falls Church experienced the greatest rate losses relative to the size of their populations.
2017-05-31: Connection: Reston Residents Upset with County's Zoning Amendment, by F. Forbush
The Fairfax County Dept of Planning and Zoning wants to amend the zoning ordinance for Reston, but it was met with a lot of grief during three community meetings this month on May 3 and May 15 at the North County Governmental Center and May 24 at Lake Anne Elementary School. The May 3 meeting saw Supervisor Cathy Hudgins explode with rage at the criticisms.
2017-05-22: Reston Now: Reston's Population - Past, Present and Future, by Terry Maynard
Fairfax County's is hell-bent on raising the density limits in our Planned Residential Community (PRC) zoning ordinance to accommodate growth laid out in the new Reston Master Plan. But the County has done virtually nothing about providing the infrastructure and amenities required to meet that population in Reston, and totally ignores Reston's vision and planning principles as laid out in the plan.
2017-05-16: Reston Now: Residents Oppose County on Density Cap Changes, by Dave Emke
"Zoning and planning have to mesh, and that doesn't seem to happen in this county. In the plan for Reston, originally, we gave up density for open space." -- Ron Weber, a longtime member of the Reston Planning Zoning Committee.
2017-05-11: Sun Gazette: Overtime pushes some Fx firemen past $200K/yr, by Brian Trompeter
Overtime pay is not a perquisite, but a necessity caused by mandatory, round-the-clock staffing requirements, said Fairfax County Fire Chief Richard Bowers Jr. The Fire and Rescue Department must fill 356 positions each day, but has about 45 vacancies, he said. Overtime payments are not included when calculating employees' pension benefits.
2017-04-07: Reston Now: Strategic Plan on Subsidized County Housing -- mtg on 04/17/2017
A community meeting will be held on April 17 at South Lakes High School to discuss the formation of a countywide strategic subsidized housing plan. (Note that there are already more people in subsidized housing units in Fairfax County than in the entire Town of Vienna. See Fred Costello's 2010 report on this topic.)
2017-03-17: Fx Free Citizen: Is Fairfax a Sanctuary County or Not?, by Lou DiLeonardo
Will Fairfax Police renew their participation in ICE's "287g" program? Just holding illegal alien felons for a day or two at local jails after ICE places a detainer on them is not enough to prove Fairfax in not a sanctuary county. There is no half a loaf here; either you are or you are not a sanctuary for illegal aliens.
2017-03-13: Annandale Blog: Fairfax officials try to calm illegals' fears, by Ellie Ashford
"Fairfax County cooperates with the federal government when there are criminal activities. What we will never do is turn our police officers into ICE agents. It is essential for people to trust the police and not be afraid to report something or ask for help." -- Fairfax County Board of Supervisors chairman Sharon Bulova
2017-02-22: FCTA: Chairman Bulova says Fairfax NOT a Sanctuary County, by Charles McAndrew
2017-02-12: WT: Sanctuary city debate shrouds decision on FBI's new HQ -- PG Co or Fx Co
The two finalists on where to build a new FBI headquarters: Prince George's County in Maryland, where local officials resist helping deport illegal immigrants, and Fairfax County in Virginia, where police make a point to cooperate. (So even though Fairfax is host to many illegals, it's police cooperation with ICE may give it an edge in the March decision.)
2016-12-26: WT: Islamic State lures Northern Virginians to jihad, by Rowan Scarborough
Law enforcement agencies have arrested nine Northern Virginia residents on charges of aiding the Islamic State since the terrorist group rose to power in Syria and Iraq in 2014 and launched social media propaganda to attract followers, a government message to police states. They included a police officer, a Starbucks barista, Army soldiers, bankers and a cabdriver.
2016-12-10: Examiner: Ben Carson's HUD to kill Obama's "slum housing" rule, by Joseph Lawler
Of everything that President Obama has done that President-elect Trump stands to undo, perhaps no policy better symbolizes the differences between the two than a housing rule meant to reshape towns and counties across America. Local governments were threatened with loss of federal funding if they didn't rezone neighborhood to accommodate public housing.
