The Tysons Community Alliance (TCA) has its first permanent leader.
Arlington County Board Chair Katie Cristol will take over as the first permanent CEO on July 5, the community improvement district announced today (Tuesday).
Cristol, who announced last year that she won’t seek reelection, will replace Richard Bradley, who has served as acting CEO since the TCA was created in October to replace the Tysons Partnership as a nonprofit advocacy organization for Tysons.
TCA Chair Josh White lauded Cristol’s work in Arlington in the announcement:
We are thrilled to have Katie Cristol as the new CEO for the Tysons Community Alliance. Katie has a proven track record of championing inclusivity, collaboration and community engagement. She is a well-respected leader and consummate professional with experience in catalyzing communities and urban management planning efforts in transportation, sustainability and economic development. We are thrilled to have her leading the organization as we continue to progress our work at the TCA and for Tysons.
Publicly launched in February, the TCA promotes economic and community development in Tysons, overseeing the implementation of Fairfax County’s comprehensive plan for the area. It’s currently funded by public investments, but it will ultimately be supported by local property owners.
County leaders believe that funding structure will be more sustainable than the Tysons Partnership, which relied on county funds and private donations.
In a statement, Cristol said she’s interested in working with the TCA because of its focus “on community building and inclusive, equitable economic growth, along with its vision for Tysons as a thriving regional downtown.”
“Particularly exciting to me is how the TCA has already brought together the private and public sector and created a foundation of collaborative partnership on which to build,” she said. “In the months ahead, we’ll be growing the efforts already underway in coalition building and strategic planning, while starting to deliver tactical results and improvements for the Tysons community.”
Here is more on Cristol from the TCA’s press release:
Cristol is a recognized leader in the region. In addition to serving on the Arlington County Board for eight years, she served on numerous boards including the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority and the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission where she also served as Chair. Additionally, she has served in leadership roles in the Virginial Municipal League, The Virginia Railway Express Operations Board and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Human Services Policy Committee. She is a strong advocate for affordable housing, racial equity and women’s issues. She holds a public policy master’s degree from Princeton University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia.
Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik, who was a key advocate for the TCA’s creation, expressed enthusiasm for the TCA Board of Directors’ choice for CEO.
“Cristol will bring the necessary energy and broad approach to the TCA,” Palchik said. “She is an organized and strategic leader who knows how to move the needle to get key initiatives across the finish line. Her enthusiasm and ability to push projects forward within a collaborative environment will serve Tysons and the TCA well. We are thrilled to have her serve as the TCA’s new CEO.”
The TCA organized its first major public event last month — the “Pedal with Petals” family bicycle ride at Tysons Corner Center — in conjunction with the National Cherry Blossom Festival. The organization is also recruiting volunteers to help plant cherry trees in the area, an event that was scheduled for last Friday (April 28) but got postponed by weather to this Saturday (May 6).
The TCA has a calendar of other forthcoming events in Tysons on its website, which also has general information about the urban center.
