Tuesday, June 12, is primary election day in Virginia. Long-time 8th District Congressman Jim Moran is being challenged in the Democratic primary by a heretofore unknown candidate who calls himself a “Progressive Warrior.” Nice slogan, but the real progressive warrior in this race is Jim Moran. Jim has dedicated his [...]

 Every June, the members of the Board of Supervisors have the pleasure of naming outstanding residents as their district’s Lord and Lady Fairfax. The recognition commemorates the original Lord Fairfax, for whom the county is named, as well as community service performed by local residents over many years. The “Lords [...]

 It was standing room only Monday night as more than 100 people packed the meeting room at the Human Service Center on Leesburg Pike for the first Seven Corners Community Visioning Workshop. I initiated the concept last fall, and asked county planning staff to prepare a background analysis of the [...]

 The Seven Corners area is home to the first major suburban shopping center in Fairfax County, developed in the 1950s, which “changed the relationship of Fairfax County as a solely suburban bedroom community satellite of the capital city,” according to Fairfax County, Virginia, A History, (1992 edition). The same volume [...]

 The official-looking mailing was brought to my office by an elderly constituent, who was concerned about a possible scam. The bright red and white notice, entitled “2012 Property Tax Assessment Analysis,” indicated that “Fairfax County tax authorities may have made an error” in assessing her property. The notice also noted [...]

   Fairfax County’s FY 2013 budget is now a reality. The Board of Supervisors spent the past two months tearing apart County Executive Tony Griffin’s proposed budget (his last as he began his long-planned retirement on April 25), making adjustments and, ultimately, adopting the budget by a vote of 8 [...]

 Like the profusion of spring flowers blossoming around Mason District, my column this week is a potpourri of thoughts and opportunities:

 Mark Twain, writing in the late 19th century when frontier water wars influenced development patterns of the American West, reported that “Whiskey is for drinking; water is for fighting over.” In the intervening centuries, water resources continue to have significant impacts on how we use the land, and relationships between [...]

Tuesday was a busy day for the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, with a focus on the future. The board selected a successor to retiring county executive Tony Griffin, and approved moving forward on Phase 2 of the Rail to Dulles project. At the end of the day, the board [...]

The budget continues to be the focus of the Board of Supervisors, even as spring vacation is on the calendar. While dogwood, flowering quince, and azaleas captivate us with early April color, meeting the needs of the most vulnerable in our community seems to focus on just one color – [...]