2016-11-08: FCTA: Fairfax County 2016 SAMPLE BALLOT in plain English, by David Swink
2016-08-05: Patch: Fairfax City Mayor Traded Meth for Sex, Caught in Sting, by Greg Hambrick
Fairfax City, VA -- Mayor Scott Silverthorne is accused of offering meth to undercover officers in exchange for a sexual encounter, according to Fairfax County Police. He is one of three suspects arrested in the bust, investigators announced Friday morning.
2016-06-xx: Arlington Mag: Arlington's Empty Office Problem, by Tamara Lytle
Why 8 million square feet of vacant commercial real estate is bad news for county residents - and how local officials hope to fill it.
2016-06-28: Connection: Gross Misreading of the Second Amendment -- letter, by Paul Carlock
What Gerry Connolly and other Democrats want is to ban all effective weapons in American hands. Without realizing it (maybe), they pursue and promote Marxist goals of making the public subservient to the government boot. That is the exact opposite of why the 2A is in the Constitution in the first place: it is there to balance federal power.
2016-06-22: WaPo: Fairfax supervisors approve higher-density zoning rules, by Antonio Olivo
The changes allow for denser development in 22 areas of the county, including Reston, Seven Corners and the Richmond Highway corridor. Under the new rules, the maximum building height for most of those neighborhoods rises to the equivalent of a 10-story building with 50,000 square feet on each level.
2016-06-10: WaPo: Fairfax activists challenge zoning plan to allow much higher densities
The Fairfax Planning Commission will vote next week on whether to allow more and higher buildings near Metro stations and in aging commercial areas, part of an effort to increase the number of lively urban centers in Virginia's largest jurisdiction. That initiative has triggered an outcry from residents of some of the affected areas.
2016-06-01: Sun Gazette: Have Republicans ceded the 11th District? -- Editorial
Republican John Wolfe was the lone candidate to file for the GOP nomination to take on U.S. Rep. Gerald Connolly (D-11th) in November, so you'd think odds were in his favor that the nomination would be his. But he didn't show up, and the party faithful then, in lopsided fashion, rejected him as the nominee.
2016-05-15: Reston 20/20: Fx Co office space NOT growing as reported, by Terry Maynard
FCEDA's Director of Real Estate Services Curt Hoffman tries to paper over Fairfax County's anemic growth of office space with some wild claims. But in fact the office vacancy rate has more than doubled since 2006 from 7.7% to 16.5% in 2015.
2016-05-12: Annandale Blog: Stop the 'one-size-fits-all' zoning proposal, by Terry Maynard
In the next few months, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors plans to approve a "one-size-fits-all" zoning ordinance amendment that would guide redevelopment throughout the urbanizing areas of the county for decades. And with the county's new "Fairfax Forward" Comprehensive Plan amendment process, the barriers to increasing an area or project plan's density are virtually non-existent.
2016-04-22: Bacon's Rebellion: Explaining Fairfax County by Way of New York City
Year after year, some of the nation's most dynamic cities are also the nation's biggest losers when it comes to migrants. Yet rather than waste away, they continue to boom. Fairfax County experienced a net domestic out-migration of 16,800 in 2015 and 46,500 since 2010. But could the county be getting younger and more entrepreneurial, like New York City?
2016-04-02: WaPo: Fx Co model of wealthy suburban living starting to fray, by Antonio Olivo
But Virginia's largest municipality is fraying around the edges. A population that is growing older, poorer and more diverse is sharpening the need for basic services in what is still the nation's second-wealthiest county, even as a sluggish local economy maintains a chokehold on the revenue stream.
2016-03-21: Biz Journal: Judge expels partner behind "Int'l City" concept on Silver Line
Fx Co Circuit Judge David Schell on March 4 issued an order removing H. Christopher Antigone from the partnerships backing International City, a conceptual 14 million-square-foot development on 279 acres immediately north of Dulles Airport near the planned Loudoun Gateway Metro station.