Tax Rate Decrease on Table for County Budget — “The Board of Supervisors will vote Tuesday on a budget mark-up that provides a lower real estate tax rate but doesn’t fully cancel out the impact of increased assessment values. Pay increases for county employees are also provided in the budget.” [Patch]
Local Man Gets 10 Years for Fatal Crash — “A 45-year-old Fairfax County man was sentenced to 10 years in prison last Thursday for a 2022 crash on Duke Street that killed a Fairfax County man and injured four others…[Carlos] McKethan, who drove a silver SUV, was high on Phencyclidine (PCP) when he attempted to pass a bus at 110 miles per hour.” [ALXnow]
Rally Today for Man Shot by Police in Tysons — The family of Timothy Johnson, the Fairfax County NAACP, and others will gather at 3 p.m. today outside the Fairfax County Courthouse “to fight for justice and demand action in memory of Timothy.” State legislators were slated to attend but stepped out after Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano announced plans to convene a special grand jury for the case. [Holly Seibold/Twitter]
Three Injured in Apparent DWI Crash — A 22-year-old man from Alexandria was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated and not having a driver’s license after crashing into another vehicle on Maple Avenue. Per Vienna police, a woman said the man’s vehicle rear-ended her vehicle “at a high rate of speed” at 3:44 a.m. on April 23, sending the vehicle spinning into a median. [Gazette Leader]
MLB Tests Home Run Derby Changes at Fairfax Park — “This weekend, the MLB rented Patriot Park North to test a new Home Run Derby format, Home Run Derby X. This will feature some fun twists to the usual event, featuring defensive catch zones and points, festival-like activities and more swings!” [Pat Herrity/Twitter]
Pot Smoking Among Concerns Raised by Metro Riders — “Mike Lebowitz, the Riders’ Advisory Council’s new chair, told the board about a Silver Line ride where a man rolled a joint and started smoking it, blowing smoke in the direction of morning commuters…Riders said that smoking makes them want to drive instead of taking transit.” [DCist]
Jiwa Singapura in Tysons Praised by WaPo — “My first visit had me focused on signatures. Subsequent reservations found me grazing on dishes I thought I knew, but fell for anew. Take sweet-and-sour pork, which starts with a cure of aromatics and cooks to tenderness overnight. The balancing act between sugar and vinegar rates a 10.” [The Washington Post]
Fairfax Filmmaker to Premiere Movie This Week — “Fairfax City native [Chris Schrack] will debut his third feature film, ‘For Sale,’ on May 3 at Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse. The horror-comedy tells the story of a shady salesman entrusted with selling a haunted house.” [Inside NoVA]
It’s Tuesday — Passing showers. Overcast. Cool. High of 54 and low of 43. Sunrise at 6:09 am and sunset at 8:01 pm. [Weather.gov]
Mid-spring is evidently the season to get a taste of restaurants around Fairfax County.
For those who didn’t fill up on samplers from this past weekend’s festivals in Vienna and Annandale, Tysons Corner Center will launch its own “Taste of” celebration to promote restaurants at the mall on Saturday (May 6).
Held from 1-4 p.m. on the Plaza, the first annual Taste of Tysons Corner Center will feature samples from over 40 eateries, a beer garden from Barrel & Bushel, cooking demonstrations, and live entertainment.
The full schedule from a media alert:
1-2PM: Tour Tysons Corner Center for a “Taste Of” 40+ participating restaurants.
- Check in at the Tysons Corner tent on The Plaza for your “Passport to Delicious: Eatery Guide”.
- Get your Passport stamped at every sampling table to be entered to win the Grand Prize (Nespresso VertuoPlus machine and $200 Eddie V’s gift card).
- Enjoy the music of Under The Covers Band live on The Plaza stage.
2-3PM: Cooking Demos and Chef Appearances on The Plaza from:
- Barrel & Bushel’s (and Hyatt Regency Tysons Corner’s) Executive Chef Daron Lee
- Seasons 52’s Executive Chef Partner Matt Beverley
- Nordstrom Ebar Manager Kris Kozosky
- Shake Shack: Shake-making with General Manager Sam Posey
- Wasabi: Sushi Rolling 101 with Alex Lee
3-4PM: So Fetch will perform live on The Plaza stage.
There will also be a photo booth and a tent for a “Spin the Wheel” game with restaurant gift cards as the prizes.
While the overall event is free, there’s a VIP lounge with a complimentary oyster bar and tuna tartar from Eddie V’s Prime Seafood, food and alcohol tastings from Seasons 52, and a build-your-own-taco bar from La Sandia.
Tickets to the VIP lounge cost $25, with all proceeds going to the nonprofit Food for Others.
A full list of the participating restaurants can be found on the mall’s website.
Fairfax County is pushing forward on a program that could have the county government split the bill for private stormwater projects with property owners.
Flooding doesn’t end at the property line and the Local Stormwater Management Assistance Fund aims to help boost stormwater management on private property. At an environmental committee meeting of the Board of Supervisors on April 25, staff presented an update on the program.
