Fairfax County Democratic Committee

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Fairfax County Democratic Committee
AbbreviationFCDC
ChairpersonBryan Graham
Headquarters8500 Executive Park Ave, Suite 402, Fairfax, VA 22031
NewspaperBlueView
National affiliationDemocratic Party (United States)
Regional affiliationDemocratic Party of Virginia
SloganMoving Virginia Forward
Board of Supervisors
9 / 10
School Board
12 / 12
U.S. House of Representatives
3 / 3
Senate of Virginia
9 / 9
Virginia House of Delegates
17 / 17
County Constitutional Officers
2 / 3
Website
Official website

The Fairfax County Democratic Committee (FCDC) is the local arm of the Democratic Party in Fairfax County, Virginia. It is the largest Democratic committee in Virginia, with Fairfax County representing over 17% of the Democratic vote in the 2020 presidential election in Virginia.[1] In recent years, Democrats have dominated Fairfax County politics, holding 57 of the 59 local, state, and national offices representing the county. Its counterpart is the Fairfax County Republican Committee.

Leadership[]

The Fairfax County Democratic Committee is led by a chair, elected following elections in odd-numbered years. FCDC also has a one-person staff consisting of an Executive Director, who runs the day-to-day operations of the committee.[2] The current chair is Bryan Graham, and the current Executive Director is Jack Kiraly.[3]

The steering committee consists of the county-wide elected elected vice chairs, chairs of district committees, and chairs of standing committees and caucuses. It also contains members of the Democratic Party of Virginia steering committee who live in Fairfax County. The steering committee meets monthly to handle more urgent FCDC business, and is given priority over consideration of budget and resolution matters.

Membership in FCDC is divided between Fairfax County's nine magisterial districts: Braddock, Hunter Mill, Dranesville, Lee, Mount Vernon, Mason, Providence, Springfield, and Sully. Each magisterial district has its own committee and leadership, and meet regularly, usually monthly, to coordinate activities. Membership is open to any Fairfax County resident age 13 and older.[4]

Public Positions[]

Fairfax County Police Chief Firing[]

In 2021, after it was revealed that the newly hired Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis had been involved in previous incidents of alleged police brutality and misconduct, FCDC voted to call for Board of Supervisors to fire Davis.[5][6] The nine Democrats on the Board of Supervisors sent a letter to the FCDC prior to the vote explaining their reasoning for hiring Davis and urging against the measure.[7]

Response to School Board Removal Petitions[]

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of organizations formed to advocate for a return to in-person school instruction amid concerns over student performance gaps. The Open FCPS Coalition formed as a non-partisan organization,[8] however received financial contributions from prominent Republicans, such as former Gubernatorial candidate Pete Snyder.[9] The Open FCPS Coalition also sought the removal of three Fairfax County School Board members for alleged dereliction of duties related to Fairfax County Public School's COVID-19 response. On August 20, 2021, the Fairfax County Circuit Court dismissed the first of three removal petitions for lack of evidence.[10]

In November 2020, the Fairfax County Democratic Committee passed a resolution affirming its support for evidence-based school re-opening plans and urging state legislators to refrain from coercing the FCPS school board to change their school reopening plan by threatening to cut their budget.[11] The resolution passed with 98% of the vote.

In January 2021, State Senator Chap Petersen said he would propose an amendment to the Virginia state budget which would prohibit funds from going to school systems that don't open for in-person learning.[12] In March 2021, Governor Ralph Northam signed a bill requiring schools to open for in-person learning in the fall.[13]

Elected Officials[]

In recent decades, Fairfax County has been dominated by Democrats. Since the 2019 Virginia elections, only two Republicans have been elected to municipal office (Springfield district supervisor Pat Herrity and Clerk of Court John Frey), and none representing the County in either house of the Virginia General Assembly, or in Congress.[14]

United States Congress[]

U.S. Senate[]

U.S. House[]

Virginia General Assembly[]

State Senate[]

House of Delegates[]

Local Officials[]

Constitutional Officers

  • Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano
  • Sheriff Stacey Kincaid

Board of Supervisors[]

  • Chairman Jeff McKay
  • Braddock:
  • Hunter Mill:
  • Dranesville: John Foust
  • Lee: Rodney Lusk
  • Mason: Penny Gross
  • Mt. Vernon: Dan Storck
  • Providence:
  • Sully: Kathy Smith

School Board[]

  • Braddock: Megan McLaughlin
  • Hunter Mill: Melanie Meren
  • Dranesville: Elaine Tholen
  • Lee: Tamara Derenak Kaufax
  • Mason: Ricardy Anderson
  • Mount Vernon: Karen Corbett Sanders
  • Providence: Karl Frisch
  • Springfield: Laura Jane Cohen
  • Sully: Stella Pekarsky
  • At-large: Abrar Omeish
  • At-large: Karen Keys-Gamarra
  • At-large: Rachna Sizemore Heizer

References[]

  1. ^ "Live election results: 2020 Virginia results". www.politico.com. Retrieved 2021-07-01.
  2. ^ "FCDC Bylaws – Fairfax County Democratic Committee". Retrieved 2021-07-01.
  3. ^ "Our Leadership – Fairfax County Democratic Committee". Retrieved 2021-07-01.
  4. ^ "Join FCDC – Fairfax County Democratic Committee". Retrieved 2021-07-01.
  5. ^ Jouvenal, Justin (2021-05-01). "In a new era of policing, old claims of misconduct draw fresh questions for a chief". The Washington Post.
  6. ^ Jouvenal, Justin (2021-05-26). "Fairfax County Democrats call for ouster of new police chief". The Washington Post.
  7. ^ "An open letter from the Democratic members of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to the members of the Fairfax County Democratic Committee" (PDF). 2021-05-20.
  8. ^ "FCPS Accountability Coalition (Open FCPS Coalition) – A bipartisan, grassroots, volunteer group holding FCPS accountable". Retrieved 2021-09-01.
  9. ^ "vpap.org". The Virginia Public Access Project. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
  10. ^ Virginia, Blue (2021-08-20). "Fairfax Dems Chair Statement on Court Rejecting Petition by "Republican Operatives" to Recall School Board Member Elaine Tholen". Blue Virginia. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
  11. ^ "The Fairfax County Democratic Committee Supports the Evidence Based School Reopening Decisions of the Fairfax County School Board During the COVID-19 Pandemic" (PDF). December 2020.
  12. ^ Times-Dispatch, KENYA HUNTER Richmond. "Dunnavant, Morrissey, Petersen to introduce budget amendment requiring schools to open in person to receive state funds". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 2021-07-01.
  13. ^ "vpap.org". The Virginia Public Access Project. Retrieved 2021-07-01.
  14. ^ "FAIRFAX COUNTY, VIRGINIA DIRECTORY OF ELECTED OFFICIALS" (PDF). January 2021.
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