2016-03-10: Cville Tomorrow: New proffer era has begun for Virginia localities, Sean Tubbs
Virginia counties had formalized a cash policy proffer system that established specific amounts all developers would pay per unit to help offset the impact each rezoning would have on school population, area roads and other government services. Legislation signed this week by Gov. Terry McAuliffe will change all that.
2016-02-29: WJLA: Fairfax County questioned in $7 Million land deal, by Chris Papst
A $7 million land deal by Fairfax County has residents demanding answers. The county needs money, but that didn't stop its supervisors from recently approving a $7 million land deal with a big-time political contributor.
2016-02-03: FCTA: Tim Hannigan running for chairman of Fairfax County Republican Committee
"My purpose in running for FCRC Chairman is to reverse the descending trajectory in county election results for Republicans." -- Tim Hannigan: Former Marine officer, editor of the Fairfax Free Citizen, GOP precinct captain, and FCTA board member
2016-01-12: Reston Now: General Dynamics to build HQ on Reston site, by Karen Goff
The aerospace and defense company has filed plans with Fairfax County for development on the 21.7-acre parcel at 11011 Sunset Hills Rd., which is currently a vacant lot between Hunter Mill Road and Wiehle Avenue.
2015-12-24: Bacon's Rebellion: A Moral Choice: Economic Development or Lower Medical Charges?
Building on its plans to establish a Center for Personalized Health, Inova Health System is forging a partnership with George Mason University that will allow physicians, researchers and clinicians to work together on personalized medicine research. But given Inova's 8% profit margin, the investment spree raises moral questions.
2015-11-07: Sun Gazette: Election yields two new Fx supervisors, four School Board members
After months of door knocking, partisan mudslinging and millions of dollars spent on campaigns, results from the Nov. 3 election have left Fairfax County's political balance of power largely unchanged.
2015-11-04: FxCo: November 3, 2015 General & Special Elections - UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
2015-11-04: WT: Embattled Fx Co School board retains pro-LGBT majority, by Kellan Howell
The majority of Fairfax County School Board members who approved a transgender-inclusive policy change were reelected Tuesday, despite many parents calling on voters to oust the panel over the controversial policy. Pro-LGBT Ted Velkoff was defeated by Jeanette Hough, a parent who ran for the education panel because of the policy change controversy.
2015-11-02: Fx Free Citizen: Election Office can't prevent absentee ballot voter ID fraud
An election officer discovers that the Fairfax County Election office has no way of negating the fraudulent absentee ballot. Due to the way absentee ballots are processed, almost any voter who is willing to lie about sending in an absentee ballot and has enough sense to not use his/her normal signature can vote twice.
2015-11-01: WT: NoVa Democrats conspired against gun store, emails show, by Kelly Riddell
Democratic elected officials (Del. Kathleen Murphy, Sen. Barbara Favola, Fx Co Supervisor John Foust) in Northern Virginia worked together to engineer a campaign against a Fairfax County firearms store in a bid to politicize gun violence and drum up support for a Democrat in an election Tuesday, an exchange of emails shows.
2015-10-06: WT: D.C. police rank-and-file do not support Chief Lanier, by Delroy A. Burton
District police officers had an opportunity in August to express an opinion of Chief Cathy Lanier. Of those who voted, 97.5 percent cast a "no confidence" vote.
2015-10-06: WT: Billions in income leaving D.C. region for low-tax states, by Andrew Blake
Data just released by the IRS in raw form last week indicated a net migration loss for the D.C. region in 2013 and 2014 that was among the worst in the U.S. Virginia and Maryland were among the 10 states with the greatest adjusted income loss loss. D.C., Fairfax County and Montgomery County incurred a AGI loss of roughly $1.97 billion.