“This is a good example of how: even when we say everything is private, it’s your responsibility, at the end of the day, if things fall apart, they somehow end up in our lap,” said Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn.
The pilot divided the cost-sharing based on the percentage of property that’s public versus private. For a stormwater issue where most of the drainage is on public land, the county will pay most of the bill, whereas for an issue where the drainage is mostly on private property, the owners would pay the majority.
The initial budget for the program would be $250,000, with up to $7,000 allowed for each project applying to the fund. Staff said no more than 30 projects could be funded per year through the program, butwith the current eligibility restrictions, even 30 projects was somewhat optimistic.
The county is currently finishing up a pilot program that included the Millwood Pond, Virginia Center or Nutley, Green Trails and Gunston Corner facilities.
The county has signed an agreement with the Millwood Pond owners but determined no maintenance was needed. A “complex” maintenance project at Nutley has been completed, while one at Green Trails is under construction. Negotiations on an agreement for the Gunston Corner pond are still underway.
After the pilot finishes, staff will return to the Board of Supervisors’ environmental committee.
The federal government has agreed to pay $5 million to settle a civil lawsuit brought by the parents of McLean resident Bijan Ghaisar, who was shot and killed by two U.S. Park Police officers in Fort Hunt more than five years ago.
The settlement will allocate up to 25% of the total — or $1.25 million — to the family’s lawyers with the remaining money going directly to James and Kelly Ghaisar, according to court documents.
Officially approved by U.S. District Judge Claude Hilton after a hearing at the federal courthouse in Alexandria on Friday (April 28), the agreement states that it shouldn’t be interpreted as “an admission of liability or fault on the part of the United States.”
In a statement, the Ghaisars said their proceeds from the settlement will go to The Bijan Ghaisar Foundation — a nonprofit dedicated to addressing police brutality and helping victims of gun violence — “and other charitable causes.”
Despite agreeing to settle, the family said they “do not believe this is justice” and remain disappointed that federal prosecutors declined multiple times to pursue charges against officers Alejandro Amaya and Lucas Vinyard, who were only identified after the family filed the wrongful death lawsuit in 2018.
“We still believe, however, that accountability for Bijan’s murder is possible, somehow, sometime, and some way,” the family said. “We now shift our focus to fighting in Bijan’s name for other victims, and for all Americans, for accountability and prevention of police brutality.”
Statement from The Ghaisar Family on the settlement of the civil suit against the Federal government for Bijan Ghaisar's murder. #WeAreBijan pic.twitter.com/DaR8Kieffd
— Bijan Ghaisar (@WeAreBijan) April 28, 2023
Rep. Don Beyer, who represents Virginia’s 8th Congressional District, including McLean, called the settlement “the clearest admission to date that Bijan Ghaisar did not deserve to be shot and killed.”
“The officers who shot him showed reckless disregard for Bijan Ghaisar’s humanity,” Beyer said in a statement. “Yet, to this day no one has been held accountable for that act that left an unarmed young man dead, or for the unacceptable government stonewalling that compounded the Ghaisar family’s suffering and enraged the community I represent. This lawsuit is ending, but justice has never been done in this case.”
The DOJ settlement is the clearest admission to date that Bijan Ghaisar did not deserve to be shot and killed.
My thoughts go out to Kelly and James Ghaisar and their family. As their fight for reform and justice continues, I will continue to be their friend and ally. pic.twitter.com/hp9jhspZqh
— Rep. Don Beyer (@RepDonBeyer) April 28, 2023
The Department of the Interior, which includes the Park Police, didn’t return a request for comment by press time. The department’s Office of Inspector General is conducting an administrative investigation to determine whether Park Police policies were followed, according to the Washington Post.
The settlement marks the end of a prolonged legal battle for the Ghaisar family, whose efforts to hold police accountable for the Nov. 17, 2017 shooting have frequently been met with dismissals and silence despite support from community members and elected officials.
A Langley High School graduate who worked as an accountant in McLean, Ghaisar was shot five times by Amaya and Vinyard at Fort Hunt Road and Alexandria Avenue after a police pursuit instigated by a hit-and-run crash on the George Washington Memorial Parkway.