2015-10-05: Sun Gazette: Bulova, Purves square off on taxes, police accountability
Candidates for Board of Supervisors chairman numbered three and were as different as could be during a Sept. 29 debate convened by the Great Falls Citizens Association.
2015-09-29: Connection: Protests in McLean as Gun Shop Opens Next to Elementary School
NOVA Firearms owner James Gates: "I understand that we share a backyard with the elementary school. If I could have avoided that, I would have." (What are the protesters thinking? What bad guy would be dumb enough to attack a school next door to a gun shop? - FCTA)
2015-09-29: Daily Caller: Taxpayer-funded union work common in Fairfax County, by Connor Wolf
According to recently obtained documents, public sector employees in Fairfax County, Va., are allowed to spend unlimited taxpayer-funded hours doing union work instead of their actual jobs. Virginia outlaws collective bargaining agreements for public employees, so it's surprising a county like Fairfax would have a "release time" policy.
2015-09-15: Reston Now: County Doubling Up on Reston Metro Station Density, by Terry Maynard
County leaders are planning to increase the allowable density in Reston's transit station areas (TSAs) again through amendments to the zoning ordinance. The reason: Fairfax County is running out of ways to generate taxes to cover its expenses as job growth and development falter. They need more taxable property to drive up revenues, Reston and Tysons are the targets.
2015-08-17: WT: Fairfax police officer charged with murder in Geer shooting, by Andrea Noble
Fairfax County police officer Adam Torres was indicted by a grand jury Monday on second-degree murder charges two years after he fatally shot 46-year-old John Geer while responding to a domestic call at the man's Springfield home on Aug. 29, 2013.
2015-07-27: FCTA: Illegal Aliens Encouraged in Fairfax [Sanctuary] Co + Chairman's response
The email threads regarding Fairfax as a Sanctuary County are compiled, including Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova's response to the criticism.
2015-07-01: Fx Ti404: Controversial Confederate flag was born in Fairfax, by Gregg MacDonald
During the first Battle of Manassas, amid the smoke of combat, troops found it difficult to distinguish between Union and Confederate flags. The original Confederate flag, often referred to as the "Stars and Bars" was very similar to the American flag of the time. So the Confederate battle flag was born, right here in Fairfax.
2015-06-29: Bacon's Rebellion: An Update on the Tysons Makeover -- Impossible!
Transforming Tysons in Fairfax County from an "edge city" into a walkable, mixed-use urban district may be the biggest, most ambitious suburban makeover ever attempted. The real estate market is moving towards walkable urbanism, but Tysons has little walkable urbanism to offer.
2015-06-23: Biz Journal: The suburban office park is a relic. -- damage to Montgomery Co
The traditional suburban office park -- generally cut off from public transportation, lacking retail and amenities and employee housing options -- is a dying breed. By mid-year 2014, 11 large Montgomery County office buildings totaling 2.25 million square feet stood almost or totally vacant, and another nine, totaling 1.4 million more square feet, were "almost totally available". (See related article.)
2015-06-12: FCTA: Letter of thanks to Fairfax Co police, by FCTA's Thomas Cranmer
2015-06-10: MWAA: Dulles Airport Travel and Freight Statistics 1962-2014
Notice mostly downward trends for domestic passenger totals since Independence Air ceased operations in January 2006.
2015-05-21: Watchdog.org: Fx Co PD sued over license plate reader policy, by Kathryn Watson
Fairfax County Police use 26 automatic license plate readers to scan drivers' tags in hopes of catching people breaking the law, and keep these records for one year. The ACLU is suing the department on behalf of an Alexandria resident for storing that information without his knowledge or consent.
2015-05-01: FxCo: Still seeking a Bicycle Coordinator -- Obviously a critical need!!!
Job #15-00222; Salary $64,255-$107,091 annually; Full-time w/Benefits
Position just re-announced, as they didn't hire anyone from the first round.
2015-04-19: WaPo: DC-area population increase slowing down-- negative in Fairfax Co
After decades of expansion, new census numbers show that population growth in the Washington region has slowed dramatically, with Fairfax County, Arlington County and Alexandria seeing more people move out of those communities than move in over the past year.
2015-04-15: Arthur Purves: Open Letter to the Incumbent Republican Supervisors
From Arthur Purves, Republican candidate for Fairfax County Chairman.
2015-04-13: WaPo: Fairfax Co School Board raises own pay 88%, by T. Rees Shapiro
As the school district faces a tough budget year ahead, Fairfax County School Board members have voted 5-4 to raise their salaries by 87.5%. Voting FOR: Kaufax, Velkoff, Moon, Haynes, and Evans; voting AGAINST: Smith, Reed McLaughlin, and McElveen; ABSTAINING: Storch, Strauss, and Schultz.
2015-04-10: Sun Gazette: Budget critic Purves is GOP challenger to Bulova, by B. Trompeter
Persistent county and school budget critic Arthur Purves knows it will be virtually impossible to beat Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova (D) on Nov. 3, but he's taking the plunge anyway. "I decided to run against all odds," said Purves, 66, who has been president of the Fairfax County Taxpayers Alliance president for the last 18 years.
2015-03-29: Washingtonian: The History and Re-urbanization of Tysons Corner, by Luke Mullins
The making, unmaking, and remaking of Tysons Corner is about much more than a single suburb. It's also the story of how modern Washington itself came into being as a region, and it offers a unique window into where it's going, too.
2015-03-29: WaPo: As Fairfax grows more diverse, candidates for office mostly don't
The roster of candidates running for office in Fairfax County this year is at odds with the demographic changes sweeping through the area. Forty-two percent of the county's 1.1 million residents are either Asian, Latino or African American -- up from a third of the county's population in 2000.
2015-03-28: FCTA president Arthur Purves running for Chairman, Fx Co Board of Supervisors
2015-03-27: WaPo: Pair of Chantilly office buildings drops $126M in value since 2007
It's been more than five years since the Great Recession toppled real estate values, but some commercial properties still haven't recovered, including the pair of Chantilly office buildings known as Washington Technology Park I and II, part of the Westfields Corporate Center.
2015-03-24: Fx Ti404: Vote to bump supervisor pay was 'reckless', Letter by Frank Medico
It's time to remove career supervisors. No one forces anyone to run for public office or run for reelection. It shouldn't be a job for anyone who places themselves first as some of the current BOS members have done by giving themselves a raise over the people they were elected to represent. It is up to you.
2015-02-09: Weekly Standard: The Road Not Taken-- VDOT aims to wean I-66 drivers
Here is what Renée Hamilton, deputy district administrator for the Virginia Department of Transportation, told the Washington Post: "The ultimate goal, Hamilton said, is 'to create a culture on I-66 where people get out of their cars and use transit.'"
2015-02-02: WaPo: Fx Supervisor Gerald Hyland (Mt Vernon Dist) to retire, by Antonio Olivo
Hyland said he has heard of about a dozen potential candidates for his seat, although no one has formally declared.
2015-01-28: Fx Ti404: Fairfax should pay for "quality" performance, Letter by Jeff Stewart
This is a board that has consistently raised taxes as a means to balance the budget. This is a board that helped circle the wagons, at great taxpayer expense, after the police killing of one of the people they are elected to represent. Except for supervisors Herrity and Smyth, we need to elect 8 new "quality" supervisors in November that deserve the pay raise.
2015-01-28: WT: Illinois AG gives pay raises as state goes broke -- Just like Fairfax Co!
Over the past four years, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, a Democrat, has handed out roughly $1 million in pay raises to exempt, nonunion employees who don't fall under state wage laws, as Illinois faces bankruptcy. (FCTA can't help but see an analogy to those unsustainable Fx Co and FCPS wage and benefit increases.)