Police were initially told that Ghaisar was responsible for the crash before the dispatcher clarified that his vehicle was the one struck, according to court documents. A four-and-a-half-minute video taken by a Fairfax County police officer’s dashboard camera showed the Park Police officers firing nine shots total.
Ghaisar died at a hospital 10 days later. He was 25.
After the Department of Justice opted not to prosecute Amaya and Vinyard in November 2019, the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office took on the case and got a grand jury to indict the officers on involuntary manslaughter and reckless discharge of a firearm charges in October 2020.
However, a year later, Hilton dismissed the charges, stating that the officers’ actions were “necessary and proper” and they have immunity from local prosecution as federal law enforcement officers. An appeal of the case was dropped by Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares on April 22, 2022.
Ghaisar’s family said their advocacy work going forward will include a push to end qualified immunity, which shields public officials from liability unless they violate a “clearly established” constitutional or statutory right.
As noted in the statement, in response to Ghaisar’s shooting, Park Police officers are now required to wear body cameras — a policy change that led the agency to release footage from a fatal shooting of a teen in D.C. last month.
“We will fight toward that day when families never have to experience what we have been through these past five years as the current system and process make it impossible to grieve or pursue justice in any meaningful way,” the family said, thanking relatives, friends and other supporters. “…Let us now work together to make police brutality something future generations read about only in history books.”
FCPS Scales Back Falls Church HS Expansion — “The renovation and expansion of Falls Church High School, currently underway, is going to cost millions of dollars more than anticipated. As a result, some aspects of the original plan will be eliminated, and completion of the project has been pushed back a full year — from summer 2025 to summer 2026.” [Annandale Today]
Fairfax Runner Banned from Triathlons — “Collin Chartier, the triathlon champion who grew up in Fairfax and has strong ties to NoVA, has been banned from the sport for three years for taking a banned substance…Chartier admitted on Instagram to taking the drug and said he has no plans to return to the sport.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Man Arrested After Stabbing Outside Springfield Restaurant — “Fairfax County Police said that they were called to the Casa Blanca Restaurant on Hechinger Drive in Springfield around 2 a.m. [on Friday]. Police said that the victim was stabbed in the parking lot after a fight that started inside the restaurant.” [DC News Now]
GMU Law School Offers Haven for SCOTUS Conservatives — “Since the rebranding, the [Scalia] law school has developed an unusually expansive relationship with the justices of the high court — welcoming them as teachers but also as lecturers and special guests at school events. Scalia Law, in turn, has marketed that closeness with the justices as a unique draw to prospective students and donors.” [New York Times]
New Wedding Venue Opens Near Fair Oaks Mall — “Welcomed CrystalView Weddings & Events to the Springfield District near the Fair Oaks Shopping Center. Able to accommodate many kinds of events from 100 to 450 people, this luxurious venue is a great addition to the county’s hospitality community.” [Pat Herrity/Twitter]
Vienna Police Collect Over 100 Pounds of Drugs — “On April 22, 2023, the Town of Vienna Police Department and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (D.E.A.) participated in the 24th National Prescription Drug Take Back Initiative. As a result, the Town of Vienna Police Department collected and safely disposed of 143 pounds of expired or no longer needed medications from area citizens.” [Vienna Police]
Kid Visits All Fairfax County Fire Stations — On Thursday (April 27) “this future firefighter accomplished his goal of visiting all 39 #FCFRD fire stations. His last stop was Station 4, Herndon! Appropriate since he is four! His journey started at Station 40, Fairfax Center almost two years ago. Congratulations young man! Your visits always made our day!” [FCFRD/Facebook]
Lego Center Named Top Commercial Lease in D.C. Area for 2022 — “Springfield Town Center landing the lease in 2022 for the new Lego Discovery Center, billed as Lego’s latest spin on its nationwide themed attractions and the first of its kind in the D.C. area, bodes well for the landlord’s long and hard-fought efforts to turn the mall into a mixed-use destination.” [Washington Business Journal]
It’s Monday — Light rain. Increasing cloudiness. Cool. High of 59 and low of 46. Sunrise at 6:10 am and sunset at 8:00 pm. [Weather.gov]
(Updated at 2:25 p.m.) A D.C. woman has been arrested for allegedly abducting a kid from the Cox Discovery Cove at Tysons Corner Center.