2015-01-27: Fx Free Citizen: John Guevara Announces Run for Sully District Supervisor
Guevara works as a Manager, Professional Service, for a large telecommunications service provider and has served his community in a variety of ways. He has lived in the Sully District (Centreville, Chantilly, Clifton, and Oakton) for the last 15 years with his high school sweetheart, Marilyn. They have two sons, Peter and Nathan, who both attend Fairfax County public schools.
2015-01-22: FxCo: County 2015 Strategic Plan -- Tax middle class to benefit rich and poor!
"The County latest strategic plan calls for arts centers for the rich and many forms of assistance to the low-paid, exacerbating the problem of overburdening the middle class. The plan does not include reducing taxes but implies that taxes must be increased so the low-paid can be served." -- FCTA's Fred Costello
2015-01-20: WaPo: Fx Supervisor Michael Frey (Sully District) to retire, by Antonio Olivo
The Republican secretary of the county's electoral board, Brian Schoeneman, announced his candidacy for Frey's seat. Democrat school board member Kathy Smith is also expected to toss her hat into the ring.
2015-01-15: Sun Gazette: Bulova's "State of County" takes optimistic tack, by Brian Trompeter
But the county's office-vacancy rate now stands at 18 percent and commercial property values have remained flat in recent years -- unlike those of residential properties, which have seen gains since the recession ended.
2015-01-15: Biz Journal: Greater Washington's economy is 'being left behind': Stephen Fuller
The region is adding more low-paying jobs than high-paying jobs. From August 2008 through February 2010 the region lost 177,700 jobs worth $28.4 billion to the regional economy. From August 2008 through November the region gained 242,400 jobs worth $27.4 billion. That leaves a gap of more than $983 million.
2015-01-13: Fx Ti404: Crunching salary numbers in Fairfax, by Frank Medico
Most of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors don't believe $75,000 annual salary is enough so they are gathering information to consider a pay raise. According to a 2014 Virginia Association of Counties salary survey of 55 counties throughout Virginia, Fairfax County supervisors salary of $75,000 annually tops them all by a substantial amount.
2015-01-13: Watchdog.org: Fairfax officials seek higher pay, pensions, by Kenric Ward
Fairfax Co supervisors are considering hiking their salaries from $75,000 to $95,000. And the 12 School Board members are angling to double their pay from $20,000 to $40,000. FCTA President Arthur Purves blasted both ideas, saying: "If the pay isn't enough, they should resign and let someone else do it. Salaries should be kept low to encourage turnover."
2015-01-06: Loudoun Times: Democrat Murphy wins Va. House 34th -- Spending: Dem vs GOP
2015-01-06: Fx Ti404: FCPD officer Adam Torres named in 2013 John Geer shooting
2014-12-23: WaPo: Fairfax prosecutor says police blocked his probe of John Geer killing
Fairfax County prosecutor Raymond F. Morrogh said police repeatedly refused to provide internal affairs records of the Fairfax police officer who shot and killed a Springfield man in 2013, and county officials vowed to put up a fight should he try to seek them through court action.
2014-12-21: Sun Gazette: Economist says N.Va. must balance reduced federal spending
Faced with reduced federal spending, Northern Virginia must harness its highly educated workforce and become a more attractive place for international and high-technology companies to do business, George Mason University economist Stephen Fuller said. "Ours will [continue to] be a company town, but 15 percent smaller."
2014-11-19: Sun Gazette: Vienna Council OKs site plan for expansion of community center
An artist's rendering shows the planned new entranceway at the renovated Vienna Community Center.
2014-11-18: FxCo: Fairfax County 2015 Districts, Precincts, Polling Places
2014-11-13: Fx Free Citizen: Democrat Electioneering Day -- by Ileana Johnson
The neighboring Democrat handing out sample ballots seemed oblivious to the Virginia State Board of Elections vote of October 14, 2008, "to ban clothing and hats as well as buttons and other paraphernalia that directly advocate the election or defeat of a specific candidate or issue."
2014-11-06: Loudoun Times: Candidates surface in race to succeed Comstock in Virginia House
On the GOP side, McLean's Craig Parisot has been actively campaigning for the seat in anticipation of a Comstock win. For the Democrats, it's Kathleen Murphy, who lost to Comstock in the 2013 House of Delegates race by just one percentage point.
2014-10-28: WT: Suzanne Scholte and Sun Gazette: Gerry Connolly -- Endorsements: Va's 11th
2014-10-24: WaPo: Fairfax Elections Office plagued by discord -- "In a nutshell, it's chaos"
There have been five general registrars in the county Elections Office during the past decade. Some were forced out, and others left in frustration, documents and interviews show. The county-commissioned consultant's report was completed in October 2013 but never released to the public.
2014-10-14: Sun Gazette Letter: Foust supporters are cherry-picking their data, Arthur Purves
Rather than let real estate taxes decrease with assessments, Supervisor Foust joined the majority of the supervisors in raising the real estate tax rate 24 percent. Since Supervisor Foust's election, the real estate tax paid by the typical household has increased from $4,827 to $5,540.
2014-10-07: RCA: Will Fairfax Co incomes keep pace with national growth? -- Terry Maynard
Paycheck growth in Fairfax County and the city of Alexandria are lagging behind the state and the nation. A look at per capita personal income from the last five years shows Northern Virginia struggling to keep up as everybody else recovers from the recession.
2014-10-07: Watchdog.org: Defense spending rolls; northern Virginia sags -- Kenric Ward
Despite Gov. Terry McAuliffe's bullish pronouncements about job creation in Virginia, the outlook for Nova isn't so robust. While the region's overall employment rate has roughly flat-lined, offices are emptying.
2014-09-26: Biz Journal: Job growth by metro area -- DC ranks 14th out of 15 (beats Detroit).
Between August 2013 and August 2014, the Washington area added 10,300 jobs for an increase of 0.3 percent. Of the 15 largest employment metros, the region had the second-lowest growth rate, ahead of only Detroit.
2014-09-22: FCTA: Vienna's Maple Avenue Commercial (MAC) Regulations and matching Pictures
The town has grandiose plans under way to remold the main avenue into a pedestrian utopia -- at taxpayers' expense of course. However, the town's web site is a disorganized mess, making it nigh impossible to find these plans. FCTA has located these plans, downloaded them, and uploaded them to our site for your viewing convenience.
2014-09-21: WaPo: Is this rock bottom for Virginia real estate? Office owners can only hope.
This may be the worst time in the past 25 years to own an office building in Northern Virginia. At least one with space to lease. After mostly uninhibited growth since the early 1980s -- a run that produced some of America's wealthiest counties -- there are red flags popping up from Arlington all the way to Stafford County.
2014-09-12: FxCo: Strategic Plan to Facilitate Economic Success of Fx Co -- Draft BOS hokem
"The Board of Supervisors has adopted a set of Priorities: Quality Educational, Safe Neighborhoods, Sustainable Environment, Affordable Communities, Vibrant Economy, Efficient Transportation, Cultural Opportunities, Affordable Taxes." FCTA sees a bunch of hokem in all this, and advises citizens to attend one of the "feedback" meetings listed here.
2014-09-02: WaPo: A year after unexplained Fairfax police slaying of John Geer, family sues
On Aug 29, 2013, a Fairfax County policeman shot an unarmed Springfield man standing at his front door. A year later, officials still refuse to identify who shot John Geer, and why he was left to bleed to death unattended. Now the family is suing the Fairfax County police department, the chief and three unnamed officers for gross negligence.
2014-08-20: Connection: Accountability for Police in Northern Virginia -- FOIA exemption??
Police officials in Fairfax, Arlington and Alexandria have adopted what they call a "blanket" approach to using [Virginia's FOIA] exemption. That means they have decided to withhold any document they can without any analysis of whether they should, whether the case is open or closed, whether they are about a "police-involved shooting" or information requested by a family about a homicide victim. This isn't about race; this is about abuse of power.