Officers with the Fairfax County Police Department’s Tysons Urban Team were called to an outdoor play area — described as having a “sailboat design” — at 5:47 p.m. yesterday (Thursday) for a report of a missing 3-year-old child, police said in a news release today.
Using mall security camera footage, the officers “quickly” identified Jane Pyo as the suspect.
Officers observed Pyo walk towards the mall, stop, converse with the child, take the child’s hand and walk into the mall. Pyo was observed picking the child up and going down an escalator with the child in her arms. TUT officers located Pyo and the child inside the Coastal Flats Restaurant. Pyo assaulted officers when they approached but were able to take her into custody.
The kid didn’t experience any injuries and was reunited with their family, according to the FCPD.
Pyo has been charged with abduction, possession of burglarious tools, assaulting law enforcement and trespassing. She also had an outstanding warrant for failure to appear in Fairfax County court, police said.
She is currently being held without bond at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.
In the future, the heart of downtown McLean will be at the meeting of Beverly Road and Elm Street.
A newly released set of draft design guidelines for development in McLean’s Community Business Center (CBC) designates Beverly and Elm as “main streets” that will help turn the area from a collection of strip malls into an active, more streamlined neighborhood village.
At the intersection of the roadways, the draft guidelines envision a pedestrian-focused “signature civic plaza” surrounded by retail and restaurants, building off an urban park concept outlined in the CBC comprehensive plan that Fairfax County adopted in 2021.
“The urban design vision for McLean is that it will have a small town feel with a variety of human-scale gathering spaces that foster social interaction and communal experiences,” the document says, calling for diverse businesses to support residents and “comfortable connections” both within McLean’s commercial core and to nearby neighborhoods.
Fairfax County is now seeking public feedback on the guidance, which was made public on Monday (April 24) and sets expectations for everything from building architecture to street layouts and wayfinding signage.
An open house where community members can discuss the proposed guidelines with county staff has been scheduled for 5-8 p.m. on Tuesday (May 2) at The Signet (6900 Fleetwood Road). Comments will also be accepted via an online survey until May 14.
The vision of downtown McLean as a “neighborhood village” was developed by the county’s Department of Planning and Development and an advisory group of McLean Planning Committee directors based on a community workshop held in March 2022.
The biggest section of the 132-page document is devoted to streetscapes, differentiating between the four-lane, faster avenues of Old Dominion Drive and Chain Bridge Road and two-lane local streets, which include Beverly and Elm.
As outlined in the comprehensive plan, the design guidance envisions an urban trail for cyclists and pedestrians that’s at least 12 feet wide along Old Dominion. Chain Bridge will have a 5-foot-wide cycle track and at least 6-foot-wide sidewalks, along with an 8 to 10-foot-wide trail between Ingleside Avenue and Davidson Road.
The guidance advises against on-street parking on the avenues but recommends providing spots on local streets, particularly on the main streets and in front of retail.
Other highlights include:
- A new street light style, since McLean’s current lights don’t meet “dark sky” standards
- Street tree specifications
- A screening requirement for parking lots, which are discouraged in favor of parking garages, preferably ones underground
- A map of both existing and possible new park locations, with the “signature” plaza at the Beverly and Elm intersection serving as a town square
- Guidance for public art, including that it be integrated with developments, have a functional or interactive component, and feature historical or environmentally friendly themes
“Existing developments in McLean have included water as a primary element to activate public space and residents would like this trend to continue,” the guidance says. “…Alternatively, consider use of natural art and beauty through the preservation of trees, waterways, and other environmental features.”
The draft guidelines are expected to be finalized this summer, after which they will go to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors for its endorsement.