2014-07-08: Connection: County Falling Behind on Its Housing Goals
On June 9, the Residential Studio Committee of the Fairfax County Planning Commission voted to recommend that the review of the Zoning Ordinance Amendment for Residential Studio Units be tabled. This recommendation will almost certainly be adopted. After months of committee hearings and community meetings throughout the county, the RSU amendment will be quietly put to rest.
2014-03-10: VirginiaPlaces.org: Land Values in Virginia
1) Based on the assessed value, all the land in Virginia was worth a total of $1 trillion in 2011; 2) The value of all the land in Fairfax County is nearly four times higher than the value of the land in any other local juridiction; 3) 20% of the value of all land in Virginia is concentrated in Fairfax County
2014-01-08: HB792 Residential zoning; restrictions in Planning District 8
Requires localities in Planning District 8 (Northern Virginia) to include provisions in their zoning ordinances that limit the number of residential units with 500 square feet or less of living space to no more than 100 residential units per 100,000 population in the locality. Zoning changes required to accommodate such units must be at a location in which the zoning prior to January 1, 2014, was at least 12 residential dwellings per acre.
2013-11-27: FCTA's Tom Cranmer: Slum Housing Next to You
Fairfax's proposal to put slum housing next to you would drive down wages for workers and destroy property values.
2013-11-13: Connection: Low-Income Micro-Units Could Come to Your Neighborhood
Fx Co has a proposal to amend the county Zoning Ordinance so that low-income efficiency apartments of less than 500 square feet can be built in virtually every residential, commercial, and industrial zoning district, including in low-density residential neighborhoods zoned for single family homes.
2013-11-12: WJLA: Gov't workers watching YouTube, playing games and using Facebook
Government workers in several Virginia counties may be spending a portion of their days watching videos, searching for jobs and playing games on work computers. The biggest offender on this specific day were employees in Fairfax County, who logged more than 96,000 visits on YouTube on Aug 19.
2012-11-19: Connection: Fairfax Becomes Immigrants' Gateway -- Focus on immigration
In 1970, more than 93 percent of Fairfax County's population was white and middle-class. By 2010, a child entering elementary school in Fairfax County would almost certainly encounter a classmate who did not speak English as a primary language, with family origins in places such as Vietnam, India, Korea or a country in Africa.
2012-07-13: Fx Ti404: Numbers simply aren't adding up -- Overdevelopment of NoVA office space
FCTA's Rob Whitfield writes that overdevelopment of office space occurred in many markets in recent years. It is little wonder that the overall Northern Virginia office vacancy rate reached a high of 16 percent as of mid-2012, the highest rate recorded since 2002.
2010-xx-xx: News21: Sanctuary Cities - Fairfax County, Va., by Grant Martin
Board of Supervisors chairman Sharon Bulova's acknowledgement of the contributions of Fairfax County's immigrant community, and her refusal to adopt any measure that would target it beyond what's already federally stipulated, have given the county the reputation of a sanctuary for immigrants.
2007-10-22: WaPo: Fx BOS Chairman Gerry Connolly Supports Illegal Immigrants, by Bill Turque
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerald E. Connolly (D) said yesterday that he would not follow the lead of Prince William County and push for legislation to cut off services to illegal immigrants or authorize police to check the immigration status of suspects, measures he described as election season demagoguery.
2007-07-18: Va Virtucon: WashTimes Calls Out Local Illegal Alien Sanctuary Policies
Based on the Congressional Research Service (CRS) definition of a sanctuary city, the following localities in Virginia qualify as "sanctuaries": City of Alexandria, Arlington County, and Fairfax County. (Read the WashTimes article.)
2007-07-08: WaPo: Gerry Connolly's Two Roles Provoke Questions, by Bill Turque
Critics cite no evidence that Connolly's employment has violated Virginia conflict of interest laws, which bar elected officials from accepting any business or professional opportunity that could influence their decisions. But they ask whether it is healthy for the county's chief elected official to be employed by a company with such a prominent stake in Tysons and Fairfax.