Arlington Residents Suing Over “Missing Middle” Look to zMOD Ruling — “The Virginia Supreme Court forced Fairfax to revert to an older zoning code because of this procedural misstep prior to the new laws taking effect. The 10 plaintiffs in the Missing Middle suit say it is a point in their favor, arguing the state Supreme Court signaled it takes seriously procedural violations.” [ARLnow]
New Signage Installed on GW Parkway — A temporary traffic pattern on the George Washington Parkway “has led to some confusion among drivers.” The National Park Service said new signs and barriers would be added to address issues, mostly in the afternoon rush hour, with northbound drivers trying to use the new center lane. [WTOP]
Vehicle in Armed Carjacking Recovered in West Springfield — “The Alexandria Police Department is investigating an armed carjacking that allegedly occurred in Old Town earlier today…Alexandria Police spokesman Marcel Bassett told ALXnow that the vehicle was located and recovered unoccupied in Fairfax County.” [ALXnow, ABC7]
New I-95 Lane Could Ease Occoquan Bridge Bottleneck — “If you’ve ever driven on I-95 southbound, you are likely familiar with the bottleneck situation near the Occoquan River crossing…The I-95 Southbound Auxiliary Lane in Prince William County is a project more than four years in the making. Crews have converted a mile-and-a-half stretch of the existing shoulder into a new travel lane.” [WUSA9]
Election Volunteers Needed for June Primary — “We need election officers for the June 20 #Democratic #primary election, including bi-lingual officers who can speak English and Vietnamese or Korean! Apply by May 19″ [Fairfax County Office of Elections/Twitter]
Springfield Plaza Giant Sells Water Made by Former Employee — “Two intrepid young Northern Virginians are making a splash with a big win: The mineral water brand they created has been picked up for distribution by Giant — 14 years after one of them worked for the grocery chain as a teen. It was Susosu Water co-founder Nadia Lizarazu’s first job.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Hybla Valley Gets New Farmers Market — “The Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture is launching a new farmers market at the Hybla Valley Community Center starting Saturday, April 29. The weekly event will feature produce, meat and eggs sourced from Virginia-based farms, including from Arcadia’s own Dogue and Hilltop Farms.” [On the MoVe]
Upcoming Reston Race Benefits Charity for Kids With Cancer — “Hopecam, the Reston-based charity that provides connective technology to children with cancer, is hosting its annual 5K Run/Walk on Sunday, May 7. Runners and walkers can participate in-person starting at 8 a.m. on May 7, at 1890 Preston White Drive” [Patch]
It’s Friday — Showery. Overcast. Cool. High of 57 and low of 55. Sunrise at 6:14 am and sunset at 7:57 pm. [Weather.gov]
The primary race for Virginia’s 37th Senate District pits an “old-fashioned” incumbent against a “progressive” who’s relatively new in Virginia politics.
Facing off for the Democratic nomination are longtime state Sen. Chap Petersen and Fairfax Young Democrats vice president Saddam Azlan Salim. Last week, a second challenger, Erika Yalowitz, dropped out to support Salim.
On the surface, the race is a classic match-up between a veteran lawmaker and a fresh face, but the candidates also have considerable political and policy differences, as evidenced in a recent debate that touched on Virginia as a “right to work” state, healthcare access and reproductive rights for women, and gun laws.
In an interview with FFXnow, Salim said he decided to run because he feels Petersen no longer reflects the political and population demographics in the 37th District, which includes Vienna, Tysons, Merrifield, and the cities of Falls Church and Fairfax.
“When I started talking to community leaders…about what they were looking for in a future senator, they wanted somebody who’s progressive,” Salim told FFXnow, “…when it comes to affordable housing, when it comes to the environment, when it comes to reproductive rights…and they’re not getting that from their current senator.”
Petersen told FFXnow he doesn’t “get caught up in ideology” and instead focuses on improving people’s lives in the community, calling himself “old-fashioned.”
He acknowledges the demographics in the district he currently represents and the new one created by redistricting have changed, becoming more diverse and “more oriented toward an immigrant population.” However, he says residents have the same basic concerns.
“A lot of the sort of older population that had worked at the Department of Defense, worked at the Pentagon has retired or moved. So, that core Republican constituency is diminished,” Petersen said. “I don’t think that necessarily changes the issues, per se. When I go door to door, people talk about property taxes. People talk about frustrations with the school system. [It] doesn’t change the state and local issues.”
One of those issues regionally is affordable housing, both candidates agreed. Salim said an insufficient supply has prevented essential county workers from living in the place they serve.
“Teachers can’t afford to live in this area. Richmond has the ability to work together with localities, to find workforce housing that works for workers that are in the county,” Salim said, charging Petersen with not being vocal enough about the need “to ensure that teachers stay in the area.”
Building new developments and housing around public transportation would help teachers and other workers more easily get where they need to go without relying on a car, Salim noted.
Petersen agrees about the need for more dense and vertical housing around public transportation hubs, but cautions that there isn’t “one great solution.”
In Fairfax City, where Petersen was a city council member in the late 1990s, a program called the Renaissance Housing Corporation provides no-interest loans to people who bought old, dilapidated and abandoned properties to fix them up with their own money.
Petersen said those places could offer “some type of temporary housing or at least give people an option.” He has also advocated for split-rate taxation, which would lower the tax rate for property improvements relative to building on undeveloped land.
“Raw land really becomes a tax burden,” he said. “You’re incentivized to develop it, and that’s something that other localities have used to incentivize development in the places where you want it.”
The two also diverge on the Dillon Rule, which limits local powers to those expressly granted to them by the state — something Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay has said is becoming more intrusive in day-to-day operations.
Salim says Virginia should eliminate the Dillion Rule due to its restrictiveness on localities, specifically Fairfax County. He believes it has directly impacted the county’s ability to innovate, move quickly on seemingly simple policy, and diversify its taxes.
While he agrees the state should ease restrictions on the county, Petersen doesn’t think the Dillion Rule should be eliminated, saying he believes it’s important to have uniformity in state law.
Petersen said he can foresee the General Assembly expanding the county’s authority on zoning and “certain tax issues,” but he opposes the idea of a local personal income tax.
“I disagree with Jeff [McKay] on having a local income tax. I’ve never agreed with that,” Petersen said. “I think that one of the reasons why people relocate to Fairfax as opposed to, say, Maryland, is because we don’t have a local income tax. I think that [tax is] a disincentive for business and for the residents.”
Expressing support for an assault weapon ban, Salim noted his opponent’s involvement in blocking legislation in 2020 that would have restricted sales and outlawed certain firearms. Petersen said the bill raised “constitutional issues.”
Salim also criticized the incumbent as not doing enough to support reproductive rights by protesting, setting up more health care clinics in the district and “standing up” to conservatives. Petersen said at last week’s debate that he would support amending the state constitution to ensure individuals can choose their own health care.
As Petersen’s first challenger in over a decade, Salim may face a tough road in the primary. The incumbent has out-raised him by more than 10 to 1, per recently filed campaign finance reports.
Plus, with so many experienced lawmakers retiring, Democratic voters may question whether they’re willing to lose another veteran legislator.
“Would I like to step into those shoes and be that leader? Yes, I would,” Petersen said about his potential position as one of the state’s longest-tenured senators. “But no one automatically qualified for reelection because they’re an incumbent. That’s why I’m out knocking on doors every night after dark, because I’ve got to earn it.”
If reelected, Petersen says he’ll continue voting “the way that my constituents will expect, which is keeping Virginia as a pro-education, pro-business, and a welcoming environment.”
Salim thinks the senate needs more progressives who he believes will better represent the constituents of the 37th District.
“This is the movement where we’re going to start electing more progressive,” he said. “We’re going to start electing folks that are from different backgrounds, financial backgrounds, and healthcare backgrounds, public service backgrounds. They’re going to shape the future of Virginia.”
The Democratic primary is set for Tuesday, June 20 with early voting starting next Friday (May 5). The general election is on Nov. 